Prompt Cast
The History and Function of Elevators
TLDR Elevators have been around since ancient Rome, but it wasn't until the 19th century that they started to take shape in the way we see them now. Modern elevators use a cable system with multiple cables that loop over a sheave, and each cable is required to be able to hold the elevator fully loaded plus 20%.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Elevators have been around since ancient Rome, but it wasn't until the 19th century that they started to take shape in the way we see them now, with King Louis the 15th having what some say was the first modern type elevator.
04:51
Elevators have been around since ancient Rome, but it wasn't until the 19th century that they started to take shape in the way we see them now, with King Louis the 15th having what some say was the first modern type elevator.
09:29
Elijah Otis did not invent the modern elevator, but rather the safety mechanism that allowed rope and pulley systems to become widely used, while Otis Tufts actually invented the first modern elevator with automatically opening and closing doors.
14:00
Modern elevators use a cable system with multiple cables that loop over a sheave, and each cable is required to be able to hold the elevator fully loaded plus 20%; if all the cables were to snap, fail safes such as governors and braking systems would prevent a catastrophic fall, and the elevator's electric motor spins the sheave to pull the cables up and down.
18:37
In rare instances, elevator accidents can result in death or serious injury, but the chances of this happening are extremely low, with a 0.00000015% chance of dying on an average elevator ride, and escalators are considered to be 10 times safer than elevators.
23:33
Elevator phobias can be treated through exposure therapy, but some people's fear of elevators is so severe that they choose not to confront it.
28:07
Elevator etiquette includes following the two-flight rule to prevent overcrowding and unnecessary stops in the elevator.
32:38
The two-flight rule suggests taking the stairs instead of the elevator if you are only going one to two flights up, in order to prevent unnecessary stops and overcrowding in the elevator.
37:16
In an American office building, the wait time for an elevator should be no more than 18 seconds, and the handling capacity should be around 13 percent of the building's population in five minutes.
41:40
Elevators have allowed for vertical expansion and have shaped the way mankind has populated the world.
Categories:
Society & Culture
