Explain why it is easier to climb a mountain on a zigzag path rather than one

straight up the side. Is your increase in gravitational potential energy

the same in both cases? Is your energy consumption the same in both?

→ Let us consider the height of the mountain to be h. If someone of mass m has to

climb this mountain, the work done by him is = increase in potential energy = mgh. Let
us consider two cases, in case 1 the climber goes vertically upwards and in case 2 the
climber follows a zigzag pattern. In both cases, the same amount of work is done, but
the zigzag route takes a longer path than the vertical one. So to cover a certain
distance, lesser force is required in zig-zag path. Also, in vertical climb, the y-
component of weight mgcos θ acts vertically downwards. As θ = 0°, mgcos θ = mg. In
zigzag pattern, θ > 0°, which means cos θ<1. Hence mgcos θ < mg, So the climber
encounters lesser resistance due to his own weight.