Five science tricks to make your snowman last longer: 1. Pack snow tightly. 2. Cover with ice. 3. Add salt to the water. 4. Build a hat and scarf. 5. Use a straw to blow air into the body.

IF you’re lucky enough to be graced with snow this year, there are five tricks you need to know to help your snowperson outlive the rest. Whatever you build – be it a snowman or an igloo – you’ll want to preserve your hard work for as long as you can. 1 The longest living snowpeople are built out of the right kind of snow Credit: Getty – Contributor Seek shade While this may be more of a common sense trick than a science one, building your snowman in a shady spot will help it escape that winter sun and last longer. Avoid tarmac Of course, you’ll want a level ground – but avoid tarmac areas like your driveway. Tarmac tends to absorb heat, which can melt your snowman prematurely. Try opting for a flat, grassy, ground if you can – any surface that retains the cold. The best type of snow The longest living snowpeople are built out of the right kind of snow. And the best type of snow comes when the temperature is right around the freezing mark. If you wake up to a blanket of snow and the air temperature is in the single digits (in Celcius) and the teens (in Farenheit) – then its best to wait a few hours for the sun to shine. This may sound counter-intuitive, but wetter snow – snow that has been slightly warmed by the sun – is stickier and tends to stack up more easily. Most read in Tech STREETS OF CHAOS Four cops hurt after stick-wielding crowd attacks police in protest mayhem LOT TO LEARN Rangers Todd Cantwell was taught ‘lesson’ from Celtic captain Callum McGregor VARCE Rangers demand SFA release VAR audio of Celtic’s Alistair Johnston handball incident AIR TRAGEDY Woman dies on Glasgow TUI flight after taking ill on trip back from Tenerife Put a coat on it Veteran science educator of 25 years, Mike Szydlowski, formerly of the Columbia Public Schools, suggested folks should try putting a coat on their snowperson to help them last longer. It might sound bizarre – but it can work. “A coat keeps you warm, but does it warm your ice? The answer should be ‘no’,” he explained in the Columbia Daily Tribune. “Coats keep you warm because they provide insulation. “A coat or blanket does not produce warmth — it keeps in the warmth your body generates. “When you place the coat around a block of ice, the same insulating power will keep the ice cool. “So on a warm day, your snowman or ice block in a blanket would likely stay frozen longer than a snowman or ice block without any insulation.” Plus, snowpeople look cooler with clothing and accessories. Spray with water Lastly, you’ll want to spray the finished snow sculpture with water to freeze the top layer of snow and keep it from melting too quickly. Of course, that will work only when temperatures are in around the freezing point. This can also help when your local snow is very cold and fluffy and it doesn’t bond well. Bonus tip: You can give your snow creation a splash of colour with a spray bottle filled with a mixture of food colouring and water. Find out more about science Want to know more about the weird and wonderful world of science? From the Moon to the human body, we have you covered… When is the next Full Moon ? What is a Super Moon ? What is SpaceX ? Where is the edge of space ? How many bones are in the human body ? How many chromosomes do humans have? What causes a volcano to erupt ? Which sharks attack the most humans? What are the conspiracy theories about the world ending? All the UFO sightings and whether aliens are real Which country has the most earthquakes ?

Link to the original story: https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/tech/11728344/science-tricks-make-snowman-snow-last-longer/