Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-25396609-20160125214134/@comment-25936766-20160921145123

Sentry 616 wrote: SomeoneYouUsedToKnow wrote: I doubt that. Precisely because they are huge. My reason: Square/Cube Law. ?

When an object undergoes a proportional increase in size, its new volume is proportional to the cube of the multiplier and its new surface area is proportional to the square of the multiplier.

For example, if you double the size (measured by edge length) of a cube, its surface area is quadrupled, and its volume is increased to eight times its original volume.

Strength is a matter of area, while weight depends on volume. Because Force=Mass x Acceleration, if you double a creature's size but keep the shape the same, it will only be half as agile, and while it will have 4 times the muscle power, it will also need to use it to support 8 times the weight, and because they are much slower now, it will lack acceleration, meaning less power.

It also works the other way: If you make a creature half their size but with the same shape, it will have around twice their original strength and agility. This is why ants can carry thousands of times their own weight, and why most insects can survive falls from great heights, yet much bigger animals can't.

Of course, heat production is proportional to Volume, while heat loss is proportional to exposed surface. A shrinked human would produce less body heat than they lose every second.

So basically: Make something bigger, and it will be less agile, and less strong because their lower agility = less acceleration = Less force.