Eli5 how can insects survive a slap from humans, a creature that’s gigantic compared to them
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They are very small and light. At their size, the stuff they’re made of is strong compared to the forces it needs to withstand (like their own inertia). This means that they’re more likely to bounce off than break.
It’s sort of like comparing a wooden locket and a wooden house being hit by a wrecking ball. The wooden locket will bounce off, maybe getting a few chips as it hits the ground. The wooden house gets obliterated.
That’s because very little of the wrecking balls energy got delivered to the locker before it harmlessly bounced, it was very easy to move. Meanwhile the large house’s own inertia prevented it from just moving, while the material it was made of wasn’t strong enough to withstand the force that WOULD move it. So it caved in instead.
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