When a person ice skates, the surface of the ice actually melts beneath the blades, so that he or she skates on a thin sheet of water between the blade and the ice.
a) Find an expression for total friction force on the bottom of the blade as a function of skater velocity V, blade length L, water thickness (between the blade and the ice) h, water viscosity μ, and blade width W.
b) Suppose an ice skater of total mass m is skating along at a constant speed of V0 when she suddenly stands stiff with her skates pointed directly forward, allowing herself to coast to a stop. Neglecting friction due to air resistance, how far will she travel before she comes to a stop? (Remember, she is coasting on two skate blades.) Give your answer for the total distance traveled, x, as a function of V0, m, L, h, μ, and W.
c) Find x for the case where V0=4.0m/s,m=100kg, L=30cm, W=5.0mm , and h =
0.10 mm. Do you think our assumption of negligible air resistance is a good one?