Read my last post - that's the post I meant to make in the first place. I was assuming that zig-zagging didn't result in a lower incline, which I admit wouldn't make sense. But that's what I thought the question was.
Believe me, I am very familiar with physics. I almost became a physicist before I decided to become a statistician. And when I say almost I mean I studied it before switching.
Originally Posted by
njkayaker
???
If you are zig-zagging up a 10% hill, you are effectively reducing the grade. That is, you are going up a longer hill at a lower grade.
Again, people zig-zag because they are not able to produce enough instantaneous energy to go straight-up. Thus, they choose to output less
energy/time to go up a longer less-steep hill that takes them more time.
The total power output for both paths is the same (energy/time * time).
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Keep in mind that there are two understandings of power: the physics one and the "common" one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_(physics)
Think of "energy" as calories and "power" as calorie burn-rate (calories consumed per minute).
Going straight-up requires the same amount of calories as zig-zagging but zig-zagging at the same speed uses a lower burn-rate but for a longer period of time.
People have different maximum burn-rates. Things feel easier when you are not near your maximum burn rate.