THE PHYSICS BEHIND ICE SKATING

Introduction
This paper is entitled to discuss the concepts behind ice skating in relation to
Circular Motion, some conceptual problems and applications.

First, Circular motion is the motion of an object in a circular path at a constant

speed. An object in circular motion undergoes acceleration due to centripetal force in the
direction of the center of rotation. As the object moves in a circular path, its direction changes
and is accelerating. [1] A centripetal force is needed to maintain the objects motion towards the
center of the path. This force is perpendicular to the objects velocity. The velocity vector has the
same direction as to the objects motion, therefore the velocity vector is tangent to the path.
Since the direction of the velocity vector is the same as the direction of the object's motion, the
velocity vector is said to be tangent to the circular path as well. [2] The final motion
characteristic for an object undergoing uniform circular motion is the net force. Without such an
inward force, an object would continue in a straight line. [2]

The physics behind ice skating comes down in analyzing the movement of the skates
over the ice. The skates do two things: they glide over the ice and they push off the ice with the
edge that causes the gain in speed. The low friction of the skate allows a skater to dig in with his
skate allowing the skater to move around and turn.to speed up and stop. A skater propels
himself forward by pushing off the ice with the perpendicular force exerted on the skates. As the
skater moves forward, he switches to the other leg and pushes off the ice with the other one.
Thus, the physics of skating forward is just the same as to backward skating. In analyzing the

physics to determine the maximum speed involves looking on the movement of the skater. 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/her heel. This increases the
time that the skater can push off the can push off the ice and thus accelerates faster. [3]

In some ice skating sports, movement on the ice involves artistry and technical skills.

Theory

Before discussing the dynamics of uniform circular motion, we must explore its
kinematics. Because the direction of a particle moving in a circle changes at a constant rate, it
must experience uniform acceleration. But in what direction is the particle accelerated? To find
this direction, we need only look at the change in velocity over a short period of time:

Figure 1: A particle in Uniform Circular Motion

The diagram in Figure 1 shows the velocity vector of a particle in uniform circular motion
at two instants of time. By vector addition it is shown that the change in velocity, v, points
toward the center of the circle. Since acceleration is the change in velocity over a given period
of time, the consequent acceleration points in the same direction. Thus it is defined that
centripetal acceleration is an acceleration towards the center of a circular path. All objects in
uniform circular motion must experience some form of uniform centripetal acceleration.
We find the magnitude of this acceleration by comparing ratios of velocity and position
around the circle. Since the particle is traveling in a circular path, the ratio of the change in
velocity to velocity will be the same as the ratio of the change in position to position. Thus:

r t
= =

r
r
Rearranging the equation,

2
=
t r
Thus
2

a=
r

This is now the definition for both the magnitude and direction of centripetal acceleration:
it always points towards the center of the circle, and has a magnitude of v 2/r.

Centripetal Force

Centripetal force is the force that causes centripetal acceleration. By using Newton's
Second Law in conjunction with the equation for centripetal acceleration, we can easily generate
an expression for centripetal force.

Fc =ma=

m
r

The force and acceleration will always point in the same direction. Centripetal force therefore
points toward the center of the circle. [4]

Application to Ice Skating

We investigated the application of circular motion principles to the world of ice skating
and use Newton's laws to mathematically analyze such motions.

The most common example of circular motion in ice skating involves the turn. Now for
certain not all turns involve a complete circle; nor do all turns have a perfectly circular shape.
Nonetheless, any turn can be approximated as being a part of a larger circle or a part of several
circles of varying size. A sharp turn can be considered part of a small circle. A more gradual turn
is part of a larger circle. Some turns can begin sharply and gradually change in sharpness, or
vice versa. In all cases, the motion around a turn can be approximated as part of a circle or a
collection of circles. Figure 2 depicts a variety of paths that a turn could make.

Figure 2: Variety of paths that a turn could make

Because turning a corner involves the motion of an object that is momentarily moving
along the path of a circle, both the concepts and the mathematics of circular motion can be
applied to such a motion. When a person makes a turn on a horizontal surface, the person
often leans into the turn. By leaning, the surface pushes upward at an angle to the vertical. As
such, there is both a horizontal and a vertical component resulting from contact with the surface
below. This contact force supplies two roles - it balances the downward force of gravity and
meets the centripetal force requirement for an object in uniform circular motion. The upward
component of the contact force is sufficient to balance the downward force of gravity and the
horizontal component of the contact force pushes the person towards the center of the circle.
This contact force is depicted in Figure 3 for a speed skater making a turn on ice.

Figure 3: Ice Skater on a turn

Figure 4: Components of contact force

In the case of the speed skater in Figure 3, the force resulting from the contact between
ice skates and ice has two components to it. These components are shown in Figure 4. The
force is a vector combination of a normal force and a friction force. The normal force is the result
of the stable surface providing support for any object pushing downward against it. The friction
force is the result of the static friction force resulting from the ice-skate interaction. [5]

In Figure 5 shows a schematic of a speed skater as he goes around a turn. The skating
surface

is

flat

and

horizontal.

