Snowflake of ice. At that stage, the snowflake has the shape of a minute hexagon. The six "arms" of the snowflake, or dendrites, then grow independently from each of the corners of the hexagon, while either side of each arm grows independently. The microenvironment in which the snowflake grows changes dynamically as the snowflake falls through the cloud and tiny changes in temperature and humidity affect the way in which water molecules attach to the snowflake. Since the micro-environment (and its changes) are very nearly identical around the snowflake, each arm tends to grow in nearly the same way. However, being
Front-to-back ratio Front-to-back ratio In telecommunication, the term front-to-back ratio ("also known as front-to-rear ratio") can mean: The ratio compares the antenna gain in a specified direction, "i.e.", azimuth, usually that of maximum gain, to the gain in a direction 180° from the specified azimuth. A front-to-back ratio is usually expressed in dB. In point-to-point microwave antennas, a "high performance" antenna usually has a higher front to back ratio than other antennas. For example, an unshrouded 38 GHz microwave dish may have a front to back ratio of 64 dB, while the same size reflector equipped with a shroud would have a