How Much Work Do Ants Do?

Summary

The video script humorously compares the work ethic of a mechanical engineer at Hewlett-Packard, who worked about nine hours a day, with that of an average worker ant, which works a staggering 19 hours daily. Despite the ants' impressive ability to lift loads a hundred times their weight, their work output equates to a mere 0.85 joules per day. When scaled to human proportions, this equals carrying a 50-pound rock for 36.6 miles, a feat that would take over 12 hours without breaks. The script highlights the ants' laborious task of carrying leaves to grow fungus, which they consume, prompting viewers to reconsider their own workdays.

Takeaways

• 🕒 The speaker used to work 9 hours a day as a mechanical engineer at Hewlett-Packard, with company events to boost morale.
• 🐜 The average worker ant works 19 hours per day, which is more than twice the human workday.
• 💤 Ants take about 250 naps per day, but each nap lasts only about a minute, resulting in less than five hours of sleep per day.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Ants are capable of lifting objects that are over a hundred times their own weight.
• 🔬 Scientifically, work is defined as force times distance, and the average worker ant does 0.85 joules of work per day.
• 📏 If scaled up to human size, an ant's daily work is equivalent to carrying a 50-pound rock for 36.6 miles.
• ⏱️ This equates to a 12.2-hour workday for a human, without breaks.
• 🍄 Most of an ant's work is dedicated to gathering food, specifically carrying leaves back to the nest to grow fungus, which they eat.
• 🌿 Ants don't eat the leaves directly; instead, they use them to cultivate fungus at their nest.
• 🤔 The script suggests that, in comparison to ants, a human workday might not seem so bad after all.

Q & A

How many hours per day did the speaker work as a mechanical engineer at Hewlett-Packard?

The speaker worked about nine hours per day at the office.

What activities did the company organize to freshen the spirits of the employees?

The company organized cool parties with hovercrafts and bouncy toys.

How many hours per day does an average worker ant work?

An average worker ant works 19 hours per day.

How does the speaker compare the workday of an ant to that of a human?

The speaker compares the work of an ant lifting a hundred times its weight to a human carrying a 50-pound rock for 36.6 miles.

How much sleep does an average worker ant get per day?

An average worker ant gets less than five hours of sleep per day, taking about 250 naps each lasting about a minute.

What is the scientific definition of work mentioned in the script?

Work is defined as force times distance.

How much work does an average worker ant do per day in joules?

The average worker ant does 0.85 joules of work per day.

If scaled up to human size, how much work does the ant's daily work translate to in mega joules?

When scaled up to human size, the ant's work translates to 13.1 mega joules of work.

What is the equivalent human task of an ant carrying a 50-pound rock for 36.6 miles?

The equivalent human task is carrying a 50-pound rock for a distance of 36.6 miles at a brisk three miles per hour pace.

Why do ants carry leaves back to their nest instead of eating them directly?

Ants carry leaves back to their nest to use the pieces to grow fungus, which is their actual food source.

How much time would it take for a human to perform the equivalent work of an ant's daily task without breaks?

It would take a human 12.2 hours to perform the equivalent work of an ant's daily task without lunch, coffee, or bathroom breaks.

Outlines

00:00

🐜 Ants' Work Ethic Compared to Humans

The paragraph compares the work ethic of a mechanical engineer at Hewlett-Packard, who worked about nine hours a day with company perks, to that of an average worker ant, which works 19 hours a day and sleeps standing up with minimal rest. It humorously contrasts the human perception of a long workday to the relentless work schedule of ants. The script also explores the physical work done by ants, which can lift a hundred times their weight, and calculates the equivalent work in human terms, suggesting that an ant's daily work translates to a human carrying a 50-pound rock for 36.6 miles without breaks. The paragraph concludes by explaining the purpose of the ants' labor, which is primarily to gather leaves to cultivate fungus, their primary food source, thus putting into perspective the value of their work.

Keywords

💡Mechanical Engineer

A mechanical engineer is a professional who designs, analyzes, manufactures, and maintains mechanical systems. In the context of the video, the speaker mentions working as a mechanical engineer at Hewlett-Packard, indicating a demanding but rewarding profession. The video contrasts the work of a mechanical engineer with the work of an ant, highlighting the different scales of labor and efficiency.

💡Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard, commonly referred to as HP, is a multinational information technology company. The video script mentions the company as the workplace of the speaker, where they experienced a balance of hard work and leisure, with parties and events to refresh the spirits. This sets a backdrop for the discussion on work ethic and the comparison with the industriousness of ants.

💡Work Ethic

Work ethic refers to the attitude and values towards work, often characterized by diligence, responsibility, and perseverance. The video uses the speaker's experience and the comparison with ants to explore the concept of work ethic, suggesting that ants have an extraordinary work ethic, working nearly non-stop to sustain their colony.

💡Ant

Ants are social insects known for their remarkable work ethic and complex colony structures. The video focuses on the work habits of ants, comparing their daily activities to human work routines. Ants are depicted as working 19 hours a day, which is used to emphasize the incredible dedication and efficiency of these insects.

