How Much Work Do Ants Do?
Summary
TLDRThe 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
- ๐ The speaker used to work 9 hours a day as a mechanical engineer at Hewlett-Packard, with company events to boost morale.
- ๐ The average worker ant works 19 hours per day, which is more than twice the human workday.
- ๐ค 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.
- ๐๏ธโโ๏ธ Ants are capable of lifting objects that are over a hundred times their own weight.
- ๐ฌ Scientifically, work is defined as force times distance, and the average worker ant does 0.85 joules of work per day.
- ๐ If scaled up to human size, an ant's daily work is equivalent to carrying a 50-pound rock for 36.6 miles.
- โฑ๏ธ This equates to a 12.2-hour workday for a human, without breaks.
- ๐ Most of an ant's work is dedicated to gathering food, specifically carrying leaves back to the nest to grow fungus, which they eat.
- ๐ฟ Ants don't eat the leaves directly; instead, they use them to cultivate fungus at their nest.
- ๐ค 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
๐ 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กMechanical Engineer
๐กHewlett-Packard
๐กWork Ethic
๐กAnt
๐กNaps
๐กWork (Physics)
๐กJoules
๐กMega Joules
๐กFungus
๐กEfficiency
๐กLeisure
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]
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