Going by weight alone, 30 humans would probably be about evenly matched against dalmatians. It's hard to have a tug-of-war with something thicker than about 2 inches. Since you're not allowed to install handles on the rope, [6] Or wrap it around your hand, for reasons which will become clear if you read some of the articles on tug-of-war injuries.
While " people" may be the limit for plain iron bars, there are much stronger substances out there. Common types of steel, for example, have a tensile strength about 10 times that of cast iron. Common half-inch rebar , for example, would in theory take teams of over people to pull apart, compared to 25 for cast iron. Other substances are even stronger; a half-inch shaft made from high-grade steel or a polymer like Kevlar or, theoretically, a solid silicon crystal could handle the pulling force from teams of anywhere between and competitive tug-of-war players.
If we limit ourselves to a two-inch diameter rope, which seems to be about the maximum size for tug-of-wars, [7] William Safire returns from the grave to point out that it should really be tugs-of-war.
If we figured out how to manufacture large ropes out of graphene ribbons, which have tensile strengths over 10 times higher than existing materials, we could theoretically support a tug-of-war between teams of up to , players each. Such a rope would be over miles long, and could stretch from New York to Washington.
If our experience with nylon ropes failing is any indication, when the graphene finally snapped, the death toll could be enormous among both players and bystanders. Lengths of graphene would crack across the landscape like bullwhips, slicing down forests and demolishing buildings.
Instead, disaster ensued. Twelve minutes into the match, the 2,foot-long braided nylon rope snapped, recoiling several thousand pounds of stored energy. I looked down and saw Hundreds more faced second-degree burns.
The rope, provided by Pennsylvania Power and Light Co. When the other team suddenly exerted a tremendous pull, the loop tightened and tore off his hand. Days later, in Frankfurt, Germany, one of the worst disasters in tug of war history occurred -- again, the result of trying to set a Guinness World Record.
One end of the rope whipped back, instantly killing a 9-year-old boy on impact. In the aftermath, others were severely injured; another boy passed away as a result of being crushed when everyone fell. The 1, participants exerted over , pounds of force on a 2-inch thick nylon rope designed to withstand only 57, pounds.
Amidst cheers, the rope violently snapped; the sheer rebounding force tore off the left arm of the first man on each side. Forty other people suffered injuries, including ambassadors from Costa Rica, Guatemala and Nicaragua -- some quite serious, according to the medical report :. A bilateral brachial plexus injury was also found in the subsequent investigation.
Shortly into the match, the former warden spotted a loop in the rope and decided to grab it to get a better grip. By the time officials had managed to stop the game, Thurber had lost four fingers. It was one of many incidents in the decade. In , two year-old boys participating in a tug of war game at a Colorado homecoming looped the rope around their hands and suffered amputations.
In , there were two more incidents involving snapped ropes -- one in Hungary, and one in California -- each of which resulted in multiple finger avulsions. According to the International Tug of War Federation, safety is all in the rope; physics-keen entrepreneurs have taken note. Find a rope…or something similar to tug upon. Mark the center of the rope with a marker or some tape.
Also mark a center line on the ground as the starting point for the center of the rope. You can use tape, paint, a stick, chalk, or something similar. Measure the same distance from the center of the rope on each side and mark it with a flag or a strip of cloth. Depending upon how far you want the winning team to have to pull the other team, you can make this distance as short or as long as you want it to be.
Assign someone to be the judge and start pulling! Did you know that tug of war has rules? When you play an informal game, you can make up as few or as many rules as you want. Some competitions do not allow people to wrap the rope around their arm, for example. In official competitions, though, you have to abide by the TWIF's international rule book, which you can read when you click here.
Do you think strategy plays into tug of war at all? Or is it simply a contest of brute strength? Give it some thought and discuss this question with a friend or family member. What elements of strategy could play into a tug of war contest? Did you get it? Test your knowledge. Wonder Words wage commander archaeologist decisive tussle supremacy associated variation camp toss train phrase mud summer battle strength balloon military Take the Wonder Word Challenge.
Join the Discussion. Ry West and Nol Nov 9, Niko C May 23, May 25, Very true! Thanks for checking out this Wonder! Oct 16, Patrick Bury Nov 17, Physics fact: The number of people on each side of the rope does not matter and does not decide the winner. In fact, the team that wins is the one that can produce the largest force parrallel to the surface on which they are playing.
Nov 18, Jun 23, Yup dis fake, dis inaccurate, dis take down now. Jun 17, May 3, Maria Apr 3, It dont madder it just needs to be a even number that's all. Apr 4, Nikolas Solstad Jan 15, I like wonderopolis sooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!! Jan 20,
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