Are Spider Webs Actually Stronger Than Steel? | Experiment 

So cool man! My daughter, who's in first grade, brought a book home from school about spiders. It said spider silk was stronger than steel and she didn't believe it. So I looked it up and found this video. I think she gets it now 😛 Nice demonstration!

I think my great grand kids will love this . I shared this on Facebook. Thanks

This is a very BASIC demonstration of strength comparison, and in that sense it is good. That being said, and as stated numerous times in other comments, there were a bunch of errors causing flawed results. The most obvious is the fact that the weight placed on the web was spread over the distance of 12 pipe cleaners which are probably close to 1/8" diameter (give or take), whereas the bucket was located on a section of the wire approximately 3/16" wide. It's common knowledge that the pounds per square inch applied to the wire was greater than that applied to the web. Secondly, as you were outside the wind resistance applied to the cross section of the pipe cleaners amplified the amount of force being applied to the web, I say force because at this point its more than just the weight of the pipe cleaners pulling on the web. Now some might say that the factor of you dropping the weights in the bucket is the same as the factor of the wind but that won't be accurate. Thirdly, the fact that we can't determine from the video (accurately) if the web broke or just disconnected from the branch/leaf. There are a few more things that were not taken in to account in the experiment, that others mentioned besides these. However, I have seen other experiments done regarding the strength comparison of steel to spider web using the breaking point LENGTH wise of the two. End result? spider webs are stronger then steel. So, as I stated, thanks for a great albeit basic demonstration that is something any kid in school could use to grasp the understanding of just how strong spider webs can be. I'm just thank full that we don't have Godzilla sized spiders....

Awesome video! I’m happy to see people like you going out and performing hard science for viewers, without the need to add superfluous graphics or distracting jokes. The production quality isn’t the best, but the information quality more than makes up for this. I hope you’re still making videos and I look forward to seeing what else you’ve produced. Thank you!

There's a huge amount of error and uncertainty in your experiment. Not least of which is the way you're dropping weights into the bucket hanging from the steel. This isn't a dead load that is applying even stresses on the steel wire, it's a dynamic load that is putting far greater tensile stress on the material than the masses of the weights themselves because you are accelerating them by dropping them from nonzero heights. Also, "steel" is an open-ended term--there are many different varieties of steel. Structural steel members are graded in ranges of 36 to 65 ksi but some braided tension cables can withstand over 200 ksi of stress. There is also the confusion between strength based on weight and strength based on volume.

WOW! That is amazing! l can't believe that a spiderweb is that strong! Great calculations going on there, simply amazing! Great job, keep em coming!

Your experiment was flawed, the spider web didnt break it slipped off the leaf.

If u could make a spider web big enough it would catch a jet in flight

Working with this low amount of weight, the air pushing down on the pipe is such a great factor here and will give u bad results most likely

Amazing experiment! Always wondered about this.

This is a great video. I like it.

Bro it was just a normal spider web imagine the spiders in the jungle with more strength !

the problem in this experiment is in distributing the load on the spider thread. while it was point load in the case of steel. no doubt the spider thread is stronger but the experiment is not fair .

When comparing spiderweb to steel doesn't the elasticity play a huge role?

could it be possible that the spider web could be even stronger? we dont know where the spider web broke or pulled off the branch where its attached? cool video!

Hmm check darwin bark spider's web... It can make bridge for 25 meters long

Steel wire should be to scale being much longer. Also many variables apply here. You can see the steel doesnt ha e much flex while the web has lots of bounce and flex. The web having thos flexabilty aloowes it to have more flex at the holding points.

Good work, i feel like zero error

So in a nutshell spider webs as a molecule is a good bit stronger than steel but due to how thin the thread is it can show these properties off.

Meanwhile in the spider's world 🕷️🗺️ : *WTF these black oldman sticks are doing in my home* 🕸️

Spider web: Total material problems... Technology problems solver.

Compared to spiders, yes.

Have you took the angle between wire parts into account?

I'm surprised the bucket didn't break before the wire.

good experiment

You must try the golden silk orb weaver, its more stronger than any web

How do u know that spider web have exactly 5 micron diameter?

I think that calculation is wrong because you didn't consider the tilting angle of the tension in the spider thread The weight force is equivalent to the net of the two tension tilted forces at the spider thread

So Superman should be called Man of Spiderweb.

You had a bucket, why not use water as a weight? Dropping the weights in the bucket causes a higher instantaneous load. And what steel alloy did you use? I think something like piano wire would be an interesting comparison.

Wouldn't the bucket being in on part of the wire (rather than across it like the pipe cleaner hooks) mess up this experiment?

If the web was vertical and not horisontal I guess it could handle more weight?

So what you're saying is that those 12 little floaty thingies are equal to 35 pounds?! Imagine that strand of spider silk is the same thickness as that steel string, that strand still cannot hold 35 frigging pounds!

