Christmas is a time of great joy and cherished traditions, but have you ever wondered about the science behind the festivities? From the chemistry of Christmas trees to the physics behind Santa’s sleigh, we’ve unwrapped the science in the below blog. Whether you’re a science geek (like us) or just curious, take a look and add a new dimension to your celebrations.
Liking sprouts is genetic: Well maybe! Whether or not you like sprouts could be down to your genetic makeup. Some of us have a version of a gene that makes bitter food taste even worse. This could be why, you either love them or hate them!
Treegonometry: Maths students at the University of Sheffield have calculated how to decorate the perfect Christmas tree. Their calculations look like this: Length of tinsel in cm: (13 x pi) divided by 8, then multiply by tree hight in cm. Number of baubles: (17 x pi) then multiply by tree hight in cm. Length of lights in cm: pi multiplied by tree hight in cm. Height of star in cm: tree height in cm divided by 10. You’re welcome!
Snowflake science: snowflakes begin their creation when water vapour condenses onto tiny dust particles in the atmosphere. It then freezes, forming ice crystals. Did you know; no two snowflakes are ever alike? As each snowflake is created under unique atmospheric conditions, this leads to infinite variations.
Chemistree: There is a compound found in Christmas trees called alpha-pinene, a terpene which is responsible for their unique scent. This compound can also react with other compounds in the air to form aerosols, which can affect cloud formation and even contribute to the blue haze sometimes seen over pine forests!
White Christmas: Statistically, the likelihood of widespread snow on Christmas day in the UK is very low; only occurring four times since 1960 according to the Met Office.
Santa physics: Scientists have calculated how fast Santa’s sleigh must travel to deliver presents to the world’s children on Christmas eve. The magic number is 4,705,882km/h. This is a lot slower than the speed of light but is fast enough to vaporise Santa and those presents… Good job he has a magic sleigh!
Reindeer: Science says Santa’s reindeer; Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph, are all actually female. Male reindeer shed their antlers after mating season at the start of December. Only females have antlers throughout the winter… unless they are castrated reindeer… but Santa wouldn’t do that! Right!?
Christmas pudding: Ever heard of the Maillard reaction? This occurs when the carbonyl group of a sugar reacts with an amino group on an amino acid. This reaction creates melanoidins, which are compounds that give the Christmas pudding its colour and flavour.
So there you have it, some fun Christmas science facts to brighted your day! We hope you enjoyed the read.