• Question: Why is ice so slippery to walk on but good for ice skating on?

    Asked by dynamitefire to Carol, Ellie, John, Philip, Rebecca on 24 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: John Welford

      John Welford answered on 24 Jun 2012:

      Well I think you have answered the second part of your question in the first part! It is good for skating on because it is slippery! It is also very hard, which means that sharp ice skates can grip sideways without cutting big holes in it.

      I’m not sure why it is so slippery. In fact it is a very difficult question that no scientists seem to have completely answered. Most theories are to do with there being a thin layer of water on the surface of the ice that allow your shoe to slide.

      Some scientists think that the pressure of your shoe (or ice skate) turns more ice into water, others think that the friction of your shoe moving on the ice heats it up a little and creates more water. But I’m not sure if there is a definite answer currently.

      This means that it is a very good question and shows that Science doesn’t yet have all the answers. There is plenty left for new scientists like you to investigate!

    • Photo: Carol White

      Carol White answered on 27 Jun 2012:

      Hi dynamite fire – you’ve had some really good questions here!

      John’s absolutely right, there’s two theories about how ice works
      1) pressure of an object melts the top layer of the ice (so skating works with a thin blade, but your foot is wider and makes a big slippery surface)
      2) there’s always a thin layer of water on the top of the ice – but still helps you skate.

      Extra melted ice that you get from rubbing the blade of an ice skate reduces the friction so you have a better gliding ability with less effort.

      Though maybe I’m not the best person to answer… I am a truly terrible ice skater!

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