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by Eric Caron
Excuse me, Mr. Hulk, by my calculations its physically impossible for you to jump as high as the comic books portray
HULK SMASH!!!!
Ok Mr. Hulk,, never mind.
University students are exploring the physics of the comic book universe in the freshman seminar, Everything I Know of Science I Learned from Reading Comic Books, affectionately called Science of Comic Books by the students. Anyone listening in could easily confuse Professor James Kakalios' physics seminar for a comic book convention. Kakalios leads the class over hot topics ranging from the number of Big Macs the Flash must eat to maintain his speed (several thousand) to the death of Spider-Man's Gwen Stacey. (Avid comic book readers not wishing to disturb their view of the comic universe may want to stop reading at this point.)
Using the laws of physics and a truly impressive collection of comic books, the class is able to conquer the seemingly toughest of problems in the comic universe. For example, the early Superman comic books said the superhero was able to leap a half-mile on Earth because of the stronger gravitational field from his home planet, Krypton. Using the laws of motion and the law of gravity, the class figured out that Krypton would need to have a radius eight times that of Earth to provide Superman with the abilities to leap so far on Earth. Unfortunately, an astronomy professor noted that a planet could not exist with such an immense size, which could explain why Krypton blew up.
As one might expect, the homework for a class this exciting is extraordinary. Students are asked to read X-Men comics and investigate the scientific possibility or impossibility of their favorite character's mutant abilities.
Kakalios first got started in the field of real-world applications to comic books at an early age. He notes, "There was one issue of the Flash I read as a kid where the Flash lost his ability to avoid air resistance and friction. It made me aware of the fact that this was something aside from the silly notion of superpowers. There were all sorts of secondary issues associated with the ability to run super fast, for example, that I hadn't considered."
Some years later he was asked by Wizard Magazine to solve a foible caused in an early issue of Spider-Man. His mathematical proof showed that, "Gwen Stacey died by a broken-neck when Spider-Man caught her as she fell from the top of the George Washington Bridge." It was printed in Wizard Magazine, and Kakalios became the magazine's "unofficial rocket scientist." Eventually Kakalios got to teach a seminar where he could share his fervor with students, encouraging them to find their own comic problems and solve them using their physics skills.
Though the topics of the class include Newton's laws of motion, conversation of energy, biomechanics and genetics, and parallel dimensions, the underlying topics, such as Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, keep the class involved and enthused. One problem posed was shown that the Incredible Hulk was able to jump over jets in flight, soaring to an altitude of over 32,000 feet. Students calculated that he'd need an initial velocity four times the speed of sound. However, the forces associated with such an acceleration would tear a normal man apart. But don't ask Kakalios about this. "I never said the Hulk couldn't do anything he wanted to!" he says.
Few corners of the comic universe are left untouched by the course. They've revealed that the Atom would turn completely solid if he used his power, and Ant-Man would become deaf and have a hypersonic voice when he shrunk down because his eardrums and vocal cords would shrink to microscopic sizes. The students also uncovered other disadvantages of shrinking. Ant-Man would be easily blown across the room by typical air currents, and getting wet would nearly double his weight, immobilizing him like a real ant.
Although the only mainstream hero unscathed by this class is Batman (who has no superpowers), not all comic book characters would necessarily take offense at Kakalios approach. One of his favorite heroes, the leader of the Fantastic Four, even enjoys it.
"Reed Richards [Mr. Fantastic] is the the smartest man in the Marvel Universe, and he frequently uses his scientific knowledge to come out on top of some situation. He was an early role model that being intelligent could be cool and useful."
Kakalios says his course-and the philosophy behind it-doesn't prevent him from enjoying the exploits of his favorite super heroes. "It's escapist fiction, so I just turn off that part of my brain, and enjoy the stories on their own terms." Go Hulk, go!
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.it.umn.edu/students/academics/freshsem.html
www.marvel.com
