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Name: Lindsey
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Question:
I need to know the stregth of a spider's thread for a science project but I can't find it anywhere.


Replies:
A major problem with this kind of question is that there are many different spiders and their silk can be quite different from one species to another. That may be one reason I couldn't find any specific numbers, the books I checked say "as strong as a steel thread of the same size," or "twice as strong as a steel thread of the same size," I don't know if that is going to be much help for a science project. The other thing that makes spider silk unique is that while it is super strong it can also stretch, some species as much as double length before breaking.

J. Elliott


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