- #1
trishonutila
- 1
- 0
Hi all,
Found this forum while looking for some resources for my students...my short question is: does anyone know of a simple explanation of the physics involved in tying knots in rope?
Background is - I am a chemical engineer by degree, but I recently taught high school physics for a few years, and now I am teaching physics as part of a "science" course for 7th graders, so I need to keep it simple. Because I am teaching in Utila, a small island off the coast of Honduras where fishing and sailing have been primary livelihoods for generations, I decided to include knot-tying in with physics to help keep their interest and just in case they decide to go into the traditional jobs.
I have some nice information on tying the knots, but in the course of that search, I found many sites that claimed that each knot "weakens" the rope, but no real explanation as to why that is. I can handle explaining "tension" to the level that my students are at, but I am a little short on why one knot is "better" than another for strength (other than statements made on sites describing the knots) and I am at a loss for the "weakened strength" associated with each knot tied idea. Hence, my question above. Alternately, if someone here has a suggestion for a simple explanation, I would greatly appreciate it. (I searched through some of the threads before I decided to post and found many of your answers to other questions to be exactly that - Thanks!)
Found this forum while looking for some resources for my students...my short question is: does anyone know of a simple explanation of the physics involved in tying knots in rope?
Background is - I am a chemical engineer by degree, but I recently taught high school physics for a few years, and now I am teaching physics as part of a "science" course for 7th graders, so I need to keep it simple. Because I am teaching in Utila, a small island off the coast of Honduras where fishing and sailing have been primary livelihoods for generations, I decided to include knot-tying in with physics to help keep their interest and just in case they decide to go into the traditional jobs.
I have some nice information on tying the knots, but in the course of that search, I found many sites that claimed that each knot "weakens" the rope, but no real explanation as to why that is. I can handle explaining "tension" to the level that my students are at, but I am a little short on why one knot is "better" than another for strength (other than statements made on sites describing the knots) and I am at a loss for the "weakened strength" associated with each knot tied idea. Hence, my question above. Alternately, if someone here has a suggestion for a simple explanation, I would greatly appreciate it. (I searched through some of the threads before I decided to post and found many of your answers to other questions to be exactly that - Thanks!)