Originally Posted by
Ferrous Bueller
Didn't major in physics, but here goes:
The more circuitous route up the hill takes more energy. That's because of the extra wind and rolling resistance from having traveled farther.
This could be true but these things are a minor part of the energy used to get up a steep hill. For steep hills (and the speeds people are moving up them), you can ignore these small differences.
Originally Posted by
Sabby
Now if it's 10% include no matter what and one is a direct line between points A and B while the other is meandering around the line, with the same incline, then meandering is more work overall. You're exerting the same force, only over a longer distance.
People meander because they can't go straight-up (they lack the power output). That is, people who are zig-zagging are (typically) excerting
less power/time (not the same).