Professor to describe 'uncanny physics of comic book superheroes'

University of Minnesota ^ | 15-Feb-2004 | Press release

[AdmSmith]

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL--Can you teach a physics class with only comic books to illustrate the principles? University of Minnesota physics professor James Kakalios has been doing it since 1995, when he explained the principle of conservation of momentum by calculating the force of Spider-Man's web when it snagged the superhero's girlfriend as she plummeted from a great height.

Kakalios will describe a freshman seminar class he teaches, "Physics of Comic Books," at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, during the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Seattle. His talk is part of the symposium "Pop Physics: The Interface Between Hard Science and Popular Culture," one of two symposia in the Science, Entertainment and the Media category.

"Comic books get their science right more often than one would expect," said the gregarious Kakalios. "I was able to find examples in superhero comic books of the correct descriptions of basic physical principles for a wide range of topics, including classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and even quantum physics."

Take, for example, the strength of Superman. To leap a 30-story building in a single bound, Superman's leg muscles must produce nearly 6,000 pounds of force while jumping, Kakalios calculates. The Man of Steel was that strong because he was designed to resist Krypton's powerful gravity. But for a planet with an Earth-like surface to have so much stronger gravity, it would need neutron star material in its core--a highly unstable situation. No wonder the planet exploded. Other topics considered in Kakalios' class include:

Is it possible to read minds as Prof. X of the X-Men does?

If Spider-Man's webbing is as strong as real spider silk, could it support his weight as he swings between buildings?

Can the mutant master of magnetism Magneto levitate people using the iron in their blood?

If you could run as fast as the Flash, could you run up the side of a building or across the ocean, and how often would you need to eat?

"Once the physical concepts such as forces and motion, conservation of energy, electricity and magnetisms, and elementary quantum mechanics are introduced to answer these and other questions, their real-world applications to automobile airbags, cell phones, nanotechnology and black hole formation are explained," said Kakalios. "The students in this class ranged from engineering to history majors, and while not all were comic book fans, they all found it an engaging and entertaining way to learn critical thinking and basic physics concepts."

[TheBigB]

If it's not the usual carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, etc., how does he eat? That is, where does he find a substance made of similar atoms from which to replenish himself as the rest of us do?

It's a comic book.

If he is made of the same elements as the rest of us, why is it that the atoms in his body radiate that anti-injury force field and those of mine don't?

Because it's a comic book.

Also, the atoms of his costume seem to have the same attributes his body does. My clothes wear out without taking anything like the beating that suit of his does. When he flies into a fire or whatever he never emerges naked or even with a singe on that garish outfit.

He can do so because it's a friggin' comic book. Sheesh. I love comics as much as anybody, but some people put waaaaaay too much thought into them. They're supposed to be fun.

[VadeRetro]

You have no sense of wonder. Some things can't be explained.

[Doctor Stochastic]

No, physics is fun. Physics are not fun (I'm having a procedure tomorrow.)

[TheBigB]

Hey, stop trying to scientifically explain everything in a comic book and just enjoy them. As a fan and reader for over 25 years, my sense of wonder is just fine. I bet you can't even enjoy Calvin & Hobbes because you're too busy trying to figure out how the tiger was able to talk. ;-)

[VadeRetro]

You're on a "Physics of Comic Book Superheroes" thread here.

Actually, Calvin and Hobbes is a deep psychological study inspired by Tom Tryon's The Other, in which you get maybe 2/3 through the book before you realize the "bad" twin is already dead and the "good" twin is doing everything.

[HIDEK6]

More singulars: biceps, triceps, quadriceps.

It is meaningless to speak of a torn bicep.

[Kirkwood]

I haven't looked at a comic book in over 30 years, but I do admit to watching Smallville when I get a chance, which is unfortunately on opposite Star Trek. Part of the fun of superhero comics is imagining how something could be possible in the real world, not just in fantasy. The same thing applies to the physics of Star Trek and Star Wars. It is not that we take this seriously, but it is part of the fun for some of us. If the physics is too much for you, I understand.

[TheBigB]

The physics is not a problem at all, when it is applicable; like in the above example of SM breaking Gwen Stacy's fall and how she could have been killed in the process. But geeze, when someone stats trying to figure out exactly why and how Superman is invulnerable (never mind the fact that, as other posters have pointed out, his origin and power explanations have been changed several times), it just seems to detract from what should be fun and fantasy. You might as well try and explain why Jor-El and Lara were caucasians with two legs, two arms, one head, two eyes, etc. and spoke English. Hey, if you're into it, it's no problem for me. But I think even Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster would say, "It's a comic book. Let it go."

