Question

Ice is slippery to walk on, and especially slippery if you wear ice skates. What does this tell you about how the melting temperature of ice depends on pressure? Explain.

Short answer

This is because the melting point of water increases with an increase in the pressure applied.

Step-by-step solution

Pressure, area of contact, and melting

The temperature at which the melting of ice occurs can be increased with an increase in the pressure applied on its surface.

This happens when we walk on ice, and it melts so often. This is because we apply pressure on ice when we walk on it. This melting can lead to slipping too.

Normal shoes have a greater surface area, which shares the applied-pressure impact to the whole area, while skating shoes have a lesser area of contact. So, greater pressure is exerted by skates on the ice than by normal shoes.

The melting temperature and pressure

The greater the pressure, the greater will be the melting temperature. That is, melting happens at a greater temperature than earlier. So, to attain a temperature higher than room temperature is easier, and so, melting occurs easily.

Hence, ice skates with lesser contact area apply greater pressure, and melting occurs at a higher temperature.