Question

If you climb two sets of stairs each with a height of 4 meters how much work will you do compared to climbing just one set of stairs that is 4 meters

Answer 1

You will do twice the work of climbing 1 stair.

Step-by-step explanation:

To obtain the answer to the question, we shall determine the work done on each case. This is illustrated below:

Case 1 ( climbing 2 stairs):

Mass (m) = m

One stair = 4 m

Height (h) = 2 × 4 = 8 m

Acceleration due to gravity (g) = 10 m/s²

Workdone 1 (Wd₁) =?

Wd₁ = mgh

Wd₁ = m × 10 × 8

Wd₁ = 80 × m

Case 2 (Climbing 1 stair)

Mass (m) = m

Height (h) = 4 m

Acceleration due to gravity (g) = 10 m/s²

Workdone 2 (Wd₂) =?

Wd₂ = mgh

Wd₂ = m × 10 × 4

Wd₂ = 40 × m

Now comparing the Workdone in both case:

Workdone 1 (Wd₁) = 80 × m

Workdone 2 (Wd₂) = 40 × m

Wd₁ / Wd₂ = 80 × m / 40 × m

Wd₁ / Wd₂ = 2

Cross multiply

Wd₁ = 2 × Wd₂

Thus, we can see that the Workdone in climbing 2 stairs is twice the Workdone in climbing 1 stair.

Therefore, you will do twice the work of climbing 1 stair.