Timeline for How can ants carry items much heavier than themselves?

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Dec 26, 2014 at 23:04	history	edited	Michal	CC BY-SA 3.0	added 1 character in body
Dec 22, 2014 at 10:15	comment	added	Timmmm		@ruakh It's obvious that stength is a function of cross-sectional area. I was just using the doubling thing to show that the function is linear. In this case it really is obvious. I'm pretty sure sailers from centuries ago knew if you put two ropes together they could carry twice the load because they're twice as thick (in terms of cross sectional area).
Dec 22, 2014 at 7:25	comment	added	ruakh		@Timmmm: Just imagine putting muscles next to each other (in parallel). You've clearly doubled the strength, cross-sectional area, mass, and volume. So it's pretty obvious that strength is proportional to, uh, . . . one of those. (As it happens, it is in fact true that strength is proportional to the cross-sectional area. But you should be wary of confirmation bias, of deciding that things are "obvious" because you already know them. The history of science is full of people continuing to accept falsehoods that seemed "obvious" to those who "knew" them.)
Dec 18, 2014 at 11:03	comment	added	Timmmm		Assuming the same muscle material it is pretty obvious that strength is proportional to the cross-sectional area of the muscle. Just imaging putting to muscles next to each other (in parallel). You've clearly doubled both the strength and the cross-sectional area. Good answer btw.
Dec 16, 2014 at 2:42	history	answered	Michal	CC BY-SA 3.0