Why does a flying insect not die when you slap it in mid air ? The slap should have the same impact as being hit by a bus .

Question

Why does a flying insect not die when you slap it in mid air ? The slap should have the same impact as being hit by a bus .

In: Physics

Answer 1

Smaller, lighter animals can handle acceleration much better than larger animals. The bodies of larger animals have a large amount of inertia, which causes their tissues to get all scrambled (damaged) when the body is accelerated/decelerated.

You might be interested in this old essay by biologist J.B.S Haldane, “On Being the Right Size” https://www.phys.ufl.edu/courses/phy3221/spring10/HaldaneRightSize.pdf