Walking the tightrope above Niagara Falls for Dummies: So simple any idiot can do it!

...yeah, right...The Wallendas been doing this for years, though.


The science behind Nik Wallenda’s high-wire walk over Niagara Falls



As the belly button goes, so goes the rest of the body.

That saying never made it into the lexicon of high-wire walkers, but it helps explain how Nik Wallenda will attempt to cross over Niagara Falls on June 15.

The daredevil will be 60 metres above the water barrelling over the falls, holding nothing but a 30-foot pole weighing between 16 to 25 kilograms across his belly button.

“It’s very difficult to do, but scientifically wire walking is just simple physics,” says Julie Jones, a scientist with the Ontario Science Centre

Wallenda must keep his centre of balance, located near his belly button, directly above the 6 centimetre thick wire. As gravity pulls him down, the wire keeps him up and the two forces balance each other out. Meanwhile, he must adjusts and readjusts for gusts of wind and mist from the falls.

[link to www.thestar.com]