The Physics of Superheroes

by Kakalios, James

• ISBN13: 9781592401468
• ISBN10: 1592401465
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-09-29
• Publisher: Gotham

Summary

If superheroes stepped off the comic book page or silver screen and into reality, could they actually work their wonders in a world constrained by the laws of physics? How strong would Superman have to be to leap tall buildings in a single bound”? Could Storm of the X-Men possibly control the weather? And how many cheeseburgers would the Flash need to eat to be able to run at supersonic speeds?Face front, True Believer, and wonder no more! Because in The Physics of Superheroesacclaimed university professor James Kakalios shows that comic book heroes and villains get their physics right more often than you think.In this scintillating scientific survey of super powers you’ll learn what the physics of forces and motion can reveal about Superman’s strength and the true cause of the destruction of his home planet Krypton, what villains Magneto and Electro can teach us about the nature of electricity—and finally get the definitive answer about whether it was the Green Goblin or Spider-Man’s webbing that killed the Wall Crawler’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy in that fateful plunge from the George Washington Bridge!Along the way, The Physics of Superheroesexplores everything from energy, to thermodynamics, to quantum mechanics, to solid state physics, and Kakalios relates the physics in comic books to such real-world applications as automobile airbags, microwave ovens, and transistors. You’ll also see how comic books have often been ahead of science in explaining recent topics in quantum mechanics (with Kitty Pryde of the X-Men) and string theory (with the Crisis on Infinite Earths).This is the book you need to read if you ever wondered how the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four can see when she turns transparent, if the Atom could travel on an electron through a phone line, or if electromagnetic theory can explain how Professor X reads minds. Fun, provocative, and packed with more superheroes and superpowers than an Avengers-Justice League crossover, The Physics of Superheroeswill make both comic-book fans and physicists exclaim, Excelsior!” Quotes: The Physics of Superheroesis clear, rapid, funny, and endlessly informative— as if Stan Lee and George Gamow had teamed up to battle the nefarious forces of ignorance.” —Gerard Jones, author of Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book Author James Kakalios is a scientific genius who could put Lex Luthor and Dr. Doom to shame. Superman should have him on retainer. I do—because The Physics Of Superheroesis this comic-book writer's newest favorite indispensable resource.” —Mark Waid, writer of Spider-Man, Superman, and the Fantastic Four

Author Biography

James Kakalios is a professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota, where he has taught since 1988, and where his class -ôEverything I Needed to Know About Physics I Learned from Reading Comic Books-ö is a popular freshman seminar. He received his Ph.D. in 1985 from the University of Chicago, and has been reading comic books for much longer.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD	xi
PREFACE	xiii
INTRODUCTION: SECRET ORIGINS
HOW SCIENCE SAVED SUPERHERO COMIC BOOKS	1	(20)
SECTION I MECHANICS
1. UP, UP, AND AWAY
FORCES AND MOTION	21	(12)
2. DECONSTRUCTING KRYPTON
NEWTON'S LAW OF GRAVITY	33	(9)
3. THE DAY GWEN STACY DIED
IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM	42	(11)
4. CAN HE SWING FROM A THREAD?
CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION	53	(4)
5. FLASH FACTS
FRICTION, DRAG, AND SOUND	57	(12)
6. LIKE A FLASH OF LIGHTNING
SPECIAL RELATIVITY	69	(6)
7. IF THIS BE MY DENSITY
PROPERTIES OF MATTER	75	(9)
8. CAN ANT-MAN PUNCH HIS WAY OUT OF A PAPER BAG?
TORQUE AND ROTATION	84	(8)
9. IS ANT-MAN DEAF, DUMB, AND BLIND?
SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION	92	(8)
10. DOES SIZE MATTER?
THE CUBE-SQUARE LAW	100	(11)
SECTION 2 ENERGY-HEAT AND LIGHT
11. THE CENTRAL CITY DIET PLAN
CONSERVATION OF ENERGY	111	(18)
12. THE CASE OF THE MISSING WORK
THE THREE LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS	129	(17)
13. MUTANT METEOROLOGY
CONDUCTION AND CONVECTION	146	(12)
14. HOW THE MONSTROUS MENACE OF THE MYSTERIOUS MELTER MAKES DINNER PREPARATION A BREEZE
PHASE TRANSITIONS	158	(8)
15. ELECTRO'S CLANGING WAYS
ELECTROSTATICS	166	(10)
16. SUPERMAN SCHOOLS SPIDER-MAN
ELECTRICAL CURRENTS	176	(8)
17. HOW ELECTRO BECOMES MAGNETO WHEN HE RUNS
AMPERE'S LAW	184	(7)
18. HOW MAGNETO BECOMES ELECTRO WHEN HE RUNS
MAGNETISM AND FARADAY'S LAW	191	(11)
19. ELECTRO AND MAGNETO DO THE WAVE
ELECTROMAGNETISM AND LIGHT	202	(13)
SECTION 3 MODERN PHYSICS
20. JOURNEY INTO THE MICROVERSE
ATOMIC PHYSICS	215	(14)
21. NOT A DREAM! NOT A HOAX! NOT AN IMAGINARY TALE!
QUANTUM MECHANICS	229	(20)
22. THROUGH A WALL LIGHTLY
TUNNELING PHENOMENA	249	(8)
23. SOCK IT TO SHELLHEAD
SOLID-STATE PHYSICS	257	(24)
SECTION 4 WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
24. ME AM ESIZARR	R0
SUPERHERO BLOOPERS	281	(19)
AFTERWORD: LO, THERE SHALL BE AN ENDING!	300	(5)
ASK DR. K!	305	(6)
RECOMMENDED READING	311	(6)
KEY EQUATIONS	317	(6)
NOTES	323	(22)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	345	(4)
INDEX	349