Science Fiction or Science FRICTION
by Austin Barber and Sami Rimawi
Curling
Curling is an Olympic sport that has been around for many years. The sport is played by sending a curling rock across a large sheet of ice. The objective of the game is to have as many of your curling rocks as possible in the circular target at the end of the playing field.
The Push
One curling team member pushes the rock giving it it's initial burst of momentum. This is a key component of the process because if the initial velocity is too high the Rock will zoom past the target at hand.
The Slide
This diagram shows the entire traveling process of the curling rock. The surface of the ice is actually slightly bumpy rather than smooth. This bumpy surface gives a lower surface area that the rock has to slide on because the rock only glides over the tips of each bump. Less surface area equals less friction. Less friction allows the curling rock to move further. The bumps also do not allow for a vacuum effect because no seal can be created between block and ice.
Players can control the direction of the block by rapidly sweeping the ice in front of the block. Brooms have a slightly abrasive surface that can slightly melt the ice and create a path of least resistance. The melting is caused by the heat produced by the friction that occurs between the brooms and ice. The block will follow this path and journey to the spot the players have in mind.
The Collision
When the curling rock finally reaches the target there is often another block in its path. Because of this a collision must occur. When the collision takes place there must be a transfer in kinetic energy and momentum. The original block will stay close to where the collision occurred. This is an elastic collision. The block that was once at rest now moves away from the target and takes away the points that the opposing team could have had.