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The Math of Rock Climbing

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Topics: Climbing
Posted: February 29, 2016

What’s it like to fall 40 feet down a sheer cliff face, while dangling from a rope hundreds of feet from the ground? Emory mathematician Skip Garibaldi describes his rock climbing experiences on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He also explains some basic climbing math, such as the fall factor, used to reduce the risk of injury during a rope climb.