Modern ice skates have
continued improving. Not only are the blades a
lot longer and smoother than they used to be,
the blades are shaped in a very specific way. They do not come to a point
in the middle like the bottom of a canoe, but
they are not flat with two sharp corners like
the spine of a book either. The blades are
shaped like the an inverted meniscus. The
center is slightly higher than the edges so
that the blades are able to be more sharp.
This is true for both main types of modern ice
skates, figure skates and hockey skates. Skate
blades are sharp on the edges but smooth down
the length of the skate to allow skaters to
cut into the ice so that they can push
themselves to generate momentum, but take
advantage of the lack of friction to glide
forward. The curved blade means that even less
surface area is in contact with the ice,
meaning less friction. The sharp edges let
skaters decide when to cut into the ice and to
get force to move forward, change speed, or
change direction.
