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        riddles >> what happened >> Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
        
(Message started by: SWF on Jan 25^th, 2005, 7:13pm)

Title: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by SWF on Jan 25^th, 2005, 7:13pm

A common riddle that has appeared here several times, has a somewhat far fetched answer, and thinking about it brings to mind a real life situation that I have experienced. I used to live in a 17 floor building and would regularly do the following:

Take the elevator down two floors, the stairs up two floors, elevator down two floors, stairs up two floors, elevator down two floors, and stairs up two floors-- all in a span of less than a couple hours. Why did I do this?

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Speaker on Jan 25^th, 2005, 7:39pm

Okay, how about this.
You live on the first floor, and in the sub-basement (two floors down) is the laundry room.
The elevator always returns to the first floor, where it waits until somebody needs it. So, you jump on the elevator and ride two floors down.
But, while you are putting quarters in the dryer or whatever, the elevator returns to the first floor. Being impatient, you decide to take the stairs when you go back up.
You do this several times because you need to check your laundry.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Grimbal on Jan 26^th, 2005, 5:10am

Maybe you like the exercise.

Maybe when the elevator goes up and arrives at the 15th floor, it is always full. But when it goes down from the 17th, it is always empty.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by BNC on Jan 26^th, 2005, 5:15am

I live in an 18-floor building... and the elevators stop either empty, or on their way down. So, if you want to go down, the elevator will always be available. But going up from, say, the 11'th floor to the 13'th floor is faster by hte stairs (especially on "rush hours") than taking the elevator down to the ground floor and back up again.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Grimbal on Jan 26^th, 2005, 5:34am

on 01/25/05 at 19:13:45, SWF wrote:

Why did I do this?

To meet your girlfriend? To meet your parents for meals? To bring your laundry to a neighbour that has a working washing machine? Maybe all 3 at the same time?

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Padzok on Jan 26^th, 2005, 3:40pm

Taking out rubbish/garbage/trash ?

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by SWF on Jan 26^th, 2005, 6:33pm

Speaker is very close- I was doing laundry, but lived on 2nd floor with laundry room in the basement. Also it is correct that I don't like waiting for elevator (besides why take an elevator for just two floors), but why did I take it down, taking it down still requires waiting?

I like Padzok's idea, except I didn't regularly accumulate three trips worth of garbage before bothering to take it out.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by MisatoAeris on Jan 26^th, 2005, 8:44pm

Are you asking if we think you like to carry a basket of laundry down stairs or not? I hate carrying laundry. Better to wait for the elevator than risk killing yourself on the stairs.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Speaker on Jan 26^th, 2005, 9:32pm

OK, how about this.
On the way down you carry big loads, all of your dirty clothes, so it is easier to take the elevator with the heavy bag.

However, the clothes require different methods to wash, the delicates and whatever. So, they finish at different times, or some are dried in the dryer and some by hangin in your apartment.
No, logic not working....

Hmmmm.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by SWF on Jan 27^th, 2005, 6:52pm

on 01/26/05 at 20:44:00, MisatoAeris wrote:

Are you asking if we think you like to carry a basket of laundry down stairs or not?

I would be carrying the laundry up the stairs at the end, so taking laundry on the stairs was not a problem. Doing laundry takes three trips: 1) put in washing machine, 2) come back to transfer to dryer, 3) carry home the clean clothes. For the 2nd step, I took elevator down even though was not carrying anything.

There is simple reason why I took the elevator down and stairs up- obviously more realistic than the standard reason given in similar riddles, because this is a real situation.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Grimbal on Jan 28^th, 2005, 1:16am

Unfortunately, the button going to your floor did not work any more due to your heavy use of it ;D. Maybe you like to press the button the "karate kid" way.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Sir Col on Jan 28^th, 2005, 3:57pm

on 01/27/05 at 18:52:47, SWF wrote:

There is simple reason why I took the elevator down and stairs up- obviously more realistic than the standard reason given in similar riddles, because this is a real situation.

Whilst sorting your laundry someone else on another floor summons the lift away, but the call button, used to return the lift to the basement, does not work?

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Noke Lieu on Jan 28^th, 2005, 6:51pm

when you have a basket full of washing etc, your hands are high or low?
When you have to go down in a lift, that's handy. But if you want to go up, that's tricky, because the numbers are higher.
Presumably the doors forthe stairwell didn't have handles on them?

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Padzok on Jan 28^th, 2005, 6:53pm

on 01/27/05 at 18:52:47, SWF wrote:

There is simple reason why I took the elevator down and stairs up- obviously more realistic than the standard reason given in similar riddles, because this is a real situation.

If you live in a building, you get to know if it's quicker to get the elevator, or to take the stairs...was it just that you knew the average waiting time and chose the quicker (on average) option each time?

Alternatively, your gym instructor (to whom you pay big bucks) told you to walk up the stairs more often...she never said you had to walk down them too!

