When Will I Start to Fall After a Rope Is Cut?

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SUMMARY

When a rope is cut, there is a measurable delay before the tension change affects the person attached to it. This delay is determined by the speed of sound in the rope material. For instance, similar phenomena can be observed with a slinky, where the bottom end remains stationary until the disturbance from the top travels down. Understanding this concept is crucial for analyzing dynamics in tension systems.

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  • Understanding of tension dynamics in ropes
  • Familiarity with wave propagation concepts
  • Basic knowledge of the speed of sound in different materials
  • Experience with practical demonstrations of physical phenomena, such as using a slinky
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  • Research the speed of sound in various materials, including different types of ropes
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ayzd
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... and then someone cuts it, at which point will I become unbalanced i.e. start to fall?

is there a delay from when the rope is cut to when I start to fall?
 
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Hello ayzd, :welcome:

Good question.
The speed with which a change in tension propagates through the rope is the speed of sound in the rope, so: yes, there is a delay.

For comparison:
There are some nice videos where someone let's go of a slinky and you see the bottom end of the slinky stays in the same position in the air until the 'disturbance' has traveled from the top end to the bottom end.
 
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