Topic 10.

4
Energy and efficiency

The escalator
Aims
In this activity you will demonstrate your understanding of kinetic energy, potential energy
and power by applying equations and ideas from Chapter 10. You will make comparisons
and evaluate whether escalators can run at constant power.

Does an escalator run at constant power?

The largest and most expensive machine many people use on a daily basis is the escalator.
In the escalator an electric motor pulls a chain linked to moving steps. When the escalator is
fully laden, as one person steps on at the bottom another steps off at the top.

Facts about a typical escalator How Escalators Work

◼ slopes at 30° to the horizontal
◼ each step rises 15 m in 1.0 minute
◼ efficiency of electric motor is 70%

When fully laden

◼ 80 people get on and off in 1.0 min
◼ average mass of one person 70 kg
◼ a frictional force of 1.2 × 104 N,
moving 30 m in 1.0 min, acts
against the motion

1 Calculate the potential energy given each minute to the people on a fully laden escalator.
Take g = 9.8 N kg−1.
2 Show that the kinetic energy given to the people on the escalator is small compared to the
potential energy they receive. (Hint: find the speed up the slope.)
3 Calculate the work done per second by the frictional force.
4 Using your answers to questions 1 and 3, calculate:
(a) the total output power of the electric motor
(b) the input power to the electric motor
(c) the overall efficiency of the escalator.
5 Explain why the potential and kinetic energy of the steps can be ignored in your
calculation in question 4.
6 Explain why it is better that the escalator works at constant speed rather than at constant
power. You might like to consider what happens if the motor produces constant power,
and the escalator carries a decreasing number of people.
7 Some people on the escalator walk up as the escalator rises. Compare the power provided
by the motor with the power needed when they do not walk up. You may assume that the
escalator runs at a constant speed and that the frictional force is unchanged.
Explain your ideas.

AQA Physics A AS Level Extension Activity © Nelson Thornes Ltd 2008 1

 Topic 10.4
Energy and efficiency

Teacher Notes
Aims
• To show understanding of kinetic energy, potential energy and power by applying
equations and ideas from Chapter 10.
• To make comparisons and evaluate whether escalators can run at constant power.
• To discuss the effects of walking up an escalator.

Students will need to have studied the material of Chapter 10. They may need to be shown how
to calculate speed up a plane given the height being raised per minute. Dealing with efficiency,
students need to be able to calculate input power from efficiency and output power. Students
need higher powers of analysis and evaluation to consider the effect of walking up the escalator
and to suggest why a motor running at constant power is not suitable.

Answers
8 PE = mgh = 80 × 70 × 9.8 × 15 = 823 200 = 820 000 J (2 s.f.)

9 15 m rise up a 30° slope is 30 m along the slope

30
speed up slope = = 0.5 m s−1
60
1
KE of all people on escalator = mv2 = 0.5 × 80 × 70 × 0.52 = 700 J
2

30
10 P = Fv = 1.2 × 104 × = 6000 W or J s−1
60

PE work done
11 (a) Total power = increase in + against friction
sec sec

= 
823 200 
 + 6000 = 13 720 + 6000
 60 
= 19 720 = 20 000 W (2 s.f.)
useful power output 19 720
(d) Efficiency of electric motor = 0.7 = =
input power input power

19 720
input power = = 28 171 ≈ 28.2 kW (3 s.f.)
0. 7
useful power output 13 720
(e) Overall efficiency of escalator = =
input power 28 171
≈ 0.50 or 50% efficient

AQA Physics A AS Level Extension Activity © Nelson Thornes Ltd 2008 2

 Topic 10.4
Energy and efficiency

12 Once the steps are moving at constant speed, soon after starting up, no extra kinetic
energy is required. Since the steps move down as well as up, there is no net increase in
potential energy.

13 With constant power, when there are fewer people on the escalator there is less weight to
lift. To maintain the same work per second, the escalator will move faster. Efficiency
falls, not only because more work is done against air resistance and friction, but because
proportionally more of the energy supplied is wasted.

14 If the escalator rises at constant speed and the same number of people step on per minute
then the same number of people will step off per minute even if they are walking up.
Some of the potential energy gained as they rise has come from their own effort and so
less is required from the motor. However, if some people walk up there may be room for
more people to step on per minute and then the power might be constant or even rise!

AQA Physics A AS Level Extension Activity © Nelson Thornes Ltd 2008 3