Figure 5: Schematic of a speed skater

Where:

g is the acceleration due to gravity, which is equal to 9.8 m/s 2 on earth

G is the center of mass of the system (which consists of skater plus skates, which together can
be treated as a rigid body)

P is the approximate contact point between the skater's blades and the ice

L is the distance between point P and point G

Fx is the horizontal contact force, with the ice, acting on the skater's blade at point P

Fy is the vertical contact force, with the ice, acting on the skater's blade at point P

R is the radius of the turn, measured from the center of the turn to the center of mass G of the
system

ac is the centripetal acceleration of point G. This acceleration is in the horizontal direction and
points towards the center of the turn

 is the angle between the horizontal and the line passing through points P and G. 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

F y mg=0

Eqn.1

where m is the mass of the system (which consists of skater plus skates). Applying Newton's
second law in the horizontal direction:

F x =m ac

The centripetal acceleration is given by

2

ac =
R

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

2
F x =m
R

Eqn. 2

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

F x sin LF y cos L=0

Eqn. 3

Conceptual Problems:
1. How do the skates helps in gaining the speed of the skater?
As the skater glide over the ice, they push off the ice with the edge making him
gain in speed.

2. What is the concept behind the skate that changes a skaters movement?
The low friction of the skate on the ice allows a skater to easily glide over the ice
surface. The physical properties of the ice allow the skater to dig in with his skate in
order to go around a turn, speed up or stop.
3. Whats the difference between skating forward and backward?

A skater propels himself forward by pushing off the ice with a perpendicular force
to the skate. Since the friction on the blade is almost zero, this only allows him/her to
move forward. As the skater moves forward, he switches off his other leg and pushes off
the ice. To push off with a greater force, the skater must increase the angle in the
direction of the motion. When a skater moves backward, he/she performs a gliding
pattern S. The way of skating backward is just the same as to forward.
4. How does a skater balance his motion when accelerating forward?
To maintain a skater balance, he/she will bend forward in the direction of the
motion. This prevents a skater from falling backwards due to the torque caused by
forward component of the exerted force. By bending forward, the skater is moving his
center of mass forward which creates a counter-torque that balances the torque caused
by forward component of the exerted force making him from falling backwards.
5.

Why does a skater strides wider on a straight part of the track than on the curve part?
On the curved part of the track it is easier to steer around the turn if the skater

keeps the lateral distance between his strides small. However, he/she cant go as fast
around a turn as he can on the straight part of the track. In short track speed skating, the
radius of the turn is quite small. This allows the skater to lean towards the inside of the turn
with the centripetal acceleration. Short track speed skaters cant do much skating around
the turns.

6. Whats the physics behind twirling or spinning?

Skaters rotating at highs speeds invoke a principle in physics known as angular
momentum. The amount of motion achieved by the skater is affected by the speed of the
spinner - angular velocity, and how spread out the spinner is while making the twirl rotational inertia. The simple physics equation describing this phenomenon is given by

I 1 w 1=I 2 w 2 where I is the rotational inertia about the spin axis and w is the rotation rate.
The subscripts 1 and 2 indicate "initial" and "final", respectively. This equation is the
mathematical expression for conservation of angular momentum for a body which
experiences no external torque. In the case of the figure skater, there is no outside force
causing his body to rotate after he initiates his spin, so to spin faster he pulls together his
arms and legs, which reduces his rotational inertia I and his rotation speed increases as a
result.
7. How do skaters spin fast?
The speed of a skating spin relates to the position of the arms. If the arms are
close to the body, the skater's spin will be faster. If the arms are not pulled in, the spin
will slow down. Skaters can control the speed of their spins by learning how to control
their arms during the spin.
8. Why do skaters lean when turning?
When a person makes a turn on a horizontal surface, the person often leans into
the turn because there must be some object supplying an inward force or
inward component of force. By leaning, the surface pushes upward at an angle to the
vertical. As such, there is both a horizontal and a vertical component resulting from
contact with the surface below. This contact force supplies two roles - it balances the
downward force of gravity and meets the centripetal force requirement for an object in
uniform circular motion.
9. How does friction affect speed when skating?
Friction is defined as the resistance force between two solid surfaces that are
rubbing against one another. In skating different levels of friction are created by skaters
to speed up or stop on the ice. While skating at high speeds can be achieved through a
reduction in friction, performing short stops are a result of an extreme amount of friction

being placed on your skates by the ice. If you are a speed skater or someone looking to
reduce the amount of friction between the ice and your skates, sharpening your skates is
a common solution. During the sharpening process, the surface area of the skates is
reduced, thus reducing the amount of metal that is making contact with the ice.
Reducing the surface area by sharpening your skates reduces friction and increases
speed. This additional speed comes in handy when you propel yourself down the ice.
10. What is the effect of the weight of an ice skater affect when jumping for a spin?
The vertical speed needed to achieve a given height is the same for all skaters.
The force to attain that speed, however, depends on the weight of the skater and the
time interval over which the force is applied during the takeoff. The heavier the skater the
greater the force required to attain a given takeoff speed.

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