The Stair
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Stairs are objects which are built in staggered horizontal positions forming a jagged edge along which a person is capable of ascending vertically. By the same token, a person may also descend vertically by making use of stairs in the opposite direction. A single stair is not of much use1, and they are usually found roaming in groups. A group of stairs is called a case, or a staircase. In the instance that a staircase is surrounded by walls, the surrounding walls and the enclosed area is often referred to as a stairwell. Most stairwells have very poor acoustic qualities, and it is generally understood that stairwells are not the best place to have a live musical concert. Individual stairs are often coated on the top by a high-friction rubber-like substance to help prevent slippage of the foot as pressure is exerted from the foot onto the stair (such slippage can and has caused great bodily harm).
Usage of the Stair
To use a stair, a person must first decide whether they wish to ascend or descend the staircase. In most cases, the person will want to either ascend or descend the staircase completely as their are no points of interest to be found at the midway point of a staircase. If the person wishes to ascend the staircase, he will stand at the bottom and face the staircase in such a way that as he looks forward at it, it continues to get higher and higher. Then, the person will begin to ascend the staircase by lifting one foot and placing it on top of the bottom-most stair while leaving the other foot firmly planted on the floor. The next step is to place the previously unmoved foot on top of the stair directly above the stair that the other foot was previously placed on top of. This process is continued until all the stairs have been ascended and both feet are on the floor above the top of the last stair. If the person wishes to descend the staircase, he will stand at the top and face the staircase in such a way that as he looks forward at it, it continues to drop further and further out of sight. Then, the person will begin his descent by lowering one foot onto the top of the top-most stair while leaving the other foot firmly planted on the floor. The next step is to take the previously unmoved foot and lower it until it is on the top of the stair immediately beneath the stair that the other foot was previously placed on top of. This is repeated until the entire staircase has been descended and both feet are on the floor at the bottom of the last stair.
Typical Construction of Staircases
There are many types of stairscases, and they are not all constructed in the same manner. Some of the sub-types of staircases, most grouped under the "normal straight vertical" moniker, are all built in the same general manner and only feature some minor differences. But the difference in construction between actual groups is usually quite varied.
The "Normal Straight Vertical" Staircase
The Normal Straight Vertical staircase is the most common type of staircase being built these days. These staircases are all similar in that they travel along a straight horizontal path2. Like all staircases, they have two and only two vertical directions - up and down. Sub-types of the Normal Straight Vertical staircase include the Decorative Straight, the Single Flight Hidden, and some Fire Escapes. The Decorative Straight staircase is a staircase that travels in only one horizontal direction to its destination; however, this staircase is dual-purpose: it has a high level of form and function. The Single Flight Hidden is comprised of a single flight of stairs which are hidden away from the general view. Entrance to these staircases often requires the use of a door. These staircases are usually not pretty to look at, but they accomplish their goal by providing vertical transportation. The Fire Escape is an odd staircase. Some Fire Escapes are comprised of just one very long staircase. When this is true, then that particular Fire Escape is a Normal Straight Vertical staircase. Other Fire Escapes come in many configurations, the most common being the Multiple Normal Straight Vertical Fire Escape, which is made of multiple normal straight vertical staircases arranged in such a fashion that you descend one staircase, turn around and travel the opposite horizontal direction, turn back around and descend the next staircase. These are not Normal Straight Vertical staircases; instead, they fall into the "Odd" category.
The "Winding" Staircase
A Winding staircase is a staircase that travels in any number of horizontal directions, so long as that number is greater than one. Winding staircases include all non-Normal Straight Vertical staircases except the Odd Fire Escapes. The most common type of Winding staircase is the Spiral staircase. There are many stories about Spiral staircases and their construction. Most, it seems, are true. Many years ago, in medieval times, Spiral staircases were built in castles with the need to defend them in mind. So, they were built in a manner that would allow the defenders to be at an advantage as they descended the staircase; thus, the staircases were designed to spiral clockwise in the upward direction and counter-clockwise in the downward position. This gave right-handed knights and castle defenders the upper-hand when descending on an enemy3: a wall or some other obstructive element would have been on the right-hand side as you ascended the staircase making it difficult for right-handed attackers to swing their swords. While descending, however, the obstructive element would have been on the left, leaving the right side open for the defenders to hack away at the attackers.
The "Odd" Fire Escape Staircase
There is not much to say of Odd Fire Escapes. This category only exists because these Fire Escapes, as already described above under the sub-heading of "Normal Straight Vertical Staircases," do not fall under either of the other two categories. Most Fire Escapes in larger buildings constructed in the last 100 years or so are of the Odd variety.
