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Q:
When an ice skater skates, they slide on a thin layer of water. But shouldn’t it become solid since it’s being compressed? What is happening?
- Anonymous
Swanton
A:
Watrer is unusual in that it's frozen form occupies more volume than
the liquid. Squeezing on something always tends to drive it to the
smaller-volume state, which in this case is the liquid, not the solid.
Mike W.
(published on 10/22/2007)
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