The Weight of Snow, in Chocolate

Even notice how wet, sticky snow is the best for packing snowballs? How can those teeny specks weigh so much? Sue Heavenrich at Archimedes Notebook figured out that a snowflake can weigh up to 1/50th of a gram, so 235 flakes weigh the same as a Hershey’s chocolate kiss. Other people found that if you shovel 10-inch-deep snow off a 50-foot stretch of sidewalk, you’re moving about 1,300 pounds of snow!

Wee ones: Which weighs more, a snowflake or 1 Hershey’s kiss?

Little kids: If you love to eat snow, and you take a bite of snowball, then eat a Hershey’s kiss, then a bite of snow, then a kiss…what do you eat on your 8th bite?  Bonus: If you count out 95 Hershey’s kisses, what number do you say before 95?

Big kids: A 5×5-foot square of sidewalk with 1 inch of snow weighs about 25 pounds. How many sidewalk squares would you have to shovel to match your weight in snow?  Bonus: If you eat 2 Hershey’s kisses, how many snowflakes would you have to eat to match that weight?

Answers:
Wee ones: A Hershey’s kiss.

Little kids: A Hershey’s kiss, as on all even-numbered bites.  Bonus: 94.

Big kids: Different for everyone…see how many 25s add up to your weight in pounds (or more).  Bonus: 470 snowflakes.

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