Why Escalator Handrails Move Faster Than Steps

When traveling between work and home on the subway, some of us often find ourselves wondering why it is that the handrail on the escalators moves faster than the steps themselves do. Well, this is not some kind of conspiracy but is in fact completely normal. So how does an escalator work? And why are those steps so steep anyway?

Our story begins in the 1890s – the early days of Coca Cola, Hershey’s Chocolate, and motion pictures! A strange contraption is being built at New York's Coney Island Park. The thing travels along a 25° incline and only goes up 7 ft. Yet spectators back then were amazed by the futuristic Moving Stairs! It was the world's first escalator, and it was just a temporary amusement park attraction! But let's see how the modern escalator works!

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CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Wynyard Station - Erecting Escalators: By Photographic Collection, uploaded by Oxyman, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Jumping dolphins at Dolphin Lagoon, Farglory: By pan vanessa - https://www.flickr.com/photos/kalaok/..., https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
According to Guinness, the shortest escalator in the world is in the Okadaya Mores shopping mall in Kawasaki, Japan: By Elena Gurzhiy, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Old Escalator in Macy's department store New York: By PlusMinus, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Side view of the system at Queen's Road Central: By WingLuk, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
An inclined travelator at Sportivnaya station on the Saint Petersburg Metro, Russia: By Alex 'Florstein' Fedorov, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Animation is created by Bright Side.

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EPISODES:
How it works 00:00
How did the escalator get its name? 1:51
Escalator speeds 3:00
Why escalator steps so steep 3:59
Why the escalator handrail moves faster than the steps 4:52
Why escalators have brushes 5:21
Why escalator stairs have grooves 5:59
A moving sidewalk 6:20
The world's most incredible escalators 6:45

Music by Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/

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