Why does it feel “easier” to go up a set of steps on an angle, rather than straight on? Surely the work required to go up them is the same?
In: Physics
There are a couple of things at play here.
One, and probably the most relevant, is that you’re actually decreasing the angle you have to climb at, by extending the total distance you’re climbing. This reduces the amount of work you need to do at any given moment, but doesn’t reduce the total amount of work you do by the top of the stairs. In fact, it actually increases the amount of work you do by the top, but it’s broken up over many smaller increments.
Second, it allows you to place more of your foot on each stair, which assists you in transferring that work energy from your body to the stair, so it’s a bit of a mechanical assist over only using the ball/toes of your foot.
And finally, it slows you down, so that helps in reducing the amount of work you’re doing at any given moment. Again, we’re not reducing the total amount of work, but we’re spreading it out over smaller increments.
It’s a lot like trying to pick up a box full of stuff. You might not be strong enough to lift it when it’s full, but you are strong enough to pick up each individual item by itself.
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