How do skaters go around bends?

[tapkaJohnD]

Watching the speed skaters at Sochi, their legs pump hard as go around the turns, as each skate goes on a straight line tangent to the curve. In contrast, a skier turns by weighting the outside ski, which then bends, making its edge curved so that the skier turns without having to move the leg.

All very logical - but then at slow speed, the skaters cruise around turns, without moving their legs! How come? How can a near rigid skate take a curved course?
JOhn

[Simpo Two]

It would be amusing to give someone skates that didn't turn, and watch them go 'thud' into the barrier...

[_Deano]

Simpo Two said:

It would be amusing to give someone skates that didn't turn, and watch them go 'thud' into the barrier...

that made me laugh more than it should.
Thanks for that!

[Simpo Two]

Or as Martin Brundle once put it, 'Straight to the scene of the accident'...

[FatSumo]

I can only comment as a hockey player, but turning the upper body in the desired direction of travel or leaning in that direction enables a turn without twisting the feet.

[FatSumo]

Simpo Two said:

It would be amusing to give someone skates that didn't turn, and watch them go 'thud' into the barrier...

I remember a group of religious chaps clad in white robes came to a skating session once, they just skated as fast as possible with their arms windmilling in an attempt to balance from one end of the ice to the other without turning, was quite terrifying and the sight of them hurtling towards you must have been similar to the US sailors seeing kamikaze pilots heading towards their ships in Pearl Harbour

[FatSumo]

http://www.real-world-physics-problems.com/physics...

[dudleybloke]

Simpo Two said:

It would be amusing to give someone skates that didn't turn, and watch them go 'thud' into the barrier...

better fun is getting a front row seat with a few handfulls of grit to throw down..

[Simpo Two]

dudleybloke said:

better fun is getting a front row seat with a few handfulls of grit to throw down..

I think curling stones would be a greater test of skill, and more sporting.

[Zad]

They move forward a little bit, raise one foot, place it down pointing slightly (say) to the right, repeat with other foot. So you end up with a series of straight lines in tangents to a circle.

[paranoid airbag]

Simpo Two said:

I think curling stones would be a greater test of skill, and more sporting.

I hope that gets a better reception than my ski jumping/biathlon crossover idea.

[tapkaJohnD]

Thanks for nothing guys!
See this, pumping tangents in the race, after the finish they stand up and just cruise around the bend, standing still on the skates: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2oDX1ShK2k

John

[Simpo Two]

paranoid airbag said:

I hope that gets a better reception than my ski jumping/biathlon crossover idea.

Perhaps there will be a winter decathlon, a combination of 10 winter sports...

Ski-jump, into......
Slalom, into
Weird stuff on skateboards I don't understand as middle-aged, into...
Tobaoggan, back to the top for...
Luge, velcro boots off for...
Speed skating, into...
Ice dance, skates off for...
Curling...


Oh well, an octathlon.

[dudleybloke]

tapkaJohnD said:

Thanks for nothing guys!

John

if you asked how to power them by gas turbines, solid fuel rockets, valveless pulse engines,or big v8 i could have been more help.