This question occurred to me when I saw some people power walking in a mall that gave them the option.
Does it burn more calories to go up a set of stairs or a ramp? Or is there no calorie difference at all? Each one elevates you the same vertical distance, so the ramp covers more horizontal territory so is longer and more gradual.
Do the stairs burn more because they make you work harder? Does the ramp burn more because it makes you work longer? Or are they equal because you’re doing the same amount of work?
If I remember correctly from my grade school studies about simple machines, the incline plane makes work easier by spreading the force it takes to lift the object over the distance of the ramp of the plane. The amount of force to lift the object is the same, but the work is made easier by the trade off of distance. Stairs are types of incline planes, the distance of the stairs is shorter than the ramp and therefor is harder. My guess is that they are equal in calories burned.
The answer also depends on if you are a skinny runner type or a big strong muscular type. The skinny dude would rather take the ramp, and the big dude would want to take the stairs, because they match each others’ strengths.