The physics of ice skaters

Abstract.ThephysicsIwastaughtinhighschoolhasmanyapplicationsintherealwordand
iceskatingisoneofthem.TheuseofphysicsiniceskatingisapartofThephysicsin
sports.Thephysicsofsportshasbroadapplications,andisusefulforboostingperformance
inavarietyofathleticdisciplines.InthisarticleIprovethatthephysicsbehindiceskating
comes down to analysing the movement of skates over the ice. My observations are
expressedinthelanguageofphysicsandIhadnotusedasuperficialtreatmentapproaching
thephysicsapplicationiniceskating.UsingclearandconciseexplanationsIcanstimulate
awarenessandunderstandingofthewaythaticeskatingisbasedonphysicallaws.Afterthis
analysethegeneralideathatthereadershouldassumeisthat:theskatesdotwothings:they
glideovertheiceandtheypushofftheicewiththeedge,whichcausesagaininspeedand
withpractice,thiscombinationofmovementscanbecomeaseffortlessaswalking.

1. Introduction
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons,
including exercise, leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared
indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and
rivers. A skate can slide over ice because the ice molecules at the surface cannot properly bond with
the molecules of the mass of ice beneath and thus are free to move like molecules of liquid water.
These molecules remain in a semiliquid state, providing lubrication.
It had long been believed that ice is slippery because the pressure of an object in contact with
it causes a thin layer to melt. The hypothesis was that the blade of an ice skate, exerting pressure on
the ice, melts a thin layer, providing lubrication between the ice and the blade. This explanation, called
"pressure melting", originated in the 19th century. This, however, did not account for skating on ice
temperatures lower than 3.5 C, whereas skaters often skate on lower-temperature ice. In the 20th
century, an alternative explanation, called "friction heating", was proposed, whereby friction of the
material was causing the ice layer melting. However, this theory also failed to explain skating at low
temperature. In fact, neither explanation explained why ice is slippery when standing still even at
below-zero temperatures.

2. Low friction of the skate

An important part of the physics of ice skaters is the low
friction of the skate blade with the ice. This low friction
allows a skater to easily glide over the ice surface, and in
addition, the physical properties of the ice allows a skater to
dig in with his skate in order to go around a turn, speed up,
or stop. A skater propels himself forward by pushing off the
ice with a force perpendicular to the skate blade. Since the

friction of the blade with the ice is almost zero, this is the only way he can propel himself forward.
This principle is illustrated in Figure 1.
As the skater pushes off with his rear leg, a perpendicular force F is exerted on the skate by
the ice. The component of the force F that points forward (in the direction of motion) is what pushes
the skater forward. At the same time, his other skate is either raised or gliding on the ice. As the skater
moves forward he then switches to the other leg and pushes off the ice with that one, and the process is
mirrored. To push off the ice with greater forward force (and accelerate faster), the skater increases the
angle , which increases the component of force in the direction of motion.
A skater can also skate backwards using a gliding
pattern in the shape of a lazy "S" (as shown in Figure 2), in
Figure 1
which the skater's blades never leave the ice. However, the
skater cannot push off against the ice as hard as he does when
skating forward, which means he cannot go as fast. In this technique, the skater pushes
against the ice with his push-skate facing inward, while his other skate glides. As the
skater moves backwards he then switches to the other leg and pushes off the ice with
that one, and the process is mirrored. Thus, the physics of skating backward is similar
to the physics of skating forward.

