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PRINTWhy is Ice Slippery?
With all the frozen precipitation blanketing many areas of the country, I thought we should share some icy facts with you.
In the 2008 Farmers’ Almanac, we have a great story on “Everything Ice” page 152. In this article, freelancer Lynn Jones shares some great bits of icy tips, including the answer to “Why is Ice Slippery:”
This would seem like an easy question, but, surprisingly, scientists are still debating the answer. The standard textbook explanation is that when ice-skating, for example, the pressure of a skate’s blade on the ice lowers the freezing point of the top layer of ice, causing it to melt; it then refreezes once the pressure is gone.
New research indicates that the pressure theory doesn’t hold water. One new theory says that friction makes ice slippery; another says that the molecules on the surface of ice vibrate at a higher rate and stay liquid at a lower temperature. Which theory will prove right? We’ll have to wait and see.
For more icy tidbits, be sure to check out pages 152-156 of the 2008 Farmers’ Almanac.
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Peter Geiger is the Editor of the Farmers' Almanac. Read his full biography here.Free Weekly eNewsletter
Farmers' Almanac Long Range Weather
February 8th - February 11th
- Northeast U.S.
Wet snow mixed with rain Mid-Atlantic north through New England; slushy accumulations of 4+" possible.
- Midwest/Great Lakes U.S.
Accumulating snows Kentucky, Ohio, then clearing. Fair elsewhere.
- Southeast U.S.
Wet snow Tennessee, western North Carolina; wintry mix northern Mississippi, Alabama. Elsewhere, rain, then clearing.
- North Central U.S.
Drier, much colder.
- South Central U.S.
Snow parts of Arkansas, then clearing, cold. Clear, much colder elsewhere.
- Northwest U.S.
Drier, but colder.
- Southwest U.S.
Drier, but noticeably colder.
• View entire Long Range Weather Forecast »
• Farmers' Almanac 2011-12 Winter Outlook »
• View the Almanac Daily Planner »
If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.