Ant Off A Balcony - Science, Math and Philosophy Forum

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Ant Off A Balcony

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06-16-2011 , 02:25 PM

sneeringco

grinder

Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 585

So our CTO just threw an ant off our 8th floor balcony. Will it survive?

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06-16-2011 , 02:26 PM

wisski

mister fancy lad exceeded expectations achievement boy

Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1,479

Quote:

Originally Posted by sneeringco

So our CTO just threw an ant off our 8th floor balcony. Will it survive?

pictarding ban.

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06-16-2011 , 02:37 PM

Emergency Pepsi

adept

Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 753

obviously it will, ants have 9 lives.

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06-16-2011 , 02:39 PM

allinontheturn

'Merican Dullard

Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 22,649

I can't decide if this belongs in Science, Math and Philosophy or Religion, God and Theology ... I guess Biology + Physics = Science and Math.

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06-16-2011 , 02:43 PM

tcc1

veteran

Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 3,003

how about just delete this thread? We have plenty of other stupid ones already

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06-16-2011 , 02:46 PM

ak47

Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 4,380

One time i saw a spider fall in a deep fat fryer, It fizzled and kind of popped! It never survived

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06-16-2011 , 03:03 PM

Emergency Pepsi

adept

Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 753

Quote:

Originally Posted by akyle47

One time i saw a spider fall in a deep fat fryer, It fizzled and kind of popped! It never survived

cool story brah

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06-16-2011 , 03:40 PM

allinontheturn

'Merican Dullard

Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 22,649

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcc1

how about just delete this thread? We have plenty of other stupid ones already

I think that because the mass of the ant is so small that it will reach terminal velocity very quickly. So dropping it from 8 stories would really be no different than dropping it from standing height, which I'm fairly sure the ant would survive.

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06-16-2011 , 04:11 PM

wisski

mister fancy lad exceeded expectations achievement boy

Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1,479

Quote:

Originally Posted by allinontheturn

this is the obvious answer, but what if a Pelican happens to fly by and snatch the ant from midair, just negating the sudden impact at the bottom death. But still killing the ant?!

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06-16-2011 , 08:10 PM

#10

Ryanb9

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 7,459

I think it will live. People saying ban / close ... wtf? Biology, Physics, Zoology, ... ?

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06-16-2011 , 08:18 PM

#11

tcc1

veteran

Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 3,003

I assumed this was a bs thread. If it's a serious question, then I apologize

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06-16-2011 , 08:23 PM

#12

vaNq

veteran

Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2,303

i think it survives, though i'm not super confident. actually kinda intrigued tbh

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06-16-2011 , 08:27 PM

#13

PingClown

adept

Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 1,002

1. ratio of mass:cross sectional friction in an ant >> cat
2. cats survive an 8 story fall
3. QED

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06-16-2011 , 08:27 PM

#14

KUJustin

veteran

Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 3,346

Quote:

Originally Posted by vaNq

i think it survives, though i'm not super confident. actually kinda intrigued tbh

+1 to ALL these things.

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06-16-2011 , 08:30 PM

#15

Philo

old hand

Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1,385

Quote:

Originally Posted by wisski

this is the obvious answer, but what if a Pelican happens to fly by and snatch the ant from midair, just negating the sudden impact at the bottom death. But still killing the ant?!

Then it survives the fall, but not the pelican.

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06-16-2011 , 08:30 PM

#16

BrianTheMick

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3,928

It will survive the fall.

The question is, is it now doomed to never find its colony again? Will it die alone?

Further research is clearly indicated.

(And I am pretty sure this thread fits into the silly thread category)

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06-16-2011 , 09:46 PM

#17

allinontheturn

'Merican Dullard

Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 22,649

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcc1

I assumed this was a bs thread. If it's a serious question, then I apologize

Oh, it definitely was a bs thread. But I still thought it was kind of interesting. Today there was an ant crawling along my counter, I picked him up and tested my hypothesis by dropping him from ~7 feet. He survived, but there's really no way of knowing if that was enough to get him to terminal velocity.

Then I squashed him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianTheMick

The question is, is it now doomed to never find its colony again? Will it die alone?

Further research is clearly indicated.

I don't think it is very likely at all to find the colony again unless it randomly happens across a pheromone trail that ants use to mark the path from their nest to known sources of food.

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06-16-2011 , 10:00 PM

#18

ganstaman

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 10,851

So is there an at least fuzzy line for the size of animals that can survice an 8-story fall?

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06-16-2011 , 10:14 PM

#19

PingClown

adept

Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 1,002

It's really about drag:weight ratio, size is mostly irrelevant except that it correlates with that. There are conditions under which a hairy man would survive a fall that would kill a smooth skinned man.

Second order effects are resistance to shock.

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06-16-2011 , 10:15 PM

#20

surftheiop

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 5,162

Quote:

Originally Posted by ganstaman

So is there an at least fuzzy line for the size of animals that can survice an 8-story fall?

Can a human? (I'm genuinely curious, I figure we could survive three stories easily so long as you don't go headfirst, but not sure past that)

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06-16-2011 , 10:17 PM

#21

vaNq

veteran

Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2,303

Quote:

Originally Posted by surftheiop

Can a human? (I'm genuinely curious, I figure we could survive three stories easily so long as you don't go headfirst, but not sure past that)

thats some spiderman **** there

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06-16-2011 , 10:31 PM

#22

PingClown

adept

Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 1,002

Yeah, people can survive 50 meters, but not very often. It's really down to the pattern of breakages - if all the energy goes into pulverizing your legs you might survive.

There are verified stories of pilots in WWII baling out of planes without parachutes at thousands of feet, reaching terminal velocity, and surviving. All the cases I've read the falls were broken by something - snow on a hillside, trees + snow, a glass roof, and a barn, crashing through the roof and landing on hay. You can probably find them on Wikipedia.

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06-16-2011 , 10:36 PM

#23

ganstaman

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 10,851

Quote:

Originally Posted by PingClown

I was basically trying to take that into account already:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ganstaman

So is there an at least fuzzy line for the size of animals that can survice an 8-story fall?

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06-16-2011 , 11:26 PM

#24

madnak

Cooler than Sammy Hagar

Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 19,742

Ants like to build things up, while cats tend to break things down. Ants tend to be rather negative, though.

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06-16-2011 , 11:34 PM

#25

ganstaman

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 10,851

Quote:

Originally Posted by madnak

Ants like to build things up, while cats tend to break things down. Ants tend to be rather negative, though.

Thanks, would have been useful to me 12 years ago.

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