It's Slinky, it's Slinky, it's fun for a girl and a boy.

March 27, 2008 1:21 PM

How fast would a typical escalator need to operate, in order to keep a standard metal Slinky moving indefinitely (i.e., in place)?
posted by Blazecock Pileon to sports, hobbies, & recreation (5 comments total)

According to this page, the walking speed of a slinky is dependent on the slope of the incline that its going down. So that is one variable that needs to be defined. I would also guess that since they are using a sloped plane, that those numbers will be a little off from stairs or escalator.
posted by JonnyRotten at 1:50 PM on March 27

Here is a little more info that would seem relevant at first glance.
posted by JonnyRotten at 1:53 PM on March 27

I don't think it would work, no matter what the speed. See here, about 35 seconds in.
posted by ND¢ at 2:14 PM on March 27 [3 favorites]

Having tried this years ago - though I only got two tries before deciding it was best to make a getaway - I think the escalator treads are too wide.

Though maybe it would work in Wyoming.
posted by R. Mutt at 3:35 PM on March 28

A Slinky might go for longer on any old escalator than on a stationary staircase with the same step width. But I would expect the step-to-step "classic" Slinky motion to be unstable: you can see in ND¢'s video (if not in your head) that rolling down the steps like a tube is more stable, and that having both ends on the same plane is stabler still. Without some feedback, a Slinky falling end-to-end --- even on a moving staircase --- will eventually transition to one of these other modes. Transitions back seem quite unlikely.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 7:30 AM on April 24