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How does Spider-Man manage to hold on to his webs?

Science Fiction & Fantasy Asked by Tiwa Aina on September 1, 2020

When Spider-Man web slings across town, the general procedure is shoot web, hold it, swing, airtime, repeat. For good grip, the end of the web line he’s holding should be well below the center of his hand. The average length of a male’s hand (measured from the tip of the middle finger to the wrist) is apparently 0.189 m, so we can reasonably assume that the distance from the web shooter nozzle on Spidey’s wrist to the middle of his hand is half of this plus a centimeter or two, or about 0.1145 m.

Furthermore, we can approximate the exit velocity of Spider-Man’s webs from the nozzle as about 24 m/s.

This means that as soon as he lets go of the webshooting trigger button (i.e. once he’s ready to hold the web he has just slung), he has less than 0.00478 sec (4.78 ms) to lift his fingers from the iconic shooting position and then grasp the web in a rope-clenching position. For comparison, it takes a minimum of 100 ms to blink (according to the Harvard Database of Useful Biological Numbers).

Given that super speed isn’t one of Spider-Man’s abilities, how does he manage to firmly grasp his quickly moving webs as he’s swinging around?

One Answer

Assuming we're happy to look at the films as evidence, it would appear that a combination of practice, supernatural spider-reflexes and a delayed cut-off of the spinneret are what allow Spider-Man to grab his web lines before they split away from the web-shooters.

In short, the line remains attached to the shooter for a split-second after it's been ejected. This is apparently long enough for Spider-Man to get a hold on it.

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Homecoming

and

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Amazing Spider-Man


As to how he maintains a grip, that's addressed in the 2007 The Amazing Spider-man: The Ultimate Guide, in short his grip is selective and can't be broken. The book notes that short of the substance he's clinging to being physically pulled apart (or his body part being literally torn off), no force can separate him from whatever he's clung onto.

SWING AND CLING

Ever wonder why Spider-Man never loses his grip when he's web-swinging around the city? The answer is simple—he uses his clinging ability. He anchors himself to the web-line in his hand, and releases it the instant he reaches for the next one. In this manner, he can safely travel high above the city streets.

Correct answer by Valorum on September 1, 2020

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