/oss/taxonomy/term/897/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-technology/will-right-boots-stop-you-slipping-ice <p>Have you ever slipped on ice and fallen on your derrière? At best, it is unpleasant; at worst, it can send you to the hospital with a broken bone (or even kill you). Icy sidewalks and parking lots are a hazard with which those of us living far from the equator must deal, and one would hope that winter boots would offer protection. Shopping for a new pair, you will see convincing names for outsole technology. You would be forgiven for thinking that science has delivered a modern winter boot that digs into the ice and never lets you down.</p> <p>You would be mistaken.</p> Fri, 15 Dec 2023 13:23:27 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9759 at /oss /oss/article/medical-did-you-know/professor-popsicles-physiological-proof <p>Growing up with cold Canadian winters means that we get to enjoy tobogganing, skiing, and other snowy activities. It also means that from a young age, we’re warned of the dangers of getting <i>too</i> cold.</p> Fri, 17 Feb 2023 11:00:00 +0000 Cat Wang, B.Sc. 9396 at /oss /oss/article/history-environment/little-ice-age-made-christmas-white-forever <p>Our collective vision of Christmas landscapes is so immersed in snow that the very phrase “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” conjures up imagery that is nearly all frosted, sparkling and white. This even though a snow-covered Christmas is the exception rather than the rule for the majority of the world.</p> Fri, 23 Dec 2022 11:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9338 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/ice-science-slippery <p>Let’s start at the very beginning. As pure water is cooled to 0<sup>o</sup>C, it begins to form ice. This simply means that the H<sub>2</sub>O molecules which were randomly scurrying about in the liquid state now assume an orderly pattern and begin to form crystals. Any substance that is dissolved in the water will interfere with this crystallization by getting in-between the water molecules and disrupting the ordered arrangement that characterizes crystal structure.</p> Wed, 21 Dec 2022 17:35:14 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9339 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/there-difference-between-real-snow-and-artificial-snow <p>Snow-making machines actually make tiny beads of ice, each one about one ten-thousandth of an inch in diameter. Water is sprayed from a hose together with compressed air. The air is needed because as it quickly expands, its temperature drops since it has to do work by pushing away air molecules. This cooling helps freeze the water. As the water freezes, it releases heat. This should be obvious when we realize that in order to melt ice, we have to add heat. The heat released is then taken up by the expanding compressed air. This is why the "snow-making" pipes are always high in the air. If t</p> Thu, 17 Feb 2022 15:29:52 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9027 at /oss /oss/article/technology-you-asked/why-do-curlers-sweep <p>Just about any subject becomes more interesting with a deeper dive. That is certainly the case for curling, a sport that is a mystery to many and unfortunately often the butt of jokes. However, it is a sport that has a rich history, one that features strategy, athleticism, good sportsmanship, and plenty of science!</p> Fri, 11 Feb 2022 22:17:40 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9022 at /oss /oss/article/environment-technology/tires-and-ice-dont-make-good-mix <p>Ice is great in a beverage or on a skating rink but we don’t want it on our streets. How do we melt it? Potassium acetate, sodium chloride, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride or  urea will do the job. They all interfere with the formation of ice crystals and can be used to melt ice.  They do, however, differ in effectiveness, potential harm to the environment and cost.</p> Fri, 10 Jan 2014 16:39:16 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2065 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/salt-used-melt-ice-it-also-used-make-ice-cream-why <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/05/23/why-is-it-that-in-hot-countries-we-put-salt-on-ice-in-the-ice-cream-makers-to-keep-the-ice-from-melting-while-in-cold-countries-we-put-salt-on-ice-to-melt-the-ice/ice-cream/" rel="attachment wp-att-5293"><img alt="ice cream" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/05/ice-cream-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a> <em><strong>Why is it that in hot countries we put salt on ice in the ice cream makers to keep the ice from melting, while in cold countries we put salt on ice to melt it?</strong></em> In both cases, the answer is based on the fact that adding salt to an ice water mixture in equilibrium, lowers the freezing point (or melting point)  of the equilibrium. <a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/05/15/why-is-it-that-in-hot-countries-we-put-salt-on-ice-in-the-ice-cream-makers-to-keep-the-ice-from-melting-while-in-cold-countries-we-put-salt-on-ice-to-melt-the-ice/">Read more</a></p> Thu, 23 May 2013 13:00:08 +0000 Ariel Fenster PhD 1941 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere-you-asked/chemical-composition-ice-was-changed-1949-1950-nhl-season-what-change-was-introduced <p>The ice was painted white. Artificial ice, which is a misnomer since it is very real ice, is made by pouring water over a concrete surface that can be cooled by circulating refrigerated brine solution through pipes embedded in it. The color of the concrete can be seen through the ice which appears a dull gray, providing less than ideal contrast with the black puck. At the beginning of the 1949-1950 season the National Hockey League decided to try painting the ice in order to allow spectators to see the puck more clearly.</p> Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:34:16 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1883 at /oss