N.J. Experiment Tackles Rapunzel ‘Hair Climbing’ Myth

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Can you really climb a strand of human hair like in the fable of Rapunzel? The answer is a resounding “yes,” according to a science experiment that played out at Liberty State Park in Jersey City last weekend.

In connection with the Liberty Science Center’s feature exhibit, “MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition,” a stuntman climbed a simulated version of “Rapunzel’s hair” alongside a 40-foot castle in the heart of Liberty State Park last Saturday in an effort to test the validity of the tall tale.

According to a Liberty Science Center representative, the experiment turned out great. And yes, it turned out that you can indeed climb a length of human hair, as evidenced by the stuntman’s successful climb on April 8.

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Here’s how the LSC described the experiment:

“Could Rapunzel’s hair really have been strong enough for Prince Charming to climb it? In our experiment, Rapunzel’s ‘hair’ is 70-feet long, weighs 20 pounds and is made of 2,100 thin strands of aluminum.”

“First we researched the story of Rapunzel and discovered that it never clearly states how long her hair was. However, we were able to identify that the tower she was trapped in was 70-feet-tall.

“Then we set out to determine how much her hair would weigh. We measure and weighed the hair of several team members, and based on averages and ratios, we determined that Rapunzel’s hair would weigh 20 pounds.

“Since we couldn’t get 70-foot strands of human hair, we had to use a material that has a similar strength-to-weight ratio as human hair: aluminum.

“Finally, the team spent roughly 10 hours unspooling 20 pounds of aluminum into a 70-foot ponytail and fastened it to a column in our atrium so our stuntman could attempt the climb.”

Take a look at some photos from the experiment below.

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Photos: Liberty Science Center, used with permission