The Science Behind Ice Skating | I Didn't Know That

Do you know why you can skate across ice? It's not because ice is slippery. Richard Ambrose and Jonny Phillips demonstrate the science behind ice skating while trying to maintain their balance!

About I Didn't Know That:
Two industrial scientists, Richard Ambrose and Jonny Phillips, explain the science behind everyday life... from microwave ovens to beating a lie detector.

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The Science Behind Ice Skating | I Didn't Know That

National Geographic

[KoboldCommando]

"Ice skates work because ice is slippery"

"I didn't know that"

[efsamson]

the cheese wire through ice bit was a magic trick I did in school, only I used ice with food colouring in it to hide the internal mark where the wire went through it, the heavier the weights the faster it will cut, I got a 3 inch by 3 inch piece of ice to cut in about 30 seconds, any faster and the wire was simply breaking the ice, it was still a cool trick for a bunch of 3rd graders but.

[itsMinuteMaid]

Atoms actually can get smaller. Electrons can release photons and that drops them to a lower energy state (moves them closer to the nucleus), which therefore decreases the volume of the atom. Not just that, atoms can lose electrons during chemical bonds/interactions which would make them smaller, and lets not forget about nuclear fission which splits apart a nucleus of an atom into two pieces and so effectively decreasing its size by half.

[gator]

Description says it's not because ice is slippery. Final conclusion made by scientists is "So after all that, ice is naturally slippery." National Geographic trolled us on Christmas.

[wendy]

My chemistry prof showed this in lecture last semester (:

[melikab]

theres always friction. its coefficient is VERY low meaning you'd have much less friction and yes thats why its slippery

[cheryl-annegoh]

It would have been better if he used "freezing point" instead of "melting point", even though both are at the same temperature for water.

[conradmward]

Not really. The lack of friction is because of the small surface area in contact and the fact that you glide around on a relatively smooth surface. On a microscopic scale, ice might be rough, but on a scale the size of a skate, it is smooth.

[PIFFthePUFF]

I'm not backing him up or anything because clearly he lives under a bridge. Fission, a nuclear process creates a chain reaction of radioactive isotopes and this energy is often converted into electric energy at the one of the highest efficiencies we know today. Most (if not all) of my city is powered through nuclear physics so it is VERY important. Don't think "bombs" when you hear "nuclear", think highly radioactive metals that emit a lot of energy just waiting for us to seize it.

[TheChannyj]

You didn't watch this video, did you? What? Did you just click on it, pause it immediately, and then comment?
You need to watch this.

[Warhawke]

1:48 "don't break it" i bet it broke as soon as they cut the camera hahaha

[hungrysherry]

can't really say it's that sticky...its just probably the heat from your finger melted the surface of the ice, also with combination of moisture from your skin, the ice melts and refreezes with sort of clings onto your finger for awhile

[kingbrandon]

OMG WHAT IS THAT MONSTER AT 1:13?! GO DO SOME SCIENCE ON THAT!

[boyercam]

1:08 - That music, again. Does anyone know what it is?

[carlingari]

Why are they lying that regelation alone isn't enough to cause the slipperiness? A person weighing 80kilos standing on a 100mm by 2mm blade will exert a pressure of 4, 000, 000 Pa. Atmospheric pressure is about just 101, 000 Pa. Friction contributes very little to this equation

[PIFFthePUFF]

We have not used it to full potential or anywhere close to it!

[LifeLoveDeath]

i know right. it's good to know things, even when they're bullshit.

[MsKTMvalley]

You mean, "Fuck yeah, science!"

[conradmward]

Wouldn't the ice be slippery because of a lack of friction?

[isabellebardelas]

Is there a cat or dog in the background