Fall factor= ______/_______.

• A. Distance Fall / Length Of Rope Between Object And Anchor
• B. Length Of Rope Between Object And Anchor / Distance Fall
• C. Distance Fall / Rope Strength
• D. Rope Diameter / Distance Fall

Answer: (A)

Fall factor is the measure of how severe a fall can be, expressed as a ratio of how far you fall to how much rope is available to arrest that fall. The distance fallen is the vertical distance from the moment the rope goes taut to the point where the fall is arrested. The rope length used to absorb that fall is the length of rope between the climber and the anchor (or belay device). So the correct expression is distance fallen divided by the rope length between the climber and the anchor. This is why the option with Distance Fall over Length Of Rope Between Object And Anchor is the best fit. The other choices mix up the numerator and denominator or introduce rope properties (strength, diameter) that aren’t part of the definition of fall factor. For intuition, if you fall 2 meters with 2 meters of rope between you and the anchor, the factor is 1; if the rope there is longer, the factor drops, meaning a gentler arrest.