Listen you gotta stop publishing stuff like this or @futurebird will stop hanging with us completely
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Listen you gotta stop publishing stuff like this or @futurebird will stop hanging with us completely
As human teams get bigger, they get less efficient. But these ants have found a solution
Not only are weaver ants not plagued by a drop in teamwork efficiency, but they’re actually ‘superefficient’.
The Conversation (theconversation.com)
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F myrmepropagandist shared this topic
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Listen you gotta stop publishing stuff like this or @futurebird will stop hanging with us completely
As human teams get bigger, they get less efficient. But these ants have found a solution
Not only are weaver ants not plagued by a drop in teamwork efficiency, but they’re actually ‘superefficient’.
The Conversation (theconversation.com)
I don't object to them coming up with convenient terminology like “force ratchet”, but I think it seems to be easier to explain and less general than they suggest:
In the other examples they give, each "puller" has their feet firmly on the ground and is limited only by the lesser of their strength or their traction. But with the ants, the few ants "on the ground" have very limited "traction," on a flat leaf or paper, even further limited by the pulling force *up*.
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I don't object to them coming up with convenient terminology like “force ratchet”, but I think it seems to be easier to explain and less general than they suggest:
In the other examples they give, each "puller" has their feet firmly on the ground and is limited only by the lesser of their strength or their traction. But with the ants, the few ants "on the ground" have very limited "traction," on a flat leaf or paper, even further limited by the pulling force *up*.
With the robot dogs pulling the truck, they get force equal to (the lesser of strength or traction) times the number of robot dogs.
With humans, it's less with more people, … for "reasons." Maybe motivation? If so, then "Tug-of-War" contents with humans are even more interesting, as a somewhat less strong but more motivated team could win. Wouldn't that be "interesting," from the perspective of "interesting competitions" to watch or participate in?
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With the robot dogs pulling the truck, they get force equal to (the lesser of strength or traction) times the number of robot dogs.
With humans, it's less with more people, … for "reasons." Maybe motivation? If so, then "Tug-of-War" contents with humans are even more interesting, as a somewhat less strong but more motivated team could win. Wouldn't that be "interesting," from the perspective of "interesting competitions" to watch or participate in?
But the model for the ants is and should be an entirely different one: They are probably primarily limited by the *traction* of the few ants on "the ground" (the flat part of the leaf or paper). "Feet on the ground" being pulled *UP* by the folded leaf is probably a much more limiting factor than how hard the ants can pull.
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But the model for the ants is and should be an entirely different one: They are probably primarily limited by the *traction* of the few ants on "the ground" (the flat part of the leaf or paper). "Feet on the ground" being pulled *UP* by the folded leaf is probably a much more limiting factor than how hard the ants can pull.
In practice what I've seen ants do isn't exactly coordinating.
Often one ant is doing most of the work. The rest are trying but they aren't in a position to do anything.
A lot of flailing and struggling.
If people moved a couch like ants some would be *on* the couch pulling up, some would be trying to hold it but not touching it, but one or two would move it with incredible force for a few seconds before another takes over.
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In practice what I've seen ants do isn't exactly coordinating.
Often one ant is doing most of the work. The rest are trying but they aren't in a position to do anything.
A lot of flailing and struggling.
If people moved a couch like ants some would be *on* the couch pulling up, some would be trying to hold it but not touching it, but one or two would move it with incredible force for a few seconds before another takes over.
This is why ants are intensely fun to watch. They solve problems in the most unexpected ways. Some of it is chance combined with their willingness to instantly use chance to their advantage.
I can say with some confidence that there is NO planning.
It's like watching someone solve a puzzle by dumping the pieces out of the box over and over and mashing any pieces that fit together. And yet the image still emerges.
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In practice what I've seen ants do isn't exactly coordinating.
Often one ant is doing most of the work. The rest are trying but they aren't in a position to do anything.
A lot of flailing and struggling.
If people moved a couch like ants some would be *on* the couch pulling up, some would be trying to hold it but not touching it, but one or two would move it with incredible force for a few seconds before another takes over.
@futurebird @JeffGrigg @VoiceofDuum that’s cute. everyone gets to feel like they are contributing even if they aren’t really being all that effective.
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@futurebird @JeffGrigg @VoiceofDuum that’s cute. everyone gets to feel like they are contributing even if they aren’t really being all that effective.
@bri_seven @JeffGrigg @VoiceofDuum
I suspect this is pretty important for ant moral.
They will fight over who gets to carry things if there isn't enough to do.
