  The relation between packing geometry and force network statistics is studied
for granular media. Based on simulations of two-dimensional packings of
Hertzian spheres, we develop a geometrical framework relating the distribution
of interparticle forces P(f) to the weight distribution P}(w), which is
measured in experiments. We apply this framework to reinterpret recent
experimental data on strongly deformed packings, and suggest that the observed
changes of P(w) are dominated by changes in contact network while P(f) remains
relatively unaltered. We furthermore investigate the role of packing disorder
in the context of the q-model, and address the question of how force
fluctuations build up as a function of the distance beneath the top surface.
