In curling, do the sweepers slow down or speed up the rock?
83885
The surface of the ice is not smooth, it has a pebbled surface.  Brushing the ice makes it melt which allows the stone to travel farther.  However, if you are wanting to make the stone curl, you wait for the stone to slightly sway in the direction you want then brush hard to keep the stone curling in that direction.  This is what allows a team to play their stone behind a guard stone to protect its position on the ice.  Hope this helps.
162530
The object of the game is for one team to get more of its stones closer to the center of the target than the other team does.\n\nAs for mopping, they are special brooms. The ice is textured and by sweeping with the brooms, they change the surface of the ice enough to alter the path of the stone. The can make it "curl", i.e. curve by changing the surface more on one side than the other.
109800
I don't know but I did ask my husband how these athletes come about that compete in curling. What kid grows up running to their friend's house to say, "Lets go curling". It is pretty cool though isn't it???? I wonder what store sells these- not the average sporting goods store.
370915
I love watching curling on TV - I even taped it during the Olympics so I could watch the US in their bronze medal match.  I've never played it, the nearest place to play is like 200 miles away, but I find the game really interesting in a quirky way.  It seems like bowling on ice - the kind of game that you could still play even after a couple of beers!!!
5986
of course they move very slowly\nso slowly that it is not noticeable\n\nSpeed of glacial movement\nThe speed of glacial displacement is partly determined by friction. Friction makes the ice at the bottom of the glacier move slower than the upper portion. In alpine glaciers, friction is also generated at the valley's side walls, which slows the edges relative to the center. This has been confirmed by experiments in the 19th century, in which stakes were planted in a line across an alpine glacier, and as time passed, those in the center moved further.\n\nMean speeds vary; some have speeds so slow that trees can establish themselves among the deposited scourings. In other cases they can move as fast as many meters per day, as is the case of Byrd Glacier, an overflowing glacier in Antarctica which moves 750-800 meters per year (some 2 meters (6 ft) per day), according to studies using satellites.\n\nMany glaciers have periods of very rapid advancement called surges.[2] These glaciers exhibit normal movement until suddenly they accelerate, then return to their previous state. During these surges, the glacier may reach velocities up to 1000 times greater than normal.
404133
Rock-Move Along\nRap-Golddiger
83475
curling is scored some what like horseshoes.  who ever has the closest rock to the center gets a point.  the next closest rock, if it is from the same team who shot the closest gets another point.  This team continues to get points until the you reach one of the other teams rocks during that end.
80620
In case you don't know much about curling shoes, one shoe has a thick, flat plastic coating on the bottom, and the other one has a rubber bottom. The rubber bottom shoe doesn't slide, but the one with the plastic coating (called the slider) does. I have actually used my curling shoes on a skating rink and it is ok. It does get a little tiresome though, since you stand mostly on one foot (the slider) when you glide.
204621
I think with the Scottish backgrounds of the game of curling, and the power of the hammer, it might have just been named it because of its power. As you know, hammer means last rock and that is pretty powerful. I don't know..just my guess!!
245646
Okay, first of all, a lot of these answers are silly. I play, and honestly, it mostly comes down to how polite you really are. There is a lot of politeness involved. You should always shake hands before and after the games, compliment each other's shots, be a team player, and be curtious. You can be disqualified if you don't have four players for the open draw of the bonspeil though. I guess, it's more if people don't want you to play, they'll just ask you to leave, there is hardly any disqualification. \n\nAs to touching a rock after you release it, it isn't as much of a disqualification of the player, but of the Rock. If you touch it (burn as it is known in curling jargon) then you simply take it out of play.
54959
A sweeper usually players in a 3-4-2 formation, where the 3 defence players operate as two markers (or stoppers) and one sweeper.\nThe sweeper will not specifically mark an opposing player, but mark the zone behind the two markers. Therefore they 'sweep up' all balls in the space behind.  A sweeper can be used in other formations as well.\n\nStopper is the marker, made to man mark or stop the ball getting through the backline.\n\nMust admit we don't really use the stopper term in the UK, but do use sweeper.
102863
Curl is how much a rock moves side to side while travelling down the ice.  It is determined by the spin given to the rock.  Brushing the ice melts the surface, reducing friction between the ice and the rock.  Less friction, more velocity, less curl.
649359
Yes.\n\nCurling is a precision team sport similar to bowls or bocce, played on a rectangular sheet of prepared ice by two teams of four players each, using heavy polished granite stones which they slide down the ice towards a target area called the house. Points are scored for the number of stones that a team has closer to the center of the target than the closest of the other team's stones. The level of precision and complex nature of the strategic thinking required to win has led curling to be referred to as "chess on ice."
614804
"Curling." for one. All I know is that it involves sweeping the ice with a broom in advance of a large, slow moving, roundish stone...certainly would be unusual here in Texas...
416490
Curling is amusing in small does.
306085
Well you don't say what kind of information you are looking for, but the only difference between a ball rolling down the half pipe and a slippery object sliding down the same half pipe is that some of the energy goes into the rotation of the ball as it rolls down the slope so it will accelerate a little more slowly than the sliding object would. For example bobsled sliding down an icy track will get to the bottom a little faster than a bowling ball rolling down the same track when it is dry in the summer.
267674
The true answer to your question depends on the level of play (recreational, competitive, high school, college pro), mens vs. womens, the type of set and the players involved.  For all practical purposes, spiking and serving will have higher speeds than passing/digging and even setting.