Falling can hurt.  It can be scary as well, especially when you are the lead climber and you are above your last piece of safety.  When that is the  case, the distance you fall can be twice as long than when you are below your last bolt. As you know, gravity acts on all objects with a downward pull towards the center of the earth. This downward force gives a climber energy. When climbers fall, the potential energy they have is converted into kinetic energy.  The potential energy can be calculated by multiplying the distance a climber falls by the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s²) and by the climber's mass (in Kilograms).  Potential energy = mgh    where m is the mass of the climber in kilograms, g is gravity in meters per second squared, and h is the height of the climber in meters. Once a climber falls, their potential energy converts into kinetic energy and can be calculated by this equation: 1/2mv²= kinetic energy    Where m is mass in kilograms and v is velocity in meters per second.
   


    This energy is what one wants to use up, otherwise it will all go into the entire system. The system consists of the climber, rope, anchors, carabiners, slings, and anything else used to keep the climber on the rock. Energy is absorbed by mainly the rope, but also through the climber, knots, anchor system, and belayer. The rope is designed to stretch by certain amount in order to absorb the energy created by a fall. Dynamic ropes stretch whereas static ropes are designed not to stretch.  It is essential not to use static ropes for they stretch allowing the energy to absorb into the rope in a fall. You could break your back from a serious fall on a static rope. There is no deceleration time on a static rope, which does not descrease the force on the climber. Dynamic ropes are specifically designed to stretch allowing the energy from the fall to be less on the climber. "If the rope is capable of stretching upon being pulled taut by the falling climber's mass, then it will apply a force upon the climber over a longer time period. Extending the time over which the climber's momentum is broken results in reducing the force exerted on the falling climber." (Henderson)
   



    There is a ratio between the falling distance and the length of rope used (or out), called the fall factor  (Hattingh 62). The fall factor equals the distance fallen divided by the rope out (62).  A fall factor of 2 happens when you fall twice as far as the length of the rope out. This makes for a fall that is dangerous and puts more force into the system that you really want. This higher impact force should be avoided.  When the fall factor is low, say .8, the impact force is much less than a fall factor of 2. With a low fall factor, most of the energy is absorbed by the rope because it stretches (62).  The fall factor of 2 creates the highest impact force since it goes directly to the belayer, climber, and gear on the wall (62).  In this situation, equipment is more likely to fail and the climbers to be injured. It is best to avoid fall factor 2 falls. The best way to prevent fall factor 2 falls is to set protection, (running belays) on the route after you get started on the climb. Having protection will shorten your fall and therefore decrease the impact force on a fall.