Interest in Physics Growing by Quantum Leaps and Bounds

Star Tribune ^ | November 11, 2005

[wallcrawlr]

From Superman to Ant-Man, comic book heroes can be used to explain some of physics' basic principles -- and make the learning fun. Honest.

OK, physics-phobes, here's a test.

When the Green Goblin knocks Peter Parker's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, off a towering bridge in New York City, she dies even though Spider-Man catches her in his web just before she plunges into the river. Did the fall or the webbing kill her?

As big questions in physics go, it's not quite up there with string theory and high-temperature superconductivity. But Jim Kakalios, a University of Minnesota physics professor, knows it's a lot more interesting to people whose brains freeze at the sight of E=mc².

That's why he wrote "The Physics of Superheroes," a new book that has earned him guest spots on radio and pop-star status at meetings of high school physics teachers. In the book, he uses Superman, Spider-Man and less well-known characters such as Ant-Man -- yes, there was a superhero called Ant-Man -- to explain physics principles from gravity and the laws of motion to quantum mechanics.

[wallcrawlr]

Jim Kakalios with a collection of action figures. Superhero sagas, he says, are likely to make a stronger impression on nonscience majors than dry recitations of facts and concepts.

Jim Kakalios, a University of Minnesota physics professor, wrote "The Physics of Superheroes."

[martin_fierro]

Yawn.

< |:)~

INSULTINGLY STUPID MOVIE PHYSICS

[Rca2000]

All I know is people around here do not understand, nor WANT TO UNDERSTAND, simple physics, such as "why you can't have an electric car, that recharges itself"? And things like fuel cells-- no matter how many times I try to explain them-- they STILL have no idea.....

But them Bengals... NOW-- they like to talk about them!!!

[MikeD]

OK, from left to right:

J'onn J'onz, the Martian Manhunter (the green guy)
The Flash
Galactus, holding his planet-devouring apparatus
Aquaman
Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)
Wonder Woman
Hawkman
Ant-Man (complete with flying ant)
Captain America
Iron Man (Mark II armor)
Thor
Giant Man (Henry Pym, not Bill Foster)

For the record -- Ant-Man and Giant Man are the same guy...

[SunkenCiv]

Women get a bigger buzz from cartoons
New Scientist | Nov 8th, 2005
Posted on 11/08/2005 8:02:14 AM PST by laney
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1518057/posts

[RightWingAtheist]

Are you sure it's not the Scott Lang Ant-Man? :-)

[MikeD]

Shh -- he's dead now. ;^{)