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David Ball
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Ice, for example, will form a crystal when frozen under certain circumstances. Why is this the case for ice? While on the subject of water crystallization, why do snowflakes usually form in base 6 formations? Would other materials act similarly? I also noticed this sort of square spiral crystal made of bismuth. Can anybody explain how that forms, very specifically?

Please give the most fundamental and advanced answers possible. Thank you.

enter image description here

Ice, for example, will form a crystal when frozen under certain circumstances. Why is this the case for ice? While on the subject of water crystallization, why do snowflakes usually form in base 6 formations? Would other materials act similarly? I also noticed this sort of square spiral crystal made of bismuth. Can anybody explain how that forms, very specifically?

enter image description here

Ice, for example, will form a crystal when frozen under certain circumstances. Why is this the case for ice? While on the subject of water crystallization, why do snowflakes usually form in base 6 formations? Would other materials act similarly? I also noticed this sort of square spiral crystal made of bismuth. Can anybody explain how that forms, very specifically?

Please give the most fundamental and advanced answers possible. Thank you.

enter image description here

I added a solid-state physics tag. He might get even more advanced and fundamental answers this way.
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David Ball
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Why do some things crystallize? (And others don't, for that matter.)

Ice, for example, will form a crystal when frozen under certain circumstances. Why is this the case for ice? While on the subject of water crystallization, why do snowflakes usually form in base 6 formations? Would other materials act similarly? I also noticed this sort of square spiral crystal made of bismuth. Can anybody explain how that forms, very specifically?

enter image description here