Could you run up the side of the Luxor?

I'm not talking about security or whether you would actually get away with.

Do you think you could physically do it if you tried?

It has a 39° angle which translates into an 81% gradient (incline). By comparison typical treadmills max out at about 8.5° (15% incline) and the steepest street is about 20° (35% incline).

Since its glass its probably going to be slippery, but if you could get the traction do you think you'd be able to run up to top of the pyramid?

 

I saw a reality show, cannot recall which one where they tried several times. They made it about 8 to 12 feet then fell back down. They also remarked how hot the surface was.

 

I forgot about the heat. Those panels must be reflective as hell and they were probably using their hands.

But still, 8-12 feet seems pretty weak. You'd need really good ankle dorsiflexion to help keep your weight forward though which I don't have.

 

I think it would be pretty easy for Alain Robert aka the French Spiderman or Dan Goodwin (if anybody remembers them). Maybe in winter, earlier in the day. But, they would need their equipment. It's not like they could just run up the side.

 

Carrot Top does a memorable bit on the design of Luxor. He says that everything is designed to keep guests in the casino, so that when you lose a lot and try to jump off the top to kill yourself, you just slide down back to the casino to lose some more.....

 

No way, too steep, not enough traction.

 

Damn SoftSpikes!

 

That was the problem with the attempts I saw, they only made it as far as they did because they got a running start and went with the momentum. Without the momentum you cannot get enough traction to overpower the gravity.

 

I think that was on an episode of "Fear Factor".

 

I imagine you could walk up it with effort if it were a road at the same angle but not the actual building with the glass and all.

 

What would that light beam do to you if you made it to the peak?

 

Get you attacked by bats.

 

You can climb it in San Andreas. I haven't tried it in real life yet...

 

On fear factor I think they were sliding down

 

It wasn't fear factor. I'm sure of that.

 

Nope - don't think I could make it more than a few feet.

 

It is totally possible...let’s look at the physics

As long as the force of friction between your shoes and the surface is larger than the component of your weight parallel to the surface then you will not slip. The force of friction is going to be dependent on the coefficient of static friction between the surface and your shoes, and the component of your weight perpendicular to the surface...F = mu*N

So if the surface is at a 39° angle with the horizontal then your weight parallel to the surface will be W*sin(39°) and the weight perpendicular will be W*cos(39°) = N.

So mu*W*cos(39) >= W*sin(39)…So we get mu must be greater than tan(39) or about 0.81…

So if you could get a pair of shoes that has a coefficient of friction between the sole OF ONE SHOE and the surface of Luxor that is greater than 0.81 then you could physically run up it... Whether you have the endurance to make it to the top is a different question

 

Geez, I'm glad you weren't counting cards when the mafia ran the casinos. Your poor thumbs......

 

Thought about it alittle more and you have to do the math with a third degree of freedom...rotation... you would also have to lean forward some so that you wouldn't tip backwards.

If you stood totally perpendicular to the surface then the acceleration downward due to gravity acting on the center of gravity of your body would create a moment down the ramp. So you need to learn forward far enough so that this moment is balanced by the moment created by your leg muscles and core muscles,if you wanted to truely run up the side. If you wanted to crawl up the side then just lean far enought forward so that the moment due to gravity is tipping you up the ramp.

 

it's definitely possible if you had the right equipment - very sticky shoes and gloves. it would be pretty hard on the calves and quads though. if you had an entire sticky body suit you could just lie down and take a break. also that would help if you slipped and fell you wouldn't slide back down the entire thing and probably die.