A spiral staircase can be a magnificent construction of architecture. It also can be very daunting if it is high and narrow. Besides allowing you to move up and down with ease, it serves a purpose as a simple machine that helps you transport something or someone from one level to the next.
Simple Machines
Simple machines were designed to make your life easier. They help you move things and secure things, and they also require few moving parts, which allows them to be handled and used by even those with little knowledge regarding the machine. Some of the best simple machines were thought of centuries ago and still are used today.
Incline Plane
An incline plane connects one level to the next, using a slanting surface, and does not have any moving parts. Instead of it moving, you move on it. The slant of the incline plane determines the amount of effort you use when walking or rolling along, according to the Franklin Institute Science Museum. As the slant of the incline plane grows, the effort needed by you will increase.
Function
An incline plane's design allows you to save energy and work less. According to Scholastic, the ancient Egyptians discovered this when they built the pyramids thousands of years ago. To conserve energy, they built ramps that helped them move things within the pyramids. Today when you use a spiral staircase rather than a ladder, you might have to walk a greater distance but you work less.
Relationship
A spiral staircase is an incline plane that winds around itself that you might find in a house or other building. Many spiral staircases conserve space and can be quite steep and curved. The construction and geometry of a spiral staircase might result in a beautiful piece of architecture. A few of the the most notable include The Santa Barbara Lighthouse and the Glasgow Lighthouse, according to Environmental Graffiti.
