For those who live where it snows, building the perfect snowman is an absolute necessity on every kid’s winter bucket list.

There’s always the vague hope that he will come alive (in the vein of Frosty and Olaf), but there’s a far more realistic chance that he will be the envy of everyone on your street. That his body will be smooth, round and evenly sized. That his arms will be made of the most perfect sticks. That his carrot nose will not be eaten by a deer. That he will not melt during one freak warm day. This perfect snowman is not just a fantasy; he can be made. And here’s how to make him.

Let’s start with the snow, aka the meat of your snowman. Like Goldielocks’ porridge, the snow should be not too wet, and not too dry, but just right. Very wet snow melts easily and turns to slush because the snowflakes were already close to melting before reaching the ground. Drier snow, like powder, is great for skiing but doesn’t pack well to accumulate into a snowball. The perfect snowman is made of packing snow, which is at or near its melting point on the ground. Being a bit warmer avoids accumulation of ice and allows the snow to be molded and smoothed. But it’s still cold enough that it maintains its shape and doesn’t fall apart in your hands.

The perfect snowman will have three perfect spheres to make up the leg area, torso and head. A sphere is made up of points, all equidistant from the central point of the shape. And yes, in a perfect world, you would have a ruler out to measure. And make sure to keep that ruler out to create the perfect ratio of spheres, the Golden Snowman Ratio, if you will:  3:2:1. So, for example, the bottom sphere would be 3 feet in diameter, the middle 2 feet, and the top 1 foot. To make a perfect giant snowman, the bottom snowball would be 18 feet in diameter, the middle, 12 feet, and the head, 6 feet. He would also be a terrifying monster and is probably the star of a horror film.

Once measured to the nearest eighth of an inch, the perfect snowman is completed with the perfect accessories. This is where the formula allows you to get creative. Perfect Classic Snowman wears a top hat and smokes a pipe; his arms are knurled but not knobby. Perfect Snow-Woman wears a pillbox hat and diamond earrings; her eyes are two giant sapphires (only the Queen of England can afford to make her). Perfect Hipster Snowman wears a beanie and carries coffee and an iPad, and he liked being frozen before it was cool. Your perfect snowman might wear a scarf or a tie, might wear mittens or boxing gloves. In fact, he or she could even go tropical: throw a hawaiian shirt on your snowman and use some sort of spicy food (maybe a pepper?) for the nose. How about a space snowman? Get a fake helmet and a miniature American flag, and your snowman will be ready for a NASA career. In terms of snowmen, there is no wrong answer (UNLESS you stray from the Golden Ratio; don’t stray from the ratio).

Photo Credit: http://www.carrolltonpublicschools.org/

Looking for more great STEM Jobs articles? Check out our getting ready for college checklist, read about these creepy science experiments and learn more about the top undergraduate schools in the nation.