When two skateboarders push off from each other, what happens to their speeds?

When two skateboarders push off from each other, they both experience an equal and opposite force due to Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. As they push against each other, both skateboarders will accelerate away from each other.

The interaction results in both skateboarders gaining speed in opposite directions. The force applied by each skateboarder onto the other results in a reaction that propels both forward. The speed of each skateboarder increases as they push off, assuming that there are no significant external forces acting against them, such as friction or a slope.

This explanation of their physical interaction aligns neatly with principles of conservation of momentum, where the momentum before pushing off remains conserved afterward as both skateboarders move apart with increased velocities. Thus, it's clear that both skateboarders indeed speed up as a result of their push-off.