Weatherwatch: The surprisingly complex science of ice skating

Pressure, frictional heating and a disordered layer of molecules on top of the ice make skating possibleIce skating is counterintuitive: why should a narrow blade make it easier to slide over the ice? The science is surprisingly complex, but unscientific people worked out the practical application a long time ago.William FitzStephen described how Londoners entertained themselves in freezing conditions in 1173: "Crowds of young men go out to play on the ice. Some of them fit shinbones of cattle on their feet, tying them round their ankles ? and are carried along as fast as a flying bird." Continue reading...