Physics of Snowshoes

This is a demonstration of snowshoes for walking on top of deep snow as compared to walking on the same snow with normal shoes. Snowshoes were engineered to provide a solution to walking in deep snow. 

• Are all snowshoes designed the same? Are there different kinds? Why?

• Can you design a shoe that would allow you to walk on water?
• Why does a foot sink in the snow without a snowshoe, but stay on top when a snowshoe is worn?
• Can you think of other devices which work in a similar manner?
• If you were to walk out onto thin ice, would you be safer to walk or crawl?

Students could:

• Design a shoe to walk on different surfaces (ice, sand, water, etc).
• Improve the existing snowshoe design.
• Do a gallery walk of design ideas and have students comment on each proposed design. 

• Teach Engineering | Biomimicry Project: Do Ptarmigans Have Snowshoes?: Ptarmigans have fluffy feathered feet that act like snowshoes to keep them on top of the snow.
• Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls | How Snowshoes Work: Experiment for checking sizes of paws and ability to move in snow.