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Physical Properties of Matter

Discusses characteristics used to describe matter and what they mean.

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Fast Ice

Fast Ice

License: CC BY-NC 3.0

Ice hockey can be an exciting sport. The hockey puck can careen down the ice at speeds greater than 100 miles per hour! The players can also skate at very high speeds over the ice—at least they can if the ice is “fast.”

The Back Story

  • That’s where hockey ice technicians come in. The ice tech is responsible for keeping the ice in tip-top shape so the players can perform at their best.
  • Good ice starts with very pure water, so professional hockey rinks have machines to remove any contaminants from the water.
  • Knowledge of the physical properties of water is also important, including its freezing point and density.
  • Watch this video to learn more about the role of ice and ice techs in professional hockey: http://www.nbclearn.com/nhl/cuecard/56618 

Can You Apply It?

At the link below, learn more about water, ice, and hockey rinks. Then answer the following questions.

  1. Why is water a unique substance? What are some of its unusual physical properties?
  2. Super-cold water circulates in pipes beneath the concrete floor of a hockey rink. How is this water kept very cold without freezing?
  3. How would you calculate the volume of ice in a hockey rink?
  4. What is mass?
  5. What is density? Does it vary for a given substance? How can density be calculated?
  6. If you know the density and volume of a substance, what formula could you use to calculate its mass?
  7. The density of ice is . If the volume of ice in a hockey rink is , what is the mass of the ice?
  8. What is the difference between “fast” ice and “slow” ice in hockey? What determines whether ice is “fast” or “slow”?

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