Physics 1110,
General Physics 1
Frictional forces complicate the study of physics, but without them
life would be extraordinarily dull. Here, Lynn Hill is climbing out
from the
Great Roof on El Cap in California (about halfway
up, over 1500 feet above the ground). She was the first person to
climb the entire "nose" route free (meaning, she trails a rope for
safety, but doesn't use it to make upward progress.) When I got to this
spot in 1987, I "cheated" and pulled on old pitons that had been left
under the roof (as has almost every other climber who's ever been
there.) Lynn is awesome. Like any great athlete, she has remarkable
instincts about forces, kinematics, and dynamics!
