Science Projects

Skiing and Friction: How Does Ski Wax Affect the Sliding Friction of Skis?

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Summary

Areas of Science

Sports Science

Difficulty

Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

Credits

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Abstract

You can model this with an ice cube sliding down a plank: how high do you need to lift the end of the plank before the ice cube starts to slide? Try this with one side plain wood and the flip side waxed wood (use paraffin wax, candle wax or ski wax). Make sure both sides are equally smooth to start with. Do at least three trials. More advanced: using what you know about the forces acting on the ice cube, derive equations to calculate the coefficient of friction for each case. Variation: chill the planks to different temperatures (e.g., inside, vs. outside, vs. enclosed, but unheated porch; or use your freezer; make sure the boards stay long enough to reach equilibrium). Do tests at steady temperature, try different cross-country ski waxes at each temperature. (Idea from Wiese, 2002, 54-56.)

Bibliography

Wiese, J., 2002. Sports Science: 40 Goal-Scoring, High-Flying, Medal-Winning Experiments for Kids. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.

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General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "Skiing and Friction: How Does Ski Wax Affect the Sliding Friction of Skis?" Science Buddies, 28 July 2017, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Sports_p042/sports-science/skiing-friction-ski-wax. Accessed 6 June 2023.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2017, July 28). Skiing and Friction: How Does Ski Wax Affect the Sliding Friction of Skis? Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Sports_p042/sports-science/skiing-friction-ski-wax

Last edit date: 2017-07-28

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