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Re: Olympics curling question



I believe the brushing creates little pebbles of ice which in turn create a
"ball bearing" type of effect for the stone to slide on. Alan

At 03:35 PM 2/15/2002 -0600, you wrote:
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.


Anyone know what kind of pad is worn on the shoes of those participat=
ing in the curling competition? They slide with less friction than I=
would expect from a simple flat leather sole. Is it anything specia=
l?

What's the theory on the brushing? Are they making enough heat to me=
lt the ice a little bit? Is it just a matter of smoothing or roughin=
g up the surface? Would the stone curl without the brushing? I have=
been thinking on this off an on for a couple of days but have not co=
me up with explanations that satisfy.
Cliff Parker

Never express yourself more clearly than you can think. Niels Bohr



Alan J. Scott
103G Jarvis Hall (Science Wing)
Department of Physics
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, WI 54751
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