2. Speed skating
As a skater gains speed, the velocity of his pushing leg relative to the ice
decreases. This reduces the amount of push force that the skater can exert on the ice.
For instance, if a skater can at most move
his
Figure 2
feet at 7 m/s then the greatest push force
will be when he begins skating from rest. At
this point the velocity of his foot relative to the ice is 7 m/s (a maximum). As the skater
gains speed this relative velocity decreases. For example, if he reaches a speed of 5 m/s, the relative
velocity of his foot relative to the ice is 2 m/s, and the push force is less as a result. Consequently,
there is a maximum speed the skater can reach, which is directly influenced by how fast he can move
his feet. However, the maximum speed the skater can reach is not necessarily 7 m/s. Analyzing the
physics to determine the maximum speed involves looking biomechanics of the skater.
To maintain his balance when accelerating forward, a skater will crouch (or bend) forward in
the direction of motion. This prevents him from falling (tipping) backwards due to the torque caused
by the forward component of the force F. By crouching (or bending) forward, the skater is moving his
center of mass forward which creates a counter-torque. This counter-torque balances the torque caused
by the forward component of F, and this prevents him from falling (tipping) backwards. Crouching (or
bending) forward also reduces a skater's air resistance (drag) by reducing his frontal area. This allows
him to accelerate to, and maintain, a greater speed.
In the sport of speed skating, skaters use clap skates which hinge at the front. This allows the
blade to remain flattened against the ice when the skater raises his heel, during the stride. This
increases the time that the skater can push off against the ice, which enables him to accelerate faster.
This design trick is of a more practical nature, while still being related to the physics of ice skating. In
some ice skating sports, such as figure skating, movement on the ice involves artistry and technical
skill, while in other sports, such as speed skating, movement on the ice is of a strictly technical nature
and is geared towards speed and efficiency. When the skater is on the straight part of the track his
strides are wider than on the curved part of the track. The reason for this is because on the curved part

of the track it is easier to steer around the turn if he keeps the lateral distance between his strides
small.

3. Short Track Speed Skating Analysis

The Figure 3 shows a schematic of a speed skater as he goes around a turn. Note that the
skating surface is flat and horizontal. Here the g is the acceleration due to gravity, which is equal to 9.8
m/s2 on Earth and G is the center of
mass of the system (which consists of
skater plus skates, which together can
be treated as a rigid body). It was
denoted by P the approximate contact
point between the skater's blades and
the ice. L the distance between point
P and point G. The force is resolved
into two components: Fx which is the
horizontal contact force, with the ice,
acting on the skater's blade at point P
and Fy which is the vertical contact
force, with the ice, acting on the
skater's blade at point P. The radius
of the turn (R) is measured from the
center of the turn to the center of
mass G of the system. It was denoted
by ac the centripetal acceleration of
point G. This acceleration is in the
Figure 3
horizontal direction and points
towards the center of the turn. The
angle between the horizontal and the line passing through points P and G it was noted by . This is the
angle of "lean" (a constant).
The center of mass G has zero vertical acceleration. Therefore, the forces in the vertical
direction acting on the system must sum to zero. Mathematically this can be written as:
(1)
Where m is the mass of the system (which consists of skater plus skates). Apply Newton's
second law in the horizontal direction:
(2)
The centripetal acceleration is given by:
(3)
Where v is the velocity of the center of mass G. This velocity is pointing out of the page.
Substitute this equation into the previous equation and we get:
(4)

Since is constant, the system is in a state of rotational equilibrium. This means there is zero
moment acting on the system about the center of mass G, about an axis pointing out of the page.
Mathematically we can write this as:
(5)
Combine equations (1)-(4). We get:
(6)
Most of the turns done by world class figure skaters are edge turns, meaning they are spinning
while remaining on an edge. For beginners, often the first spin learned is the two-footed spin. A skater
rides a large curve with most of their weight on an outside edge. As the curve spirals into the center,
the skater rises up on the flats and begins to spin. One of the most important aspects of a spin is how to
center a spin. This refers to the property that the spin should stay in one place and not travel all over
the ice (which is quite hazardous).

4. Conclusions
Taking everything into account, we can say that skating depends on the roughness of the ice,
the design of the ice skate, and the skill and experience of the skater. One of the most well-known
tenets of physics for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction was first discovered by
Isaac Newton. It's this idea that allows skaters to move across the ice. When they push off against the
ice, or "stroke" with their skates, they are applying a force down and back against the ground. Well,
the ground just pushes right back, supplying a force forward and up that propels the skaters into a
glide or jump, depending on the particulars of the force they applied.

Bibliography
1. http://www.real-world-physics-problems.com/physics-of-ice-skating.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_skating
3. https://www.google.ro/search?
q=ice+skating&biw=1366&bih=600&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=7vdTVNayCsf
waPnOgrgG&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=ice+skating+physics&spell=1 (source
for the pictures)
4. http://www.livescience.com/6120-physics-figure-skating.html