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Swing (seat)
Encyclopedia
A swing is a hanging seat, usually found at playgrounds for children, a circus
for acrobat
s, or on a porch
for relaxing. The seat of a swing may be suspended from chains or ropes. Once a swing is in motion it continues to oscillate
like a pendulum
until external interference or drag brings it to a halt. Swing sets are very popular amongst children.
On playgrounds, several swings are often suspended from the same metal
or wood
en frame, known as a swing set, allowing more than one child to play at a time. Such swings come in a variety of sizes and shapes. For infants and toddlers, swings with leg holes support the child in an upright position while a parent or sibling pushes the child to get a swinging motion. Some swing sets include play items other than swings - such as a rope ladder or sliding pole.
For older children, swings are sometimes made of a flexible canvas seat, of rubberized ventilated tire tread, of plastic, or of wood. A common backyard sight is of a wooden plank suspended on both sides by ropes from a tree branch. Older children can go much higher, sometimes over 15 feet (5 m) above the ground. In the United States, some adults go to the extreme and compete in the NSA, "National Swing Association", where competitors reach heights over 20 feet, while leaping at the peak of their swing.
Natural swings may be created by liana
s (creeper plant
) in a subtropical wild forest like
Aokigahara
forest near Mount Fuji
.
Rope swings are swings created by tying one end of a length of rope to a tree branch, bridge, or other elevated structure. A knot or loop is usually put on the other end to prevent fraying and help the swinger stay on. Rope swings are often situated so that those swinging on them can let go and land in water deep enough to cushion the fall and to be swum around in.
The incorporation of a short board such as a skateboard in which the rider stands is called swing boarding
. It is made safer by the use of an attached board and a harness for the rider.
Toddler swings are swings with a bucket shape with holes for the child's legs, or a half-bucket shape and a safety belt
, that is intended to reduce the likelihood of a very young child from falling out.
Porch swings are a type of swinging bench primarily intended for adults. Porch swings are permanently mounted to the roof of a porch
. The seat typically is large enough to seat about three people. Porch swings are an alternative to using rocking chair
s or gliders
outdoors.
Canopy swings are similar to porch swings, but they are hung on a separate frame and are usually portable. They derive their name from the canopy
installed for sun protection.
Kiiking
is a sport played in Estonia whereby players attempt to rotate 360 degrees around the spindle on a long swing made of seat and rigid steel bars in place in ropes or chains.
Hammock swings are portable bed swings made of lightweight material, often attached to a couple of trees in the backyard or to a hammock
stand.
was disparaged in 2002 for issuing a patent
to a five-year-old boy who claimed to have invented swinging sideways as a new form of entertainment. His father, a patent lawyer who wanted to show his son how the patent system worked, had told the boy that he could file a patent application on anything that the boy invented.
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
for acrobat
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
s, or on a porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
for relaxing. The seat of a swing may be suspended from chains or ropes. Once a swing is in motion it continues to oscillate
Oscillation
Oscillation is the repetitive variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value or between two or more different states. Familiar examples include a swinging pendulum and AC power. The term vibration is sometimes used more narrowly to mean a mechanical oscillation but sometimes...
like a pendulum
Pendulum
A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...
until external interference or drag brings it to a halt. Swing sets are very popular amongst children.
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
or wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
en frame, known as a swing set, allowing more than one child to play at a time. Such swings come in a variety of sizes and shapes. For infants and toddlers, swings with leg holes support the child in an upright position while a parent or sibling pushes the child to get a swinging motion. Some swing sets include play items other than swings - such as a rope ladder or sliding pole.
For older children, swings are sometimes made of a flexible canvas seat, of rubberized ventilated tire tread, of plastic, or of wood. A common backyard sight is of a wooden plank suspended on both sides by ropes from a tree branch. Older children can go much higher, sometimes over 15 feet (5 m) above the ground. In the United States, some adults go to the extreme and compete in the NSA, "National Swing Association", where competitors reach heights over 20 feet, while leaping at the peak of their swing.
Types of swings
Tire swings are a form of swing made from a whole tire. These are often simply a new or used tire hanging from a tree on a rope. On commercially developed playground swingsets, oversized new tires are often reinforced with a circular metal bar to improve safety and are hung on chains from metal or wooden beams. They may hang vertically or hang flat, suspended from three or more points on one side. These flat type of swings can hold three or more children. Pumping is achieved by using one or two of the three chains attached to the swing, and two (or more) children can pump in turn. Tire swings can also be used in spinners, where the occupants use their feet to propel the tire. Children find ways of performing dangerous stunts on tire swings, and because of this, many have been removed from schools and parks.Natural swings may be created by liana
Liana
A liana is any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous...
s (creeper plant
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
) in a subtropical wild forest like
Aokigahara
Aokigahara
, also known as the , is a 35 km2 forest that lies at the north west base of Mount Fuji in Japan. The forest contains a number of rocky, icy caverns, a few of which are popular tourist destinations....
forest near Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
.
Rope swings are swings created by tying one end of a length of rope to a tree branch, bridge, or other elevated structure. A knot or loop is usually put on the other end to prevent fraying and help the swinger stay on. Rope swings are often situated so that those swinging on them can let go and land in water deep enough to cushion the fall and to be swum around in.
The incorporation of a short board such as a skateboard in which the rider stands is called swing boarding
Swing boarding
Swing boarding is a physical activity that involves standing on a short board which is suspended from a frame which allows the board to swing freely. A typical structure is a playground swingset.-History:...
. It is made safer by the use of an attached board and a harness for the rider.
Toddler swings are swings with a bucket shape with holes for the child's legs, or a half-bucket shape and a safety belt
Seat belt
A seat belt or seatbelt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop...
, that is intended to reduce the likelihood of a very young child from falling out.
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
. The seat typically is large enough to seat about three people. Porch swings are an alternative to using rocking chair
Rocking chair
A rocking chair or rocker is a type of chair with two curved bands of wood attached to the bottom of the legs . The chair contacts with the floor at only two points, giving the occupant the ability to rock back and forth by shifting his/her weight or pushing lightly with his/her feet...
s or gliders
Glider (furniture)
A glider or platform rocker is a type of rocking chair that moves as a swing seat, where the entire frame consists of a seat attached to the base by means of a double-rocker four-bar linkage...
outdoors.
Canopy swings are similar to porch swings, but they are hung on a separate frame and are usually portable. They derive their name from the canopy
Canopy (building)
A canopy is an overhead roof or else a structure over which a fabric or metal covering is attached, able to provide shade or shelter. A canopy can also be a tent, generally without a floor....
installed for sun protection.
Kiiking
Kiiking
Kiiking is a sport that was invented in Estonia by Ado Kosk around 1996. In Estonian language kiik means a swing. In a kiiking swing, the swing arms are made of steel to enable a person to swing 360 degrees going over the spindle of the swing . A person is fastened to the swing base by their...
is a sport played in Estonia whereby players attempt to rotate 360 degrees around the spindle on a long swing made of seat and rigid steel bars in place in ropes or chains.
Hammock swings are portable bed swings made of lightweight material, often attached to a couple of trees in the backyard or to a hammock
Hammock
A hammock is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a woven network of twine or thin rope stretched with ropes between two firm anchor points such as trees or posts....
stand.
Swinging sideways
The United States Patent and Trademark OfficeUnited States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
was disparaged in 2002 for issuing a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
to a five-year-old boy who claimed to have invented swinging sideways as a new form of entertainment. His father, a patent lawyer who wanted to show his son how the patent system worked, had told the boy that he could file a patent application on anything that the boy invented.