Abstract
This study uses a semi-phenomenological model to examine curling-rock trajectories. Two physicists examine why a curling stone curls, or moves laterally, in a counter-intuitive direction. An ice surface underlain with a detailed grid pattern was created and using a suspended video camera the widest possible range of shots were recorded. Results support the idea that the rock rides upon a thin liquid film created on the surface of the ice. It was deduced that this quasi-liquid reverses the dominant frictional force on the stone.
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