Escalator Riddle

D D Danneh said:
Yep, you will always take more steps when walking, as long as you are moving with the escalator.

If you run, a higher proportion of the distance travelled will be by you taking steps. If you walk, a higher proportion of the distance will be made by the moving escalator.

Say there are 10 steps, and it takes 10 seconds for each step to go from the bottom to the top (1 step/second). If you walk at a speed of 1 step per second, you'll reach the top in 5 seconds, because you are moving at 2 steps per second (walking speed + escalator speed).

If you run at 4 steps per second, you'll be moving at 5 steps/second, due to the movement of the steps. This means it'll take you 2 seconds to reach the top, which means you will have actually made 8 steps.

8 > 5, therefore, you take more steps by running than by walking.

The faster you move, the more steps you take.

Steps taken = distance (steps) / walking speed (steps/second) + escalator speed (steps/second)
Click to expand...

Haven't you contradicted yourself....
 
It's clearly false :-/ As already said, if you walked slowly enough, theoretically you might only make say, 3 steps, whereas if you ran you would definitely take more than 3 steps. How is this even up for debate?! The sandwich would clearly take off.
 
Doohickey said:
It's clearly false :-/ As already said, if you walked slowly enough, theoretically you might only make say, 3 steps, whereas if you ran you would definitely take more than 3 steps. How is this even up for debate?! The sandwich would clearly take off.
Click to expand...


Exactly, if you could run infinitely fast, you could cover all steps as if the escalator was not even moving.
If you walk, you spend more time moving up the escalator by its motion than you do by your walking motion so would have less opportunity to cover steps.
 
I hate escalators, coming out of M&S today I held the handrail which gave me a nasty electric shock, I then had a reflex reaction and punched myself in the nutts. Bad times.
 
Hang on... I am confused and lost here... Are you saying that someone walking up an escalator which is going upwards is not any faster than someone just standing on an escalator going upwards?
 
5UB said:
Hang on... I am confused and lost here... Are you saying that someone walking up an escalator which is going upwards is not any faster than someone just standing on an escalator going upwards?
Click to expand...

Nope, just that you travel up more steps. Which is just common sense as if youre standing on an elevator and not moving you will stay on the same step the whole way up. If you happen to be walking up the steps ofcourse you will get to the top faster but you will pass the elevators steps on the way up as you do when you walk up any stairs
 
If you are walking up steps, surely it is common sense that you are travelling up more steps then someone not walking up some steps? Even if it is on an escalator or not? - Or am I just missing the whole point? :confused:
 
Well surely that is the same. Running up steps is faster than walking up steps, and walking up steps is quicker than standing still on steps?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom