Skiing and snowboarding events rely on the peculiar physics of sliding on snow. According to classical lubrication theory, that sliding shouldn’t be nearly as low in friction as what we Keep reading
Tag: Winter Olympics
Beijing 2022: Ice’s Slideability
As scientists continue to unravel the peculiarities of ice, they’ve found that ice’s friction depends both on the object sliding on it and the ice’s hardness. At extremely low temperatures, Keep reading
Beijing 2022: Monobob
Bobsleigh, as a discipline, has been dominated in recent years by teams seeking every aerodynamic advantage to shave hundredths of a second off their runs. So it’s fascinating that the Keep reading
Beijing 2022: Ski Jumping
In ski jumping, aerodynamics are paramount. Each jump consists of four segments: the in-run, take-off, flight, and landing. Of these, aerodynamics dominates in the in-run — where jumpers streamline themselves Keep reading
Beijing 2022: Why Are Ice and Snow Slippery?
Although every Olympic winter sport relies on the slippery nature of snow and ice, exactly why those substances are so slippery has been an enduring mystery. Michael Faraday hypothesized in the nineteenth century that Keep reading
PyeongChang 2018: Moguls
Moguls are bump-like snow mounds featured in freestyle skiing competitions and also frequently found on recreational ski courses. Although competition runs are man-made, most mogul fields form naturally on their Keep reading
PyeongChang 2018: Ice’s Watery Sublayer
The Olympic Charter declares that winter sports must be practiced on snow or ice. Both are frozen forms of water, which despite its ubiquity, is one of the strangest substances Keep reading