# No two are alike **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 23, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-two-are-alike/291477 "2005-02-23T03:50:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NadaHappyCamper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-two-are-alike/291477/1 "2005-02-23T03:50:59Z")
Since no one has ever compared every snowflake that exists or every fingerprint, what gives anyone the right to make such a statement? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-two-are-alike/291477/2 "2005-02-23T03:56:47Z")
Nothing. In fact, out of the billions of snowflakes that fall every winter, there are surely some that are virtually identical. However, there is sufficient variety in the way each snowflake crystallizes that it is very unlikely that any individual will find two that are alike. “No two snowflakes are alike” is something that is told to children to impress them. It’s not actually true. However, in practical terms it might as well be true, since it’s difficult to disprove. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-two-are-alike/291477/3 "2005-02-23T04:13:41Z")
[Cecil spake on this once, nay, several times.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_392.html) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-two-are-alike/291477/4 "2005-02-23T04:14:47Z")
[This site](http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/faqs/faqs.htm) explains in a little more detail. Some key points: - On a molecular basis, no two snowflakes are alike. The number of possible different arrangements of the water molecules in a snowflake makes it unlikely that two absolutely identical ones have been produced in the history of the Earth. - On a larger scale, many snowflakes are simple hexagonal crystals. Many of these crystals look essentially the same. - For more complex crystals, there is great enough variation that it would be extremely unlikely to actually find two that look the same. (However, such crystals may sometimes occur.) ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-two-are-alike/291477/5 "2005-02-23T12:21:35Z")
About fingerprints, I’ve heard of cases where people have been wrongfully convicted of crimes because “their” fingerprints were found at the crime scene, but in fact it was someone else who had nearly identical fingerprints! In at least one or two cases, the mistake was only discovered because the real criminal confessed. ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-two-are-alike/291477/6 "2005-02-23T14:08:22Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > “No two snowflakes are alike” is something that is told to children to impress them. It’s not actually true. However, in practical terms it might as well be true, since it’s difficult to disprove. Same could be said about trees, leaves or Big Macs. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-two-are-alike/291477/7 "2005-02-23T14:19:22Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > Same could be said about trees, leaves or Big Macs. It can be said about virtually every object that consists of more than a few molecules. Snowflakes frequently are used as an example because they superficially all look the same (as they are coming down). If you look at them more closely, because of their complex structure the differences between them are obvious and impressive. Grains of sand are also each unique. However, because their structure is simpler than that of snowflakes, they don’t make as arresting an example. ---
**Author:** ![NadaHappyCamper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-two-are-alike/291477/8 "2005-02-24T02:07:15Z")
To the same line of thinking: are all the atoms of one element , for example, helium the same? ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-two-are-alike/291477/9 "2005-02-24T02:55:41Z")
> [@NadaHappyCamper](#): > > To the same line of thinking: are all the atoms of one element , for example, helium the same? Nope, there are seven known isotopes of Helium which vary by the number of neutrons. ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-two-are-alike/291477/10 "2005-02-24T03:13:49Z")
Apparently, no two pieces of Ikea furniture are identical, either. The word “unique” is so universally applicable that it has no meaning.