Annex

Theoretical Comparison of Dragging Blocks vs Boat Lift Hoisting

Assumptions and Facts

• Mass of Great Pyramid: 6.5 × 10⁹ kg (6½ million tonnes)
• Centre of gravity (c.g.) of a 4-sided pyramid is ¼ way up the central vertical line
• Effective pyramid height: 145 m, c.g. at 38 m
• Ramp length to midpoint: 400 m (approx. 10° slope)
• Coefficient of friction for dragging: 0.1

Work for Ramp Dragging

Element 1: Potential energy to raise blocks to 38m:
6.5 × 10⁹ × 38 = 2.47 × 10¹¹ m·kg

Element 2: Friction drag along 400m ramp:
6.5 × 10⁹ × 400 × 0.1 = 2.6 × 10¹¹ m·kg

Total Work: 2.47 + 2.6 = ~5 × 10¹¹ m·kg

Case 2 – Using a ‘Boat Lift’

• 8-stage lift (5m steps) reaches 38m (c.g. height)
• Each slide (on/off shelves) averages 2m × 8 stages = 16 m total sliding
• Additional