[IrishElk] Two Up, One Down

[irishelk]

I'd noticed that the rule was "two up, one down" at the mall, but I didn't know why. However, when I realized the reason, it made sense. Can you figure it out?

[WiZ]

I've sent you a PM. I had an idea which makes a little too much sense to be posted as a WAG.

[JenBurdoo]

Anything to do with escalators?

[Earnest]

Parking lots relevant? Arrows? Pressing buttons? Products allocation? Up and down = with respect to the ground? To a floor? In general as directions?

Is two up and one down referred to: hand movements?
Is it two [of something] up and one [of something] down or "if the number is two, do up, while if the number is one, do down"? If the latter are money relevant? Money put in carts? (E.g. different size of money)

[irishelk]

WiZ

I've sent you a PM. I had an idea which makes a little too much sense to be posted as a WAG. Hm, for some reason I didn't get it. But if it still seems right given the answers below, go ahead and post! I'd be honored by a one-post WiZ solve.


JenBurdoo

Anything to do with escalators? Yes!


Earnest

Parking lots relevant? Arrows? Pressing buttons? Products allocation? No to these. Up and down = with respect to the ground? To a floor? Yesish.In general as directions?

Is two up and one down referred to: hand movements? No.
Is it two [of something] up and one [of something] down Yes. or "if the number is two, do up, while if the number is one, do down"?If the latter are money relevant? Money put in carts? (E.g. different size of money) No to rest.

[WiZ]

Hmm. It's not in my Sent folder. Admittedly, I was trying to do a lot of things at once at the time.

My PM was in the vein of "Is it because one usually finds two up escalators and one down escalator, the logic being that it is far easier to walk down a (non-moving) staircase than up one (especially considering mobility concerns)?"

[irishelk]

WiZ

My PM was in the vein of "Is it because one usually finds two up escalators and one down escalator, Yesish...
the logic being that it is far easier to walk down a (non-moving) staircase than up one (especially considering mobility concerns)?" But in this case, for a different reason.

[Balin]

So does the "two up, one down" rule mean that in a location with escalators, there are two going up and one going down?
Is the width of the escalators relevant?
Are there any staircases beside the escalators as well?
Is the tendency of people to walk along with an escalator's movement relevant? If so, going up? Going down?

[irishelk]

Balin

So does the "two up, one down" rule mean that in a location with escalators, there are two going up and one going down? Yesish.
Is the width of the escalators relevant? No.
Are there any staircases beside the escalators as well? Irr.
Is the tendency of people to walk along with an escalator's movement relevant? No. If so, going up? Going down?

[GalFisk]

Other meanings of up and down relevant? Such as up=functional? Down=non-functional? Stairs relevant? Elevators? Is the point of the rule to optimize the flow of people?

[Earnest]

Oh wow I though this one was solved!

I guess we are referring to escalators since elevators can go in both directions right? If so, is the down escalator between the two up escalators?, like U D U? Or D U U? U U D? Or any order is fine? Or they are not even close one to the other? Are there also a normal stairs near the escalators? Is the location of the mall's entrance relevant? Of the exit? Or is it a rule that applies regardless of the location of escalators?
Is it a rule specific to a mall or can it be easily generalized to all malls? Is it for safety reasons? Kind of avoiding thefts to occur? People to escape? Possible interactions among people in the escalators relevant? Had it been two down one up would it work? Is it more the people going uo than the ones going down? Are the two escalators going up identic? Reserved to anyone? Is object transportation on escalators relevant?

Is the possibility of using om escalator whem the other is broken relevant?

[irishelk]

GalFisk

Other meanings of up and down relevant? No. Such as up=functional? Down=non-functional? Stairs relevant? Elevators? No to all.
Is the point of the rule to optimize the flow of people? Yes.


Earnest

Oh wow I though this one was solved! No, though WiZ made a huge leap!