Cool.Never believed that,Do now!

there are flaws in your experiment. you have variables you did not control. for instance you didn't consider the tomatoes branches movement.

great.. i am going to do this in my classroom

GRATE demo experiment , spider webs are a super thugh fabric material used for rock climbing ropes . they are NOT stronger then steel though , (not in EVERY way ) but rather more FLEXIBLE , for example if you take a sharp axe and chop 2 wires of 0.6 mm placed on a lathe , the one made of spider web silk it will brake first , or if you run both of them on the edgg of a shap knife = same resault spider web is only superior in tensile stranghth (pulling and streaching) , but not impact and sharp friction it is a grate material simular to carbon fiber , it will be used more as a technology even at 2070

Now forge a sword from spider web silk

you made some errors in you're calculations because you not only didnt (could't) observe where or even if the web broke or just pulled off where it was attached but you didnt count for the surface area on the string of web and the string f steel that you covered in each test. for the web the covered surface area was wide giving the web more of a chance to balance that weight while on the steel all the weight was in one singular spot causing more tension than dispersed weight would

Hmmm... but what if you burn it? Now see what's stronger.

awesome

this guy seams like the most simple minded guy can get simple minded

the bucket hold all the weight from the steel. why didn't you put a candy cane shaped metals rather than using a bucket? For me it's kinda unfair x)

From what I heard from some chemists and metallurgist, spider webs are actually very darn strong in fact there have have been comparisons with thicker spider webs with the same strength as high-quality kevlar, the very same material used largely to make bulletproof vests and body armor. Researcher have also still been unable to completely decipher on how spiders are able to produce such strong webs that can effortlessly hold insects or objects, which are more than twice it's weight till this day.

According what he did ...shouldn't the tensile strength of spider web be 8.61 MPa ? And what is up with that 2 multiplied with Pi in denominator while calculating tensile strength of the spider web ? Every calculation is flawed.

Can you cut a mirror with lazer light

Spider webs are stronger than the titanic?!?!

it depends on what type of spider it is...

that was exciting to watch, I thought steel would be stronger,and a stronger spider web was just an urban mith

oh snap

You should use hooks, man.

Spider web is strong than steel huh? You know what that means? Spiderman is stronger than Superman, a.k.a. The Man of Steel!

Try hitting them both with bare hands and you will see that steel is stronger

Good try but it is a bad example using wild spider webs. U dnt know how long its been there and u dnt know how well in contact is the support ends of the webs

spider silk

I need that web

I say bs wind factor better test would be indoors

You proved gravity strength.

news flash can a spider wed stop bullet

A darwin bark spiders web is 10x stronger than kevlar

Compared by weight the silk is stronger

Then y can't u use a spider web in parachute....

"dont want to get hit the wire". Looks like you dont understand physics after all. If well anchored it is clearly going to break in half and the lenght is obviously not enough to reach you + there is no reason whatsoever that the wire should fly upwards.

I think it is faulty because you didn't take the length of the spider web in your calculation.

Lame experiment but interesting!! Next time, check if spider web broke or slipped off the tree branch Don’t be scared of placing the weights in the bucket.. don’t drop the weights, the impact weight cause the steel wire to sag and ultimately breaks

Darwin bark spider web is the second strongest organic material in the world

It didn't break it just unstuck

shabby

I broke a spider web w/ my hands does that mean im John Cena (0o0)

why is this being recommended in 2021?

so i can be spiderman

I still don't get this theory. How is a spider Web consisted strong when you can literally break it with one finger. Hanging pipe cleaners on it doesn't prove its strength,or does it ...I'm so confused on the mathematics. I failed maths yeah but this is just so hard to grasp.

Don't you have to use the same density of spider web as steel to make this experiment viable? Like a single strand of spiderweb obviously won't be as strong as a 5 lb hunk of steel lol. Try 5 lbs of web maybe? Idk

So that means Spiderman is stronger than Iron Man??? 😱

Sure spider webs are stronger if you cut something into very very small pieces nothing against the vid but it’s annoying when somebody says spider webs are stronger than steel , sure it’s stronger than steel wire but I don’t see any buildings made out of spider web

👍🏾💯

Please please please use international system ... What is a lbs D:

12 of Those little candy cane things count NOT have weigh 63 pounds...... Bs

Find out the mathematical secret

So Spiderman’s real?

Amazing, can't believe it held so many pipe cleaners 😲 By the way, that tomato in the background looks a bit like a penis 😝

Insta sub.

Just give me an answer

Answer Yes

I See His Face I Hear His Voice I Exit The Video

It saved a prophet's life .

?

Who's here because of his new video?

Piss poor test

Wow, this is the most flawed experiment ive seen on your channel. Still interesting tho

Once again, nature proves Human engineering to be pathetic

Anyone here because of discovery science?

steel is stronger