Lessons on Friction & Collisions

Friction and collisions are concepts relevant to both ice hockey and figure skating. Consider the graph below, excerpted from a book by Schottenbauer Publishing:

Discussion Questions

1. How is air hockey similar to ice hockey? How is it different?
2. How is air hockey similar to ice skating? How is it different?
3. What happens when a hockey puck collides with a stick? 
4. How are the phenomena in this graph similar to collisions between an ice hockey puck and stick? How are they different?
5. What is the role of friction in ice skating? What does friction do to the motion of a hockey puck or a skater? 
6. How does this graph demonstrate friction?
7. How are the phenomena in this graph similar to friction experienced by an ice hockey puck? How are they different?
8. How are the phenomena in this graph similar to friction experienced by an ice skater? How are they different?

Additional sample graphs are available in a free pamphlet from the publisher's webpage.

Additional Information

Schottenbauer Publishing

Free Education Resources

Science of Ice Skating Memorabilia

Celebrate the sport science of ice skating with memorabilia from Zazzle! Colorful graphs from Schottenbauer Publishing are featured on these mugs, magnets, keychains, & postcards. Direct links to each collection are included below:

     

A variety of other sport science collections are also available from Schottenbauer Publishing on Zazzle, which features regular sales on most items.  


Additional Information

Schottenbauer Publishing 

Free Education Resources

Comparing Ice Skating Equipment in the Lab

What types of measurements are ideal for understanding ice skating? Take a moment to write down a list of at least four types of data to collect and compare. What types of equipment are necessary to measure each type? What physics concepts are relevant?

Many types of interesting data are available for comparison in the book The Science of Ice Skating: Volume 1 (Extended Edition) from Schottenbauer Publishing. Data include position, velocity, acceleration, and force for the following equipment:

• Surface Types
• Ice
• Synthetic Ice
• Wet
• Dry
• Skate Types
• Bob Skates
• Child Double-Runner Skates
• Hockey Skates
• Youth
• Adult
• Figure Skates
• 2 Sizes
• 2 Types of Blades
• Blade Preparation
• Sharpened
• Unsharpened
• Skate Mass
• None
• Added 2.5 pounds of weight

Additional types of data include:

• Hockey Puck Motion
• Vertical Motions (Force)
• Stepping
• Jumping
• Skate Support for Ankles (Force)
• Ice Melting (Temperature)

Free sample graphs are available in a free pamphlet from the publisher's webpage.

Additional Information

Schottenbauer Publishing

Free Education Resources