This also applies to cable, chain, and webbing.
Gear that is anchored includes anchors, rocks, trees, tripods, trucks, etc.
A "bight" is a simple loop in a rope that does not cross itself.
A "bend" is a knot that joins two ropes together. Bends can only be attached to the end of a rope.
A "hitch" is a type of knot that must be tied around another object.
"Descending devices" (e.g., ATCs, Brake Bar Racks, Figure 8s, Rescue 8s, etc) create friction as their primary purpose. The friction in descending devices is always considered when calculating forces.
The "Safety Factor" is the ratio between the gear's breaking strength and the maximum load applied to the gear (e.g., 5:1).
Load releasing hitches (LRHs) allow you to increase the distance between two carabiners while they are holding a load. Load releasing hitches are typically used to transfer the load from a weighted Prusik back onto the system and to pass knots (e.g., through a brake bar rack or pulley). They also help absorb shock loads, although that is not their primary purpose.
There are several styles of load releasing hitches (e.g., Hokie, Mariner's, Mule, Radium, etc). Most of these are created by tying a Münter hitch on one of the two carabiners, passing the rope between the biners several times, and then securing the remainder of the rope either by wrapping it around itself or by braiding it into a daisy chain.
The Load Release (round) is built from 8mm rope and includes a Münter hitch. Rope (or webbing) can only be connected to the top carabiner on this hitch.
The Load Release (strap) allows carabiner connections into the D-rings.
The Load Release (adjusts) is the righthand portion of the following system. To create the entire load release, first connect a Münter to a carabiner and then connect a rope from the hitch to the Münter, to the hitch, to the biner, and back to the hitch. A sample file explains how to use this adjustable load releasing hitch.
The Load Release (radium) has a fixed length and carabiners.
Watch a video that explains how to work with rope and webbing.