Down With Elevators! Trivia Quiz

Answer: He invented the safety elevator

Elisha Otis invented the first safety elevator. He attached the hoist rope for the elevator to a spring at the top of the elevator and the spring was attached to a a pair of ratchet bars on the sides of the elevator. As long as the spring had tension on it, the ratchet bars were not engaged.

But if the rope broke, the tension on the spring was released, allowing the ratchet bars to engage and stop the elevator. During the 1854 New York World's Fair, he had himself hoisted in an open elevator up a couple of stories, and had an axe man cut the hoist rope, showing that his invention would work.

Answer: To make the system more efficient

To reduce the load on the motor that pulls the elevator car up, there is a counterweight which is equal to the weight of the car and a half-load of passengers. This makes the system more efficient and reduces energy consumption.

Answer: They cannot service more than four floors

Pneumatic elevators require a column of air to move the elevator up and down. The longer the tube, the more power is required to sustain the air pressure and there is a limit to how much of this power you can generate. Skyscrapers need to rely on cable-driven elevators.

Answer: Clear polycarbonate

Clear polycarbonate is used in "glass" elevators because it is much stronger and many times more durable than real glass. It is also much lighter than real glass. It is the same stuff that is used for making eyeglasses. Clear acrylic plastic does not have the strength that polycarbonate does. Transparent aluminum is now a fact, but it's very expensive to make, $10 to $15 per square inch at the time of writing this quiz.

Answer: South Africa

The AngloGold Ashanti's Mponeng Gold Mine in South Africa drops the incoming miners 2,283 meters (7,490 feet) in a single descent at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. When they get to the bottom,a second elevator takes them another 3,597 feet to the bottom of the shaft.

The elevator car is three levels and carries 120 workers at a time. In 2019, this was the tallest elevator in the world, and it travels more than four times further than elevators in the world's tallest building at that time.

Answer: Possibility of malfunction, stranding you in the elevator

Besides the high possibility of malfunction which could cause you to be stuck in the elevator as the fire rages on and smoke fills the elevator shaft, many elevators are programmed to go straight to the ground floor in a fire so they will be available to the firemen, which means that it's not going to come for you. And there is also the possibility that the elevator will stop and open the doors on the floor that has the fire, and that will not be good for anyone who is in it at the time.

Answer: Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas

The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas in shaped like a huge pyramid. On the first five floors, the elevators go straight up and down like anywhere else, but above the fifth floor the elevators in the corners of the building travel at a 39-degree angle to compensate for the sloping sides of the building.

Answer: Press the "HELP" button, call 9-1-1,or both

Never try to climb out of the elevator. You could fall down the elevator shaft, or the elevator might suddenly engage when you're halfway out and it could result in a split personality for you. Jumping up and down will not work, despite the stuck elevator scene in the movie "You've Got Mail".

Answer: At least once a year

OSHA and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) worked in conjunction to publish ASME A17.1 as a safety code for elevators. Inspections are done by the state, and they are free to use the OSHA standards or write their own.

Answer: Earthquake button

In many areas where earthquakes are prevalent, like San Francisco, some elevators are equipped with "Earthquake" buttons. When pressed, it will move immediately to the nearest floor and the doors will open.