I guess we are referring to escalators since elevators can go in both directions right? Correct. If so, is the down escalator between the two up escalators?, like U D U? Or D U U? U U D? Or any order is fine? This. Or they are not even close one to the other? They are, but irr. Are there also a normal stairs near the escalators? Irr.
Is the location of the mall's entrance relevant? Yesish. Of the exit? Yesish, explore. Or is it a rule that applies regardless of the location of escalators? It would apply regardless of their location within the mall, yes.
Is it a rule specific to a mall Yes, good question! or can it be easily generalized to all malls? NO.
Is it for safety reasons? Kind of avoiding thefts to occur? People to escape? Possible interactions among people in the escalators relevant? No to all.
Had it been two down one up would it work? No.
Is it more the people going up than the ones going down? Yope. Are the two escalators going up identical? Yes. Reserved to anyone? No. Is object transportation on escalators relevant? No.

Is the possibility of using one escalator when the other is broken relevant? Not specifically, though this would be an added benefit.

[GalFisk]

Parking relevant? Parking garages? Doe the mall have more than one entrance and exit? Does the rule encourage people to move in a certain way? Is optimizing flow the only reason? Or does it increase sales? Make people see more stores? More signs? Get lost? Get less lost? Does it encourage people to spread equally on both levels? To exit through the same door they entered? Through a different one?

[irishelk]

GalFisk

Parking relevant? Parking garages? No.
Does the mall have more than one entrance and exit? Yes. Does the rule encourage people to move in a certain way? Not "encourage" so much as help. Is optimizing flow the only reason? Yes. Or does it increase sales? Make people see more stores? More signs? Get lost? Get less lost? Does it encourage people to spread equally on both levels? To exit through the same door they entered? No to these.
Through a different one? No, but they relevantly do this.

[Earnest]

Can we assume that the escalators (both the two up and the one down) are on the same floor? If not, are the the two up on different floors? Are all of the three on different floors? Is a specific one up associated to the one down? Are there also normal stairs/elevators? Is the one down starting outside of the mall and the one up inside it? Are the two U one after the other (i.e. ended the first it begins the other) If not, would the puzzle work in that way?
Ok...that's a little bit crazy but...is Mario Kart wii involved somehow?...there is a trail with a mall if I remember correctly

Are the escalators located in a place such that you are obliged to see something relevant? Are the escalators located relevantly near to the entrance? Near to the exit? If so all the 3? Just the two U? Is going up associating to entering the mall or moving from a floor to the other of the mall (but still remaining in the inside)? Is going down associated to moving from an upper floor to a lower one? Moving toward the exit? Moving toward the enter of the mall? Are restaurants relevant?(e.g. restaurants'smell. You have just one escalator down so that you are forced to pass from restaurants and are tempted by the smell). Is the rule useful mainly when there is lot of people? Is flow of people entering the mall similar in quantity to flow of people exiting?

Are different attitudes of people when entering or exiting relevant? The fact that when exiting they have more stuffs than when entered? People need to rush? People have to pay at the cash? Avoiding rows relevant?
Is slowing down people relevant?

[irishelk]

Earnest

Can we assume that the escalators (both the two up and the one down) are on the same floor? Yes. If not, are the the two up on different floors? Are all of the three on different floors? Is a specific one up associated to the one down? No to rest.
Are there also normal stairs/elevators? Irr. Is the one down starting outside of the mall and the one up inside it? No. Are the two U one after the other (i.e. ended the first it begins the other) If not, would the puzzle work in that way? No--there could be multiple levels with escalators, but each would have two up, one down.
Ok...that's a little bit crazy but...is Mario Kart wii involved somehow?...there is a trail with a mall if I remember correctly Nope. =)

Are the escalators located in a place such that you are obliged to see something relevant? No. Are the escalators located relevantly near to the entrance? Near to the exit? Yope--their position in relation to the entrances/exits is relevant, but they don't have to be especially near the doors. If so all the 3? Just the two U?
Is going up associating to entering the mall or moving from a floor to the other of the mall (but still remaining in the inside)? The beginning and ending of all three are inside the mall. Is going down associated to moving from an upper floor to a lower one? Yes. Moving toward the exit? Possibly, yes. Moving toward the enter of the mall? Possibly, yes. Are restaurants relevant? No. (e.g. restaurants'smell. You have just one escalator down so that you are forced to pass from restaurants and are tempted by the smell).
Is the rule useful mainly when there is lot of people? Yes. Is flow of people entering the mall similar in quantity to flow of people exiting? Yesish, but maybe explore.

