Which is more work - going up the stairs or going up an incline of the same height?

Answer 1

I would pitch for the incline as I believe efficiency can be calculated in terms of energy lost . Friction would play a higher role when you climb an incline than stairs . Thus loss due to Friction can be considered higher . In an Ideal world , both would mean the same amount of work , from basic principles .

Cheers !

Answer 2

I vote for the stairs being the more work, and heres why...
I think one would use more muscles on the stairs. But people are accustomed to using the same muscles to walk. So it would seem to most people that the stairs would be the easier choice. For example if a child learning to walk tried both ways the incline would be much easier and an elderly person would also have a easier time with the incline ...just my thoughts...

Answer 3

Work = Force x Distance

(More specifically, work equals the dot product of force and distance)

But anyways, who does more work? A person pushing a 3000 kg boulder all day and not moving it anywhere, or a person kicking a 500 g stick? The person who kicks the stick would have done more work, because the distance the boulder moved was 0.

To answer your question, they would be the same about of work(given that the stairs and the incline arrive at the same point at the end).

Answer 4

id say an incline b/c stairs r there for u and the incline doesnt have that u gotta find ur footing
have a great day

Answer 5

Going up an incline of the same height, because it's harder to walk up.

Answer 6

going up an incline, or ramp, of the same height as stairs.

Answer 7

Its all about friction:
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If the incline has great coefficient of friction, the work u do to going up it might be equals the work u do to going up a stairs

If the incline is frictionless (theoritically), it might be impossible to going up it

Thats also is the same about the shoes u r wearing, if they have a great coefiicient of friction & also the incline has a great coefficient of friction, it will be easy to going up

& If the shoes r frictionless & the incline is frictionless (theoritically), it might be impossible for going it up

The work also depends on many other things but in this case the friction is the most important thing (i guess)

I hope u got ur point from my explanation

Answer 8

It is the same work because work = Force * Height
Force is your weight and height is the same in stares and inclined

Answer 9

In terms of physics and calories burned, i think it's the same, or close enough. But with stairs, you expend energy in spurts rather than continuously. So each step is tougher but overall, it balances out because of the rest in between the steps.

Don't listent o Mister Nice Guy... apparently he never learned physics or math very well. It takes energy to go any distance. So going downstairs for any distance takes energy too... he's just trying to be clever but ended up looking foolish.

Answer 10

The physical definition of work as force times distance doesn't really apply here.
If it did, you could gain energy by walking down a flight of stairs. LOL, that doesn't happen. It takes some work to walk down stairs.