The Physics of Superheroes
The Physics of Superheroes
by James Kakalios (Author)
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Book Description :The Physics of Superheroesapplies the reality of physics to the fantasy of comic books. James Kakalios explores the scientific plausibility of the powers and feats of the most famous superheroesand discovers that in many cases the comic writers got their science surprisingly right. Along the way he provides an engaging and witty commentary while introducing the lay reader to both classic and cutting-edge concepts in physics, including:
What Supermans strength can tell us about the Newtonian physics of force, mass, and acceleration
How Icemans and Storms powers illustrate the principles of thermal dynamics
The physics behind the death of Spider-Mans girlfriend Gwen Stacy
Why physics professors gone bad are the most dangerous evil geniuses!
BACKCOVER: Praise for The Physics of Superheroes.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. This terrific book demonstrates a number of important points. First, a subject that everyone “knows” is difficult and boring can, in the hands of a master teacher, be both exciting and fun. Second, it’s a myth that only people particularly adept at mathematics can understand and enjoy physics. Third, superhero comic books have socially redeeming qualities. By combining his love for physics with his love of comic books, University of Minnesota physicist Kakalios has written a book for the general reader covering all of the basic points in a first-level college physics course and is difficult to put down. Among many other things, Kakalios uses the basic laws of physics to “prove” that gravity must have been 15 times greater on Krypton than on Earth; that Spiderman’s girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, died because his webbing stopped her too abruptly after she plunged from the George Washington Bridge; and that when the Flash runs, he’s surrounded by a pocket of air that enables him to breathe. Kakalios draws on the Atom, Iron Man, X-Men, the Ant-Man and the Hulk, among many others, to cover topics as diverse as electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, string theory and thermodynamics. That all of this is accomplished with enough humor to make you laugh aloud is an added bonus. B&w illus.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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“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 Superheroes acclaimed 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 Superheroes explores 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 Superheroes will make both comic-book fans and physicists exclaim, “”Excelsior!”"”
From the Back Cover
Praise for The Physics of Superheroes
“Surprisingly enough, according to Kakalios, comic books get their physics right more often than you’d think.”
—The Boston Globe
“Writing with tongue firmly planted in cheek, Kakalios looks at classic comics with a physicist’s eye. . . . Outstanding.”
—The Orlando Sentinel
“Kakalios, a University of Minnesota physicist and unrepentant comics nerd, offers up jovial, largely equation-free deconstructions of Ant-Man’s shrinking ability, the centripetal acceleration of Spider-Man’s swing, and the strength of his silk web.”
—Discover
“Wildly entertaining, yet scientifically accurate… Comprises a fairly solid introductory education in physics, sweetened with a history lesson in classic comic book superheroes.”
—Metro
“Offers a droll but sincere look at what Superman and Spider-Man can teach about physics. . . . Entertaining. . . . His explanations are lucid and smooth.”
—Science magazine
Customer Reviews
Entertainment and Physics; not an oxymoron
James Kakalios teaches a course on the Physics of Superheroes, so I would expect that he would write with clarity and humor. And this is exactly what Kakalios delivers. Not only does he explain physics, he also delves into the relevant history of the comic books. He even reproduces those parts of the comic strips that he talks about so that his discussion is always in context. When the physics gets tough, Kakalios will take a few extra pages and explain things in more detail (for example, transistors). But since physics is difficulty, even with the extra explanations I did not get everything. Like any book I read, I will skip over those parts that are just too conceptual for me. This book has provided the best explanation so far of quantum mechanics and of transistors, but I can’t rule out that this might also be because of other books I have read lately, including The God Particle by Leon Lederman. It was refreshing however, not to have the author try to sell me their viewpoint, which frequently happens when they write about their own research (for example, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene). Overall this book was well worth the time and energy invested and it was far superior to the similarly constructed Physics of the Buffyverse.
gift idea
THis book ended up being a Christmas present for my brother ( a physics teacher) and he absolutely loved it. He really liked the book and ended up reading it the following day.
Physics One O Fun!!!
Great book! I really enjoyed it on so many different levels. The Author wrote it like he knew you, liked you and respected your intelligence. He gracefully justified most mainstream hero’s super powers, there actual feasibility in accordance with elementary Physics, and taught you all about Physics with you barley knowing it. However I must admit, you’ll need either an intense love of Physics or Classical Superheroes, or a moderate interest in both. I had an interest in both. If you really do want to learn Physics though bring a pencil, paper and a good calculator. I did. Now the only thing standing in your way is a few dollars and some cool lessons about super heroes, and the powers they possess. (Evil Laugh) Hahahahahahaha! Enjoy
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