How Thick Should Spider Silk Be to Hold Spiderman?

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SUMMARY

The tensile strength of C. darwini spider silk is established at 1850 MPa, which is crucial for calculating the minimum diameter of the silk fiber needed to support Spiderman's weight of 63.2 kg. The tensile stress formula, defined as Tensile Stress = F/A, where F is the force and A is the cross-sectional area, is essential for this calculation. The area of a circle is given by the formula A = πr², and the diameter can be derived from this area. It is imperative to use consistent units, specifically meters for the diameter, to ensure accurate results.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of tensile strength and tensile stress concepts
  • Familiarity with the formula for the area of a circle
  • Basic knowledge of unit conversions, particularly between pascals and megapascals
  • Ability to perform calculations involving force and mass
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the properties of spider silk, focusing on tensile strength and applications
  • Learn about unit conversions, specifically between mPa and MPa
  • Explore the physics of forces and tension in materials
  • Study the mathematical derivation of the area of a circle and its applications in real-world scenarios
USEFUL FOR

Students in physics, materials scientists, and engineers interested in the mechanical properties of biological materials, as well as anyone exploring the feasibility of using spider silk in practical applications.

mattyc33
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In the course of the above research, they discovered that this spider silk has an ultimate strength #or
tensile strength of 1850mPa (see 11.4 in University Physics). Tensile stress is a measure of the
pressure in an object when it is stretched. Tensile strength is the maximum tensile stress that the
object can endure before breaking. The equation for tensile stress is Tensile Stress=F/A

where is the applied force F and A is the cross-sectional area of the object (in this case, the circle
formed by a cross-section of a fibre).

Ok, phew, so on to the question...


If Spiderman has mass 63.2kg , what is the minimum diameter of fibre (of C. darwini spider silk) required to support his weight?

I know that the area of a circle is Pi*r^2 but when I plug everything in I always get the wrong answer. I used force as mg, which didn't work. Could anyone please help?
 
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Check your units. Your problem statement did not indicate what units it wanted the diameter of the fibre expressed in.
 
I have verified that the question is needed in meters. If anyone could help me with this I would appreciate it greatly!
 
Last edited:
Is the tensile strength of the webbing 1850 milli pascals (mPa) or 1850 mega pascals (MPa)? It makes a difference. Do you know the derived units for a pascal?
 

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