A

BUGS

LIFE

It is interesting to imagine certain feats performed by humans in the same

ratio as insects. For example, the ratio of the weight an ant can lift to the
ants body weight is 50:1. Using the ratio for humans, imagine a person
lifting a weight that is 50 times his or her body weight.
1. Assuming for a person, as for an ant, the ratio of the weight lifted to
body weight is 50:1, how much could a 120-pound person lift? How
many tons is this?

2. Suppose a person was able to lift 4 tons. If the ratio of the number of
pounds they could lift was the same as that for an ant, than what is
their body weight? Keep in mind that you need to figure out how
many pounds they were able to lift.

3. The ratio of the weight of a load (on wheels) that a bee can pull to
the bees body weight is 300:1.
a. If a person could pull a load in this same ratio, how many
pounds could a 200-pound person pull?
b. How many tons is this?
c. How many pounds could you pull at this ratio?

4. The ratio of a grasshoppers length to the distance it can jump is

about 1:20. How far could you jump given a 1:20 ratio? It might help
to think of your height in terms of inches.

5. The ratio of a fleas body length to the distance it can jump is about
1:200. How far could you jump given a 1:200 ratio? Once again
think in terms of inches.

6. The ratio of a champion athletes height to the distance they can

broad jump is 2:9.
a. Using this ratio, how far could a 1-inch cricket jump?
b. If a person was able to broad jump 279 inches, than what is
their height in feet and inches?