Why is ice so slippery?

 Why is ice so slippery?

  No one would deny that ice is slippery in nature. But have you ever wondered why? Keep reading to know the reason.

  This happens because of a very thin layer of water that forms on top of the ice. But scientists are not sure what forms it. Most solids don't form this kind of layer. But, ice does (Pss! It's not like other solids).

  So scientists have come up with various ideas to justify it. These ideas include friction, pressure and the way water molecules ice molecules behave.

  For decades, people as well as scientists believed that exerting pressure on ice can melt a very thin layer of water on top of it. This phenomenon in which the ice converts to liquid due to applied pressure and then re-converts to ice once the pressure is removed is called as regelation. However this needs a lot of pressure. It seems to make sense, however, it doesn't.

  Another possibility is that, when you rub ice or walk on ice slab, it creates enough friction to heat and melt the topmost ice layer. But, the ice is still slippery when you stand on it? So.

  There's also a third idea based on observations of Micheal Faraday in 1850. He pressed two ice cubes together and for his surprise, they froze together. According to him, when there was no contact of air with the contact surface, the layers melted. Based on his observations, scientists are coming up with ideas like surface melting. Maybe water molecules on the surface of ice can move around more than the ones inside, since there are no molecules above them to hold them in place. Because these surface molecules are less stable, they have enough energy to make a liquid-like layer even at below-freezing temperatures. 

  Summing up, ice is just slippery. And the reason? With so many ideas, none have been proved or disproved completely. So? 

  I would love to hear from you, what do you think about the slippery nature of ice, in the comments below...

Posts before October 2021 have been marked as "Old Posts". Less likely, but they might have out dated or incorrect information, ugly looking bits of code, no labels, etc. Don't get me wrong, many of these posts are top-notch and interesting too.

I thought it would be better not to delete or revamp these posts, even if they suck. The bitter truth is that old works always suck, but I take that as a positive tool to convey that I am growing. Besides there's no better way to showcase my journey without these old, messy, poorly written posts!

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