Fall factor
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In climbing, the fall factor is the length of the fall divided by the length of the rope from faller to the fixed point, whether belayer or anchor. The equation looks like this
where
f = fall factor
l = length of fall
r = length of rope out
Fall factor 2 is the maximum that should be possible in a normal climbing fall, since the length of an arrested fall can't exceed two times the length of the rope. Normally, a factor 2 fall can occur only when a leader who has placed no protection falls past the belayer, or the anchor if it's a solo climb. As soon as protection is placed, the distance of the potential fall as a function of rope length is lessened, and the fall factor drops below 2.
The severity of a fall (the force generated in the system) is proportional to the fall factor, so that a factor 2 fall is twice as serious as a factor 1.
In falls occurring in a via ferrata, fall factors can be much higher. This is possible because the length of rope between harness and carabiner is short and fixed, while the distance the climber can fall depends on the gaps between anchor points of the safety cable.
