Clive D. W. Feather wrote:
In article , Robin May
writes
The steps on the stairs are set at a distance which is about 1.5
times that of a normal person's stride. This seems to be true for
people of all heights and leg lengths.

A well-designed stairway has two verticals plus one horizontal
adding to 61cm. That is, in:

------+ A
+-+ :
| :
| :
| C~~~~~~D :
+--------+ :
+-+ :
| :
| :
| :
+--------+ B
+-+
|
|

the vertical distance AB plus the horizontal distance CD should be
61cm. This matches the leg articulation for the average adult.

Really? When exactly was this average leg articulation determined? Or
did someone make a rough guess of 2 ft some years ago, which sounds so
much more accurate when expressed to the nearest centimetre.

Excuse my cynicism; after writing the above, I measured both the
original Victorian staircase in my house and the newer one to our
6-year-old loft conversion. The old one, which doesn't feel quite
right, has AB+CD = 54cm, whereas the new one, which feels noticeably
better, measures .... 61cm!!

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

In article , Richard
J. writes
A well-designed stairway has two verticals plus one horizontal
adding to 61cm. That is, in:

Really? When exactly was this average leg articulation determined? Or
did someone make a rough guess of 2 ft some years ago, which sounds so
much more accurate when expressed to the nearest centimetre.

I read about it in Scientific American at least 25 years ago, possibly
more. So you'll have to do your own research beyond that.

--
Clive D.W. Feather | Home:
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