 FACT: Szalinkski says that the Shrink Ray works by reducing the  empty space in matter. If this is true, then the childrens mass and  weight would be exactly the same despite the reduced size. The trash  bag Scalinkski would weigh several hundred pounds, the ant would not  have been able to hold them, and the ground would have been  compressing under the childrens feet: the small surface area of  their feet would mean that they would be exerting many tens of  thousands of pounds of force per square inch.