As a student of literature, science courses did one of two things to me :
A – Confuse me until my brain tried to escape.
B – Scare me to death.
On occasion, it would do both. While science did interest me (particularly Astronomy and the parts that would either blow something up or make it dissolve in a very cool fashion), I simply could not wrap my brain around the logistics and formulas involved.
Fast forward fifteen or so years to June 2010 and w00tstock 2.3 (http://w00tstock.net/). An anniversary present from my wife, w00tstock is a essentially a geek festival of music and entertainment. At this show was University of Minnesota Professor of Physics James Kakalios. His ‘act’, if you can call it that, was to teach us physics.
Yawn.
Or not. This was no ordinary physics lesson. No, Professor Kakalios taught a theater full of geeks all about physics using only examples taken from comics books and the world of superheroes. (Extra – You can view the first part of the lecture here.) It was without a doubt, one of the most entertaining parts of the evening and led me to rush out and grab a copy of his book, The Physics of Superheroes.
What did I learn? I learned that it was Spider-Man’s webbing that killed Gwen Stacy. That Superman is able to leap 660 feet in a single bound and, surprisingly enough, Aquaman’s ability to breath underwater is not an impossibility (after all, we do it every day), that Forces come in Pears, and how Albert Einstein helps keep our shopping lists stuck to the fridge and prevents slow starvation (see Chapter 18). And that’s just touching the surface of this 424 page tome.
The Physics of Superheroes presents all those complicated mathematical theories without the complication and with a solid dose of good humor. There are blessedly few equations throughout the book. Professor K allows for a ‘miracle’ exemption but even then, it’s not necessary in many cases. As Professor Kakalios demonstrates, comics get their physics right far more often than they get it wrong. In the rare occasion that the comics get their physics wrong, he explains the how and why and what it would take to make it work right.
Professor Kakalios also demonstrates a strong grasp on the history of comics and their influence on the culture of America. From the opening chapter, we learn how the comic book industry was started, how it evolved, and many of the key players. Scattered throughout are tidbits of fun or interesting trivia which lightens the mood of an otherwise heavy subject.
There are times when the pages of text look intimidating and I don’t recommend reading the book if you’re tired or ready to head off to sleep (unless you do want to nod off). Sometimes I had to go back and re-read things just to make sure I got it right.
The Physics of Superheroes is the perfect package – a book that takes a sometimes complex and hard to understand concept and makes it fun, informative, and easy to read for even the most anti-scientific mind. So, Fearless Readers, for those of us who flailed about wildly or had panic attacks when presented with physics problems, this book might just save the day.
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