TV & Movie Physics

Hello all, I've been seeing some action films recently and noticed how frequently explosions are utilized in dramatic sequences. Although I like the excitement, I've been wondering about the physics involved in these explosions. In most films, we witness huge explosions with cars or buildings disintegrating, but I wonder how realistic these depictions actually are. For example, in movies like The Dark Knight or Fast & Furious, the explosions are often huge and result in large shockwaves and flying debris. However, in reality, how much of that would actually happen? I’m aware that explosions in movies are often exaggerated for visual impact, but how much of t…

Hello everyone, I’m really interested in the way physics is used in movies, particularly in the special effects (SFX) we see on screen. I’ve been watching a lot of action movies lately, and while some of the stunts and explosions look incredible, I often wonder how realistic they are. For example, in films like Avengers or Mad Max, explosions seem to happen almost in slow motion, and characters sometimes survive things that would be impossible in real life. I’d love to know more about how filmmakers use actual physics in these scenes. How do they make explosions and crashes look so real? Do they use real scie…

Hi everyone, I recently watched the movie "Gravity" and was fascinated by the realistic depiction of space. One scene that particularly caught my attention was when the characters use their thrusters to navigate through space. I'm curious about how accurately the movie portrayed the physics of such maneuvers. I also check this: https://aplusphysics.com/community/index.php?/blogs/entry/29979-another-example-of-physics-in-a-moviealteryx But I have not found any solution. Could someone explain the real physics behind using thrusters in zero gravity? How close is the movie's depiction to what actually happens in space? Any insights or explanations would be greatly a…

Physics of “Interstellar� After watching the movie “Interstellar,� your assignment is to pick two different story / plot points or phenomena demonstrated in the film and analyze the physics involved. Is what they demonstrate consistent with current theories? Why or why not? Post your findings in the APlusPhysics Community, Forums section, under TV & Movie Physics by responding to the Interstellar thread. You can create two separate responses, one for each topic, or combine them into a single post. Respond to the posts of at least two other students.

In the new Amazing Spiderman film they implemented an iconic plot point from the comics. (spoiler alert) Gwen Stacy dies. After I was emotionally drained from watching it I sat down and did the math of how it happened. Lets say that Goblin dropped her rom a height of 50 meters. She began falling from rest at an acceleration of 9.81m/s^2. She reached terminal velocity about half way down and had a final velocity of about 55m/s So, when the web hit her she was traveling roughly 55m/s and the hard stop was too much fore her neck to bear and snapped it. That....is how she died.

This one is going to be a bit of a rant because it seems like everyone I talk to is obsessed with this show. But I have proof that it is not as great as some may think. (mild spoilers for episode 1) So in episode 1 a titan comes over the wall and begins to eat the protagonists' mother. As the monster bites down, the mother literally explodes with blood flying in every direction. I was recently told that the average human body has less than 2 gallons of blood in it. If you watch the video you will see that there is WELL over 3 gallons shown. So not only does the volume of blood defy reality, but the force of which it explodes is like a Michael Bay movie. When someone get…

As seen in Captain America: The First Avenger, Cap's shield has some incredible properties. It's made out of a fictional metal known as vibranium which has the ability to repel all vibrations making it virtually indestructible. Newton's 3rd law applies to this because if a bullet were to be shot at it, the force it hits the shield with is equal to the amount of force the shield hits the bullet. Just in the opposite direction.

In this week's episode of the hit show Arrow, Oliver and Roy have to disperse a crowd without being seen. They are positioned on a vantage point about 10 meters away. They both shoot an arrow into thee crowd that contains a tear gas capsule. So in order for them to hit their target, they would need to know the velocity required to hit it and at what angle to lob it so to not skewer any innocents.

See something in a movie that just didn't look right? Ironman 3 have some "funky" stuff? Could some of those stunts really happen? Let's explore that here!

So I finally watched the pilot episodes of the new Fox scifi drama "Terra Nova" (it airs Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET). I found it watchable, with some potential, and like every other TV show in existence (except "Firefly") it had some things I liked and some I didn’t. I got email about it due [...] More...

From 1993's "The Fugitive" starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLbG3kxQ8dI&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Dr. Jim Kakalios from the University of Minnesota does a tremendous job talking about the relationship of momentum, impulse, force and time in the context of a Superman comic book. If you want to learn more about Dr. Kakalios, he was highlighted in a three-part interview last year as part of the Physics In Action podcast. You can download these and other past episodes from the APlusPhysics Podcast Page. His book, The Physics of Superheroes, is also a terrific introductory-level book that examines physics from the standpoint of a variety of comic book superheroes. I highly recommend it, and have also had a number of students read it with 100% positive r…