"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 scientific survey of superpowers 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 solid state physics, and Kakalios relates the physics in comic books to such real-world applications as automobile air bags, 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 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!'"--Jacket.

A complete update to the hit book on the real physics at work in comic books, featuring more heroes, more villains, and more science. Since 2001, James Kakalios has taught "Everything I Needed to Know About Physics I Learned from Reading Comic Books," a hugely popular university course that generated coast-to-coast media attention for its unique method of explaining complex physics concepts through comics. With The Physics of Superheroes, named one of the best science books of 2005 by Discover, he introduced his colorful approach to an even wider audience. Now Kakalios presents a totally updated, expanded edition that features even more superheroes and findings from the cutting edge of science. With three new chapters and completely revised throughout, the book that explains why Spider-Man's webbing failed his girlfriend, the probable cause of Krypton's explosion, and the Newtonian physics at work in Gotham City is electrifying from beginning to end.

"The Physics of Superheroes applies 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 superheroes--and 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"--Amazon.

An exploration of the science behind the powers of popular comic superheroes reveals how differences between Krypton and Earth might enable some of Superman's abilities, the number of hamburgers that Flash would need to run at supersonic speeds, and more.

Presents an introduction to physics by exploring the forces and motion of action comic hereos, explaining basic rules of thermodynamics, energy, and solid state physics as it relates to real world experiences.

James Kakalios explores the scientific plausibility of the powers and feats of the most famous superheroes -- and 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 Superman's strength can tell us about the Newtonian physics of force, mass, and acceleration How Iceman's and Storm's powers illustrate the principles of thermal dynamics The physics behind the death of Spider-Man's girlfriend Gwen Stacy Why physics professors gone bad are the most dangerous evil geniuses!

An exploration of the science behind the powers of popular comic superheroes and villains illustrates the physics principles underlying the supernatural abilities of such characters as Superman, Magneto, and Spider-Man.

Examines the physics of superheroes and demonstrates that their powers are often well-grounded in science. Explores whether Ant-Man can punch his way out of a paper bag and how Electro becomes Magneto when he runs.

If superheroes stepped off the comic book page, 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? James Kakalios provides an engaging and witty commentary while introducing the lay reader to both classical and cutting-edge concepts in physics, including: what Superman's strength can tell us about the Newtonian physics of force, mass, and acceleration; what villains like Electro and Magneto tell us about electricity and magnetism; how Iceman's powers show the principles of thermal dynamics; what the Human Top can tell us about angular momentum; why physics professors gone bad are the most dangerous evil geniuses... and more! AUTHOR: James Kakalios is a professor of physics at the University of Minnesota. The popularity of his seminar titled 'Everything I Know About Physics I Learned By Reading Comic Books' led to the publication of 'The Physics of Superheroes'.

Engaging and witty, this study examines the plausibility of the powers and feats of the most famous superheroes--and discovers that in many cases the comic writers got their science surprisingly right. Using the powers of these superheroes as examples, this analysis introduces both classic and cutting-edge concepts in physics. Atractivo e ingenioso, este estudio examina la verosimilitud de los poderes y las heroicidades de los más famosos superhéroes--y descubre que sorprendentemente, en muchos casos, los escritores de cómics no se equivocaron en su ciencia. Usando los poderes de estos héroes como ejemplos, este análisis introduce conceptos físicos clásicos y vanguardistas.

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 Superheroesacclaimed 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 Superheroesexplores 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 Superheroeswill make both comic-book fans and physicists exclaim, “Excelsior!” Quotes: “The Physics of Superheroesis clear, rapid, funny, and endlessly informative— as if Stan Lee and George Gamow had teamed up to battle the nefarious forces of ignorance.” —Gerard Jones, author of Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book “Author James Kakalios is a scientific genius who could put Lex Luthor and Dr. Doom to shame. Superman should have him on retainer. I do—because The Physics Of Superheroesis this comic-book writer's newest favorite indispensable resource.” —Mark Waid, writer of Spider-Man, Superman, and the Fantastic Four

Explains a broad range of physics, from Isaac Newton to the transistor--but there's nary an inclined plane or pulley in sight! Instead, all of the examples come form superhero comic books and in particular, those cases where the superheroes get their physics right!

This update to the hit book on the real physics at work in comic books is completely revised throughout and features three new chapters.

'The Physics of Superheroes' eables you to learn what the physics of forces & motion can reveal about Superman's strength, the true cause of the destruction of his home planet Krypton, & what villains Magneto & Electro can teach us about the nature of electricity. This book is of interest to both comic-book fans & physicists.

Come fa Superman, con un solo balzo, ad arrivare sul tetto di un edificio di trenta piani? Cosa dice, dell'eroe dei fumetti, questo salto di 200 metri? Quasi tutto. Basta applicare le leggi di Newton: per sfidare la gravit© , saltando cosi in alto, Superman, se pesa 100 chili, deve avere una velocit© iniziale di oltre 200 chilometri l'ora e, dunque, applicare al salto una forza di oltre 25 tonnellate al secondo. Impossibile per un terrestre, ma non per chi ©· nato su Krypton, che ha una gravit© maggiore. Kakalios spazia dalla meccanica quantistica, alla termodinamica, alla relativit© , alla fisica dei solidi... altrimenti come spiegare in che modo l'Uomo Invisibile riesce a passare attraverso i muri?