SortStack #193 — 2026-12-19
By duration · Order from shortest to longest.
- A mantis shrimp throwing its famous punch 3 ms
The strike accelerates like a bullet and creates collapsing cavitation bubbles that briefly flash with light and heat — prey gets hit twice by one punch.
- One full revolution of a helicopter's main rotor 150 ms
Main rotors spin at only a few hundred rpm, but the blade tips travel so fast they approach the speed of sound — the source of that thudding chop.
- A Formula 1 pit stop to change all four tyres 2 sec
McLaren set the world record at 1.80 seconds in Qatar 2023 — around twenty mechanics working in a window shorter than a heartbeat-and-a-half.
- A qualifying rodeo bull ride 8 sec
Riders must stay on with one hand for the full count to score at all — touching the bull or themselves with the free hand means instant disqualification.
- Cooking a perfect soft-boiled egg 4.5 min
At high altitude it takes noticeably longer — water boils below 100°C up a mountain, which is why mountaineers complain about their eggs.
- The construction of the Empire State Building 1.1 years
Crews added roughly four and a half storeys per week, finishing ahead of schedule and under budget during the Great Depression.