Are different attitudes of people when entering or exiting relevant? Yesish. The fact that when exiting they have more stuffs than when entered? No, but good guess. People need to rush? This may be a factor, but not exactly. People have to pay at the cash? Irr. Avoiding rows relevant? Rows as in aisles? No. Rows as in fights? Maybe sometimes.
Is slowing down people relevant? Yesish, or at least people slowing down.

[Earnest]

People taking pictures at the entrance? People slowing down to see stores?

Did they want to slow down people exiting the mall so to make them stop a little bit more? (Kind of waiting that there is less people exiting)

[hoodie]

Is the mall entrance on the top floor? bottom floor? middle floor?

Is the mall exit on the top floor? bottom floor? middle floor?


Does this have anything to do with people descending only to realize they want to turn around and go back up?

[irishelk]

Earnest

People taking pictures at the entrance? No. People slowing down to see stores? No.

Did they want to slow down people exiting the mall so to make them stop a little bit more? (Kind of waiting that there is less people exiting) No, kind of the opposite.


hoodie Hi hoodie =)

Is the mall entrance on the top floor? bottom floor? middle floor?

Is the mall exit on the top floor? bottom floor? middle floor? The only relevant details is that there is an entrance/exit on the level at the top of the escalators, and an entrance/exit on the level at the bottom of the escalators.


Does this have anything to do with people descending only to realize they want to turn around and go back up? No.

[GalFisk]

Do more people go up than down? Different people? Slower People? Are there other relevant ways of going up? Such as stairs? Elevators? Walking outside the building? Other relevant ways of going down? Such as <above list>?

[CoffeeBean]

Is the mall's goal to aid in getting a lot of people to exit quickly? Or in a manner that is orderly?
Is another goal to prevent negative effects like arguments, fights, etc?
Would you say that the need for people to use all escalators is consistent during the course of the mall's operating hours? Or is the need much greater at certain hours or minutes?
Is there a relevant store or attraction at the mall that creates the scenario in which a large group of people need to move from an upper to a lower level all at the same time?

[irishelk]

GalFisk

Do more people go up than down? Not exactly, but close. Different people? Yes--at least some. Slower People? No.
Are there other relevant ways of going up? Such as stairs? Elevators? Walking outside the building? Other relevant ways of going down? Such as <above list>? No to all.


CoffeeBean

Is the mall's goal to aid in getting a lot of people to exit quickly? Yes! Or in a manner that is orderly? Also yes.
Is another goal to prevent negative effects like arguments, fights, etc? Probably not primarily, but I'm sure this is a side benefit.
Would you say that the need for people to use all escalators is consistent during the course of the mall's operating hours? No. Or is the need much greater at certain hours or minutes? Certain brief intervals, yes. Timing is very relevant.
Is there a relevant store or attraction at the mall that creates the scenario in which a large group of people need to move from an upper to a lower level all at the same time? No--the reverse.

[GalFisk]

Do more people want to go up at certain times? Opening time relevant? Closing time? Commuters? Public transport? Rush hour? Emergencies?

[irishelk]

GalFisk

Do more people want to go up at certain times? Yes. Opening time relevant?Closing time? No. Commuters? Yes. Public transport? Yes! Rush hour? Emergencies? Not really.

[GalFisk]

Do a lot of people want to go up at once because: they just got off public transport? They want to be in time for getting on public transport? Type of transport relevant? If so: bus? Train? Tram? Subway?

[irishelk]

GalFisk

Do a lot of people want to go up at once because: they just got off public transport? Yep, that's pretty much it. They want to be in time for getting on public transport? Type of transport relevant? If so: bus? Train? Tram? Subway? This.


************************SPOILER

The bottom level of this particular mall is a Metro/subway train station, and apparently underground train stations are always supposed to have two escalators going up for every one going down. The reason is that passengers will find their way down to the platform to get on the train on their own varying schedules, but when people get off the train, it's everyone going in the same direction at the same time.

Nice work.