It's Okay to Be Smart: The Strange (Unexpected) Reason Ice Is Slippery

A graph plots pressure in Pascal’s versus temperature in degrees Celsius. The horizontal axis is marked at negative 5, 0, and 100. The vertical axis ranges from 1 kilo Pascal to 100 Mega Pascal’s in increments of exponents of 10. At 1 atmospheric pressure water is in solid ice at negative 5 degrees to 0 degrees, in liquid state from 0 degrees to 100 degrees Celsius, and in vapor form above 100 degrees Celsius.

The freezing and melting of water affects so much of the world. Ice crystals in thunderclouds create lightning. It is also powerful enough to crack boulders, float stones, and alter entire landscapes. Ice is a common substance, but it has some secrets and weird properties scientists have only just begun to understand. Part of the "It's Okay to Be Smart" series.

(Source: DCMP)

Metadata

Keywords:
chemistry, physics

Files 1

  • It's Okay to Be Smart: The Strange (Unexpected) Reason Ice Is Slippery

    Type:
    Video
    Format:
    Streaming
    Accommodations:
    English Audio Descriptions - Visual, English Captions - Auditory
    Languages:
    English
    License:
    OER
    Author:
    PBS Digital Studios
    Length:
    7 minutes