💡Naps

Naps are short periods of sleep taken during the day, often to refresh or recharge. The video mentions that ants take about 250 naps per day, each lasting about a minute, which translates to less than five hours of sleep. This detail underscores the high-energy lifestyle of ants and contrasts with the sleep patterns of humans.

💡Work (Physics)

In physics, work is defined as the product of the force applied to an object and the distance the object moves in the direction of the force. The video uses this scientific definition to calculate the amount of work an ant does, lifting objects many times its own weight, and compares it to the work a human might do on a larger scale.

💡Joules

A joule is a unit of energy or work in the International System of Units (SI). The video calculates the work done by an ant in joules, providing a quantitative measure of the ant's daily labor. It then scales this up to human size to give a sense of the immense energy expenditure ants undergo in their daily tasks.

💡Mega Joules

A mega joule is a unit of energy equal to one million joules. The video uses the term to describe the scaled-up work an ant does when compared to a human, suggesting that an ant's work is equivalent to a human carrying a significant load over a long distance.

💡Fungus

Fungus is a group of organisms that includes molds, yeasts, and mushrooms. In the context of the video, ants are shown to collect leaves not for direct consumption but to cultivate fungus in their nest. This fungus serves as their primary food source, illustrating the purpose behind their labor-intensive work.

💡Efficiency

Efficiency refers to the ability to do or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy. The video discusses the efficiency of ants in their work, carrying out tasks with minimal rest and sleep, which is a stark contrast to the typical workday of a human. It highlights the ants' ability to maximize their output with the energy they have.

💡Leisure

Leisure is the state of being free from work or other obligations and able to spend time doing pleasurable activities. The video contrasts the leisure activities provided by Hewlett-Packard to refresh employees with the continuous work of ants, suggesting that even in a high-work-ethic environment, leisure is necessary for maintaining well-being.

Highlights

The speaker worked as a mechanical engineer at Hewlett-Packard, working about nine hours per day.

The company organized parties with hovercrafts and bouncy toys to boost employee morale.

Some co-workers worked up to 12 or 13 hours a day, which is still less than an average worker ant's 19-hour workday.

Ants sleep standing up, taking about 250 naps per day, each lasting about a minute.

Scientifically, work is defined as force times distance.

Ants are shown lifting objects 100 times their weight on an inverted smooth surface.

Assuming half of their workday is spent carrying a 100-milligram load, an ant does 0.85 joules of work per day.

Scaling up an ant's work to human size equates to 13.1 mega joules of work, equivalent to carrying a 50-pound rock 36.6 miles.

The equivalent human workday would be 12.2 hours without breaks, illustrating the ants' remarkable work ethic.

Most of an ant's work is dedicated to gathering food, specifically carrying leaves back to the nest.

Ants do not eat leaves directly; instead, they use them to grow fungus, which is their actual food source.

The speaker suggests that in comparison to an ant's workday, a human's workday might not seem as bad.

Transcripts

on a scale of one to ten how hard would

you say you work when I was working as a

mechanical engineer at hewlett-packard I

work about nine hours per day at the

office but it wasn't really that

difficult to work

the company would even throw in cool

parties like these with hovercrafts and

bouncy toys to freshen the spirits

I knew some hardcore co-workers that

would crank their days up to like 12 or

13 hours sometimes impressive as a

13-hour engineering workday is its

ant-sized compared to the average work

day of this little dude right here

average worker ant works 19 hours per

day and when they sleep they sleep

standing up Chuck Norris doesn't even do

that when you first notice that ant

takes about 250 naps per day you might

think that he's lazy

but given that these naps lasts about a

minute long it's translates to less than

five hours of sleep per day

scientifically speaking work is defined

as force times distance so how much work

does an ant do well photographic

evidence like this shows ants lifting

easily a hundred times their weight in

this little guy is lifting hundred times

his weight 500 milligrams on an inverted

smooth surface

so assuming half of its 19 hour work

days spent carrying a load of hundred

milligrams at a speed of one inch per

second and ignoring the work needed to

move his own body weight around the

average worker ant

does 0.85 joules of work per day that

might not seem like much and it isn't

but if you scale this up to human size

proportions it translates to thirteen

point one mega joules of work that's the

equivalent of carrying a 50-pound Rock

distance of 36 point six miles even at a

brisk three miles per hour

that's a twelve point two hour workday

with no lunch coffee or bathroom breaks

so we know the ants aren't building beds

so what are they doing with all this

work most of it is to gather food you'll

notice these little guys are carrying

the leaves back to the nest

why would they go to all the trouble of

carrying it all the way back why

wouldn't they just eat it well the thing

is they don't eat the leaf directly they

use the leaf pieces back at their nest

to grow fungus and this fungus is what

they eat

so the equivalent of carrying a 50 pound

rock or 36.6 miles just eat some fungus

maybe your work days until bad after all

[Music]