Cosmic Queries – Winter Olympics Grab Bag with Charles Liu

About This Episode

What’s ice skating like on Titan? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly answer fan questions about the physics involved in the Winter Olympics with Charles Liu. 

Does the ice temperature differ for different events? What is slow ice versus fast ice? We break down the physics of how pressure melting works and the different properties of water that make ice so special. What is ice like on other planets? 

How do Newton’s three laws apply to curling? Are there other laws of physics involved? Find out the intricacy of curling and its history. Do we know everything there is to know about ice? We discuss the amount of Gs a bobsledder experiences. 

How insane is luge and skeleton? We slide in with a few more takes on the sled-based sports. What are the craziest sports to be in the winter olympics? Charles runs us through his favorite one from the Olympics’ past. How will climate change impact winter sports? All that, plus, we dive into adaptive sports and para-athletes and the advantages they might have in space. 

Thanks to our Patrons Boris Maganic, Joshua Morgan, ymc98, Josh Wittlieff, Rick Carlson, Vaibhav Kumar, Orry B, Walt Miller, Krzysztof Nadolski, and chris for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.