Episode 8: Bug Special
The Big Stick: Can a bug glue-trap trap a human runner? #
If you had a human-scaled bug trap, would you be able to run across it?
First up, Adam and the MBJr's demonstrate the properties of the sticky stuff in question, without hurting any innocent bugs (or Adams!) Next, the MBJr's split into teams and learn about adhesive and cohesive forces and how glues work. They come up with the strongest, safest formula they can, set up their human-scaled bug trap, and take a run at it!
Is spider silk really as strong as steel? #
While a spider is not technically a “bug”, they’re definitely cousins. Bugs and spiders are both in the arthropod family and that’s good enough for us — these eight-legged silk spinners are just too cool to ignore.
It’s been said that the silk of the golden orb spider is twice as strong as Kevlar and five times as strong as steel. Is this really true? The MBJr's set out to stage multiple, precision one-to-one tensile strength tests to see how this miracle silk really stands up to the strongest materials humans have to offer.
A“maze”ing Ants: An ant won't walk across a line of chalk. True or False? #
It’s a classic household remedy: you can stop ants from traipsing into unwanted areas by drawing a line of chalk across their path. Does this really work? Consultation with an entomologist quickly leads to the procurement of a few ant colonies housing the best species of ants available for this test.
The MBJr's study the ant's normal activity up close and personal with macro photography. Small-scale tests are conducted with condensed sugar water set at a distance from the ants to observe how they locate the sweet food source. Once the route to the sugary treat is established, the MBJr’s draw a line of chalk in the ant's path and chart the results!
Try it out! 🐜🐜 Draw lines of chalk to keep the ants at bay and away from your burgers!
MythBusters Jr. | All Episodes
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