The Physics of Superheroes

Description

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 with a splashy, redesigned package, 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 cover to cover.The Physics of Super HeroesForeword
Preface to the Second Edition
Introduction: Secret Origins: How Science Saved Superhero Comic Books

Section 1-Mechanics

1. Up, Up, and Away-Forces and Motion
2. Deconstructing Krypton-Newton’s Law of Gravity
3. The Day Gwen Stacy Died-Impulse and Momentum
4. Flash Facts-Friction, Drag, and Sound
5. If This Be My Density-Properties of Matter
6. So He Talks to Fishes, Want to Make Something of It?-Fluid Mechanics
7. Can He Swing From a Thread?-Centripetal Acceleration
8. Can Ant-Man Punch His Way Out of a Paper Bag?-Torque and Rotation
9. The Human Top Goes Out for a Spin-Angular Momentum
10. Is Ant-Man Deaf, Dumb, and Blind?-Simple Harmonic Motion
11.Like a Flash of Lightning-Special Relativity

Section 2-Energy-Heat and Light

12. The Central City Diet Plan-Conservation of Energy
13. The Case of the Missing Work-The Three Laws of Thermodynamics
14. Mutant Meteorology-Conduction and Convection
15. How the Monstrous Menace of the Mysterious Melter Makes Dinner Preparation a Breeze-Phase Transitions
16. Electro’s Clinging Ways-Electrostatics
17. Superman Schools Spider-Man-Electrical Currents
18. How Electro Becomes Magneto When He Runs-Ampere’s Law
19. How Magneto Becomes Electro When He Runs-Magnetism and Faraday’s Law
20. Electro and Magneto Do the Wave-Electromagnetism and Light

Section 3-Modern Physics

21. Journey Into the Microverse-Atomic Physics
22. Not a Dream! Not a Hoax! Not an Imaginary Tale!-Quantum Mechanics
23. Through a Wall Lightly-Tunneling Phenomena
24. Sock It to Shellhead-Solid-State Physics
25. The Costumes are Super, Too-Materials Science

Section 4-What Have We Learned?

26. Me Am Bizarro!-Superhero Bloopers
Afterword-Lo, There Shall Be an Ending!
Recommended Reading
Key Equations
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index

James Kakalios is a professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota, where he has taught since 1988, and where his class “Everything I Needed to Know About Physics I Learned from Reading Comic Books” is a popular freshman seminar. He received his Ph.D. in 1985 from the University of Chicago, and has been reading comic books for much longer.US

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