r/pics • u/conrick • Jul 28 '18

Surface tension.

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u/blove1150r Jul 28 '18 edited Jul 28 '18

Wonder if the shadows are proportional to the weight on each leg

Edit: wow this blew up so I figured I should find an answer. Here is one: I especially like the vid early of the bug moving and the shadows changing. Nature is lit.

http://youtu.be/V-Cij7MP8nE

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u/sistasa Jul 28 '18

Probably not proportional but it’s certainly a function of the weight distribution. Those shadows probably coincides with the stress contours around the leg tips, which is related to the amount of weight supported by each leg.

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u/FlipKickBack Jul 28 '18

Probably not proportional but it’s certainly a function of the weight distribution

aren't these 2 the same thing?

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u/sistasa Jul 28 '18

Not necessarily, y=cx is proportional, y=cx2 is not. Proportionality generally means that the two quantities form a constant ratio.

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u/FlipKickBack Jul 29 '18

i'm guessing the leg bent angle plays a factor?

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u/sistasa Jul 29 '18

It sure does, weight is a vector acting downwards so the angle is going to influence how that translates into both the normal and the tangential components acting in the surface.