the.com/ropes
the original software — twisting weak fibers into something that hauls civilizations upward
means Strong cords made by twisting together fibers, strands, or wires, used for pulling, hauling, binding, or climbing.
from From Old English 'rap,' a thick cord, traceable to a Proto-Germanic root 'raipaz' — making it a cousin of Dutch 'reep' and German 'Reif' (a hoop or band). The 'know the ropes' and 'learn the ropes' idioms are widely traced to the age of sail, when a ship's countless lines each had its own name and purpose, and an able sailor was one who literally knew which rope did what.
- climbing physics
- Dynamic ropes stretch to absorb a falling body's energy
- knot tax
- Every knot weakens a rope by up to 50%
- ancient tech
- Egyptians made rope 7,000 years ago from reeds
- ship lingo
- Almost no rope on a ship is called rope
- strength scale
- Modern synthetic rope outpulls equal-weight steel cable
manila rope — cordage made from abaca fiber in the philippines, tensile strength of 40,000 psi
tightrope at niagara falls — charles blondin crossed 1,100 feet above the gorge in 1859