Experiment where an ant walks around a ball suspended in space

[Humberto]

Suppose we have a polystyrene ball measuring about 10 cm in diameter with a small rare earth magnet in its center, and we levitate this ball in mid-air using an electromagnetic field. There is an ant on the surface of the ball.

• Would the ant walk around the surface of the ball indefinitely until it dies of exhaustion?
• If there is more than one ant on the surface of the ball, would the ants cannibalise each other?

Also:

• Would an experiment like this be viewed as cruel?
• Where can one buy rare earth magnets?

[abzo]

Man, I love you!

[STS]

You must put other insects on it so it has food, plus gravity may still affect anythign that walks on th ebottom of the ball so they run the risk of falling off.

Allow the ants to burrow into the ball too then you have an awesome christmas present

[werny]

I'm gonna try that!

[Elimentals]

Naa its not really cruel kids been doing experiments for ages with ant farms. In fact I wish I had one of these when I was a kid.



Thats how most biologists start

[DrYes]

/touches finger tips together and raises hand

Humberto mya frienda
Whata are you tinking.

[zahpat]

You must put other insects on it so it has food, plus gravity may still affect anythign that walks on th ebottom of the ball so they run the risk of falling off.

Allow the ants to burrow into the ball too then you have an awesome christmas present

you dont have to put other insects for them to eat, Ants eat anything.

[BigAl-sa]

you dont have to put other insects for them to eat, Ants eat anything.

Not true. Some ants are solely meat eaters.

[porn$tar]

Not true. Some ants are solely meat eaters.

The tree-hugging, fungus-growing, tie-died, drum-playing ants would disagree with you.

[Fudzy]

[*]Where can one buy rare earth magnets?[/LIST]

Buckyballs or NeoCubes. Buckyballs have just released these extra large ones.

[Swa]

Would the ant walk around the surface of the ball indefinitely until it dies of exhaustion?

If it can hang on but even ants "slip" and fall sometimes.

If there is more than one ant on the surface of the ball, would the ants cannibalise each other?

Haven't heard of ant cannibalism before but ants tend to take what they can get so after one dies the others will start eating it. Then again as soon as one dies it will likely fall off.

Would an experiment like this be viewed as cruel?

By the tree huggers yes possibly. As long as you don't film it would be ok though. Otherwise you'll have to use non-living stand-ins for the ants.

Where can one buy rare earth magnets?

Hard drives? The biggest problem is actually that magnets turn around so as to attract each other so I don't know if the experiment is possible.

[koeksGHT]

Would they not get tired as there is still gravity pulling them toward the floor? They would either sit on the top, or fall off?

Unless they in space?