[TheBigB]

And just for the record, I -love- comics. :-)

[Cooter]

The editor should've claimed they were Ant Mimic Spiders.

[Fedora]

> Also, the atoms of his costume seem to have the same attributes his body does. My clothes wear out without taking anything like the beating that suit of his does. When he flies into a fire or whatever he never emerges naked or even with a singe on that garish outfit.

That one's easy to explain: he's wearing custom clothing from the Reed Richards Collection Unstable Molecules(TM) line.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

fun thread ping...

[Fedora]

> The editor should've claimed they were Ant Mimic Spiders.

Cool!--never heard of those before. I guess someone's No Prize is about to be revoked :) But this raises some questions: Can Ant Man command Ant Mimic Spiders? And if Peter Parker had been bitten by a radioactive Ant Mimic Spider, would he gain the proportionate powers of an ant or a spider?

[Pyro7480]

Can anyone explain the "physics" of superheroes' "enhanced" bodies? ;-)

[Kirkwood]

Oh, great! Now you've ruined it for me! ;^)

[Fedora]

> Sheesh. I love comics as much as anybody, but some people put waaaaaay too much thought into them. They're supposed to be fun.

My two cents on this: My general philosophy for comics as well as movies is that if thinking about it too much spoils the fun, stop thinking about it. However, part of the fun can also be coming up with explanations for how super-powers are supposed to work (or alternatively, making fun of said explanations when they're silly, as they often are :) The fun does depend on a certain degree of suspension of disbelief, and a scientific or pseudo-scientific explanation can help with that. The roots of comics lay in science fiction IMO. In the case of Superman, the original explanation for his powers came from Edgar Rice Burroughs' explanation for the powers of John Carter of Mars. Burroughs based Carter's powers on the science of the 1910s, and his explanation was stetched even for the time, but not stretched so far as to seem impossible. Carter's powers, and Superman's original powers, were much more limited than Superman's later became, being based mostly on the difference in gravity between Earth and Mars/Krypton. As the Superman strip developed he acquired more and more powers, stretching the bounds of science farther and farther. After a certain point he became invicible, which made the strip boring because nobody could beat him. This gave Marvel the opening to introduce characters who, while still powerful in a way that stretched the limits of science fiction explanation, were more limited by physical law and vulnerable. IMO competition with Marvel forced DC to reign in Superman's powers and return to the original approach based on science fiction extrapolation from known laws. A turning point in this trend was the issue of "Dark Knight" where Batman was able to defeat Superman using a cyber-battlesuit. Since then Superman has become a more interesting character again, IMO. All that said, I still get a kick out of seeing the old Superman doing physically-impossible things. I think my favorite issue is when he raced Flash around the universe and the finish was so close it had to be decided by instant replay, but the refs couldn't decide which camera angle was right so it was declared a tie :) The time he boxed Muhammad Ali for the universe heavyweight title is also up there :) And then there was the Marvel-DC crossover where Superman met Spiderman. Spidey was skeptical that Superman was as tough as his reputation, so to test him he punched him in the stomach. I believe Spidey's reaction was something to the effect of, "Ouch." :)

[Fedora]

> Can anyone explain the "physics" of superheroes' "enhanced" bodies? ;-)

Yes. The explanation is that most of the artists are male :)

[Fedora]

> I haven't looked at a comic book in over 30 years, but I do admit to watching Smallville when I get a chance

"Smallville" is one of the only shows I bother watching these days--well-done show. "Birds of Prey" was also pretty good until they cancelled it because they ran out of writers. Wish they'd put some more decent superhero live-action shows on--I'm surprised Marvel hasn't done anything to capitalize on the wave of movie success they're riding. I guess maybe they're still hesitant to step back into the field after that 1970s live-action Spiderman where you could see the wires he was using to climb up the building and his worst villain was a Karate Black Belt :)

[SauronOfMordor]

Also, the atoms of his costume seem to have the same attributes his body does.

One issue explained it as his costume is made out of the blankets we was wrapped in when the ship from Krypton crashed. Ma Kent sewed it, and boy Superman helped by cutting threads with his super fingernails

[VadeRetro]

The time he boxed Muhammad Ali for the universe heavyweight title is also up there

Good as Ali was, I can't imagine how the writers gave Supe any problem in a matchup with an ordinary Earthling. If I'm at the story conference, I say, "Naah! We can't go there and it doesn't work."