What's Missing: Loss of Strength

[Mathai]

Hehe! My desire to pursue testing has overcome me! I have opened a second room to engage in testing so that we can keep this room clear for further discussion of this interesting topic. I hope to see you there!

[lbh]

On a side note, I had a thought that a person who has been shrunken a while might be a lot stronger than someone who just barely shrank. The idea is that a person having to live at that size, their day to day exersions of having to climb and walk further and the like would make them stronger. In turn someone freshly shrunken, having lost all that mass would be a comparative weakling, at least until they aclamated. Any thoughs?

[Twilight_Roxas]

If the person who is shrunk loses strength how is she able to whole part of her clothes that is a size of a circus tent to cover her body or rip pieces of the clothes to make a tiny dress?

[Mathai]

Originally Posted by lbh

On a side note, I had a thought that a person who has been shrunken a while might be a lot stronger than someone who just barely shrank. The idea is that a person having to live at that size, their day to day exersions of having to climb and walk further and the like would make them stronger. In turn someone freshly shrunken, having lost all that mass would be a comparative weakling, at least until they aclamated. Any thoughs?

That makes sense to me. Living in a more dangerous world would burn away the weakness quickly. It would be something similar to Army basic training I imagine. I've never been more fit and thin in my life than I was after those months of intense work. Or do you mean more of a super human strength as compared to other people of that reduced size?

Originally Posted by Twilight_Roxas

If the person who is shrunk loses strength how is she able to whole part of her clothes that is a size of a circus tent to cover her body or rip pieces of the clothes to make a tiny dress?

I think if there were already a hole or weakness in the fabric, the smaller person could exploit that to rip the fabric. I couldn't tear my heavy winter blanket down the middle, but if it has a hole then the strength has already been compromised.

[lbh]

[QUOTE=Mathai;846025]That makes sense to me. Living in a more dangerous world would burn away the weakness quickly. It would be something similar to Army basic training I imagine. I've never been more fit and thin in my life than I was after those months of intense work. Or do you mean more of a super human strength as compared to other people of that reduced size?


I was thinking more that someone freshly shrunken would be far weaker than someone who'd down there a while. A normal woman who has been shrunken for several weeks compared to a physcally fir hard body type, just barely shrunk might be far weaker due to the sudden loss of mass. but would also aclimatize quicker once down there awhile.

[Twilight_Roxas]

Sorry typo I meant to say hold part of her oversized clothes.

[Mathai]

Originally Posted by lbh

I was thinking more that someone freshly shrunken would be far weaker than someone who'd down there a while. A normal woman who has been shrunken for several weeks compared to a physcally fir hard body type, just barely shrunk might be far weaker due to the sudden loss of mass. but would also aclimatize quicker once down there awhile.

Ohhhh I think I get you. I don't have a good official theory for that yet, as I never considered it before. But the first thing that comes to mind that could explain such a relatively change would be the metabolism. At regular size, the human metabolism would convert at its normal rate. But by being shrunk, it is as possible as anything here that the metabolism could react to the different requirements, and the body firms up in response.

The longer you are in that state, the longer your metabolism has to refine the body. The shrunken person's heightened state of danger might also aid this using other endocrine body functions like increased flow of adrenaline or an overactive thyroid. Add to this the more mundane stuff like how when everything is heavier, you are working your body out more than ever to do everything in your suddenly smaller lifestyle. Building muscle the old fashioned way.

Originally Posted by Twilight_Roxas

Sorry typo I meant to say hold part of her oversized clothes.

Well that is definitely an entirely different matter!

The shrunken person would definitely be weaker due to less muscle mass. But that doesn't mean the shirt would become unmanageable. There is Prof_Sai's equation to show that the weight of the shirt would indeed get exponentially heavier the smaller you get, think of that like you are simply carrying more shirts at once.

As for physically holding the object, I don't think that would be nearly as easy any more. The loose and flowing shirt would eventually get so large that you could not hold enough of it in your smaller arms. You would have as much as possible in hand, with the rest still spilling out around you enough that walking is impaired. Something more rigid like a bra with wire would be easier since you have points at which you can hold on to and it would hold itself up further...I assume. Having no bras here to hold and consider, I can only go from my memory. >.<

What is more likely the case would be that you only need to lift up a very small portion of the fabric above your head to gain mobility. Its not that you need to lift the entire shirt, just the part directly over your head. In that matter, being smaller is helpful! Full size Twilight_Roxas needs to lift the entire shirt to move, tiny size Twilight_Roxas is only underneath a very small amount of the fabric, only needing to worry about that spot and the one directly in front of you in order to keep moving.

In my military days, I actually had a real world version of this when we had to erect the large command tents for field exercises. It was a literal version of your question, and to get the main supports up some of us had to dig our way underneath. Lifting the entire tent required ten people, moving under its bulk like I described above was slow and methodical but relatively easy.