Alternatives to the Stair
Although stairs are infinitely useful, there exist other devices by which a person is able to travel some vertical distance. Some of the more popular alternatives are motorized and require very little work on behalf of the person wishing to use them, while others are potentially more strenuous than the stair; still, a few others require great mental concentration and others rely on an inability of people to watch where they are going.
The Escalator
An escalator is a device much like a stair4, except it performs the climbing on behalf of the person wishing to move vertically. A person uses it by first stepping onto either the bottom-most or top-most stair while that stair is in motion. The person then brings their other foot onto the same moving stair, where they would remain until the stair they stepped onto had reached the top of the escalator. Upon reaching the top of the escalator, the person would simply step off, taking care not to let his or her shoelace get caught in the moving stair, as it is supposedly quite a traumatic and painful event if it should get caught.The Elevator5
Another alternative to the stair is the elevator, which, much like the escalator, requires no actual climbing on behalf of the person, except in the case that the elevator becomes conveniently lodged between floors. The primary difference between elevators and escalators is that elevators are not moving stairs. An elevator is a box which moves either up or down depending on which button the person wishing to use it pressed and the current position of the box.The Inclined Ramp
This type of vertical transportation is the oldest form used by man as it occurs naturally, usually taking the form of hills and mountains. Usually, climbing an inclined ramp requires greater physical exertion than climbing stairs. This is due to the fact that stairs occur in a series of discreet heights; that is, a person can climb a single stair and, having accomplished that, be standing on level ground. An inclined ramp, however, forces the user to stand at some non-level angle until they have successfully climbed the entire ramp. Ramps are most often used in modern days as access for people in wheelchairs6.Some countries require wheelchair access ramps by law.Flying
A fourth, and less frequently used, method of small distance vertical transportation is flying. Flying, it is well known, is most easily achieved by failing to hit the ground after throwing oneself at it7. Doing this successfully will allow a person to ascend or descend almost any given distance and requires very little physical strain in the process making it the second most effecient means of traversing small vertical distances.Gravity
The most effecient, and sometimes the most painful, way of covering some small vertical distance is by use of gravity. Most often gravity is only used to travel some downward vertical distance and it is often used accidentally, resulting in injuries to the unwary person. This mode of vertical transportation requires absolutely no physical exertion of the person using it unless they choose to flail their arms to let passers-by know that they had not intended to be using this mode of transportation.The Phantom Stair
The phantom stair is not actually a stair at all. The phantom stair is an unconscious imagination of a stair that is directly above or below the top or bottom of the top-most or bottom-most actual stair. Phantom stairs very rarely occur in groups8 and are the most common type of single stair.
How it Works
The phantom stair phenomenon occurs when a person unconsciously attempts to climb or descend one stair more than actually exist. For example, assume a person has climbed to the top of the uppermost stair in a staircase. Sometimes this person might accidentally, and quite unknowingly, try to climb one step higher. This person is currently standing on the floor at the top of the last stair, but they lift their foot as if to place it on top of another stair, which does not exist. They are unconsciously expecting their foot to stop at some set distance above where it started, but it fails to stop. This usually results in some imbalance which is generally not severe enough to cause a person to fall. If others are present, it can generate embarassment to the person who finds themselves a victim of the phantom stair.
How to Avoid it
The phantom stair is easily avoided if the person pays close attention to the stairs as they attempt to ascend or descend them. By watching each step as they pass it, the person will realize when they have run out of actual stairs to climb and will not attempt to climb any non-existing stairs. However, most people do not spend a great deal of concentration power on the simple act of climbing or descending a staircase, and it is this fact that causes phantom stairs. Phantom stairs do not occur everytime a person fails to pay adequate attention to the stairs being used; in fact, the occurance of the phantom stair is somewhat low compared to the number of times a staircase is used without complete concentration.
1While not of much use, single stairs are of some use. Some applications of the single stair include a access into a home in which floor level is slightly higher than ground level and access to a shelf that is just a touch higher than a person is capable of reaching.2Some of the other types twist and wind and change horizontal directions.3No pun intended.4Like stairs, most escalators are more than a single "stair" in height. The King of Saudi Arabia, however, had such difficulty in climbing the single stair that he had a single stair escalator built for his special purpose.5In some areas of the world, the elevator is called a lift. This single word also describes completely and accurately what an elevator does (keep in mind that lift can be applied in a positive or negative manner).6This is because it is very difficult to climb stairs in a wheelchair. The ramp, being linear, is far easier for the wheelchair to climb.7From Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.8This is because when a person discovers a phantom stair, they almost always realize that it was a phantom stair and become conscious to the fact that no more actual stairs exist in the direction they were travelling.