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by MisatoAeris on Jan 29^th, 2005, 5:25pm

On the way down, your laundry is dirty, and you really don't want to risk tripping on the stairs and landing in it. But on the way up, it's cottony fresh and smells good, so you somewhat want to land in it.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by SWF on Jan 31^st, 2005, 6:09pm

Everything, such as elevator buttons, worked as the should, and I was able to press any button I wanted.

Repeating a previous remark that seem to have been missed:

For the 2nd round trip (to put clothes in the dryer), I took elevator down and stairs up even though I was carrying nothing. Why would a perfectly sane person such as myself do this?

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Speaker on Jan 31^st, 2005, 6:20pm

There was a rule in the Apartment that if you were only going up one or two floors, then you should take the stairs. I have seen places where they do this to prevent congestion when a lot of people go from the lobby to the second floor.

Or....

This was a busy apartment building, and many schoolgirls in short skirts lived there. They would often go up and down the stairs. So, you, a quasi-pedophilic pervert inclined toward peeping at panties, would take the stairs so you could follow the students as they ascended. Hoping that you could catch a glimpse of their nethers.

Or...

The laundry room was outside the actual building. So, after exiting the elevator, you also exited the building. And, the door from the elevator to the laundry room locked automatically. Then you put your laundry in the machine or whatever. And then, to get back into the building you had to take the stairs to a door that would open.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Grimbal on Feb 1^st, 2005, 7:18am

Maybe it is a special elevator that works without electricity. The elevator goes down under your own weight, and when empty, goes up pulled by the counterweight.
???
Yes, why would a perfectly sane person do such a thing? ::)

Maybe it has to do with basic SWF psychology: when you are upstairs and you want to go down, you think "down". Therefore you naturlally go to the elevator, which is closest to your door. Once downstairs, you go wherever you wanted to go. Then, when going up, you think "up". Since the stairs are closer, you take the stairs. Then you go back to your appartment.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by SWF on Feb 1^st, 2005, 5:58pm

Some of those recent guesses make some sense, and one is getting closer to what was really happening.

Come to think of it, one of the buildings I lived in after that one had an elevator with less waiting time. Yet while doing laundry I would take the stairs both down and up two flights of stairs, walking by but not using the elevator on each trip.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by John_Gaughan on Feb 2^nd, 2005, 10:35am

Do you have OCD?

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by MisatoAeris on Feb 5^th, 2005, 9:55pm

Just to clarify...
How do you describe 'sane'?

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by SWF on Feb 7^th, 2005, 6:38pm

Here is a clue, which I though would clear from my previous comments:

For only two flights of stairs, I prefer to take the steps, even if carrying laundry.

That seems sane to me.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Icarus on Feb 7^th, 2005, 6:57pm

So the question is, why did you choose to take the elevator down each time, instead of simply taking the stairs?

Perhaps you have a condition that makes going down stairs a vertigous and dangerous occupation, but going up stairs is not a problem?

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Padzok on Feb 8^th, 2005, 1:30pm

Maybe - on your floor - to get from the hallway to the stairway, you need to pull the door.

Then two floors down - to get from the stairway to the laundry room - again you need to pull the door.

Pulling doors is tricky with a basket full of laundry, so you get the lift instead.

But coming back up, you like the stairs because they are quicker. Even if you have a full laundry basket, you can push both doors.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Icarus on Feb 8^th, 2005, 3:15pm

Was the door from the stairs to the basement (where the laundry room presumably was) locked - making the elevator the only way in? But it could be opened from the inside, allowing you to take the stairs back up?

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by SWF on Feb 8^th, 2005, 7:12pm

Correct, Icarus! Even people living on the 1st floor had no choice but to take the elevator down to do laundry.

For better security people could only enter the building from the first floor (sometimes a guard was on duty). The main stairway went from the 1st to the 17th floor. The basement stairs were outside the building separated from the main stairs, and were locked from the outside but not the inside. Even though it meant going outside for bit, taking the steps back up was much faster than waiting for an elevator.

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by Speaker on Feb 8^th, 2005, 9:41pm

SWF, I said almost the same (going outside and having the door lock, and then needing to go up the stairs to an open door) thing in a post a couple of days ago. It was the last of three ideas, so maybe you did not see it. :'(

Title: Re: Real Life Down Elevator/ Up Stairs Problem
Post by SWF on Feb 9^th, 2005, 7:06pm

Speaker, I did see your suggestion, and that is what I meant when saying one of the previous guesses was close. To point out which guess was very close would have given away the answer. I did not consider it correct because it was not quite right. The situation you suggested would not work for somebody who prefers the steps, and I had already hinted that I prefer the steps.

The question, was to guess the real reason, and that wasn't it, but was certainly on the right track. Also, it is not very realistic for a building to have an outdoor laundry room that requires everyone to take at least one flight of stairs up, since not everyone is able to climb stairs.