SortStack #1287 — 2029-12-17

By size · Order from shortest to longest.

1. A single E. coli bacterium 2 µm

   About 2 micrometres long, E. coli divides every 20 minutes, so one cell can become billions inside a single day.

2. A common garden ant 5 mm

   Ants can lift objects many times their own weight thanks to their tiny size and the physics of scale.

3. A credit card 8.6 cm

   Every card's dimensions follow a global standard so it fits machines from Tokyo to Toronto.

4. A standard wine bottle 30 cm

   The 750ml bottle size is often linked to the lung capacity of a glassblower's single breath.

5. The Panama Canal 85 km

   Ships are lifted 26 metres above sea level by locks, then lowered again, crossing a continent without touching the ocean between.

6. The Pan-American Highway (length) 30K km

   It runs almost pole to pole but for one gap: the roadless Darien jungle between Panama and Colombia.

← All puzzles · Play today’s SortStack