Why is it easier to slide on ice than on a rough sidewalk?
Ice's Slippery Secret
Why is it easier to slide on ice than on a rough sidewalk?
Try this in your imagination: take one running step onto a frozen pond, and another onto a gritty sidewalk. The sidewalk grabs your shoe. The ice? The ice just lets you go, like it forgot how to hold on. So what makes ice such a slippery host?
The secret is a thing called friction. Friction is the grippiness between two surfaces that rub together. It's the force that fights against sliding. Lots of friction means "stay put." Little friction means "wheee."
