Comic Book Physics

An anonymous reader writes "Seems many of the feats of SpiderMan, Superman and other superheroes obey the basic requirements of physics. So says a University of Minnesota physicist who uses nothing but comics to teach the subject. 'Comic books get their science right more often than one would expect ... I was able to find examples in superhero comic books of the correct descriptions of basic physical principles for a wide range of topics, including classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and even quantum physics.' Especially cool: Why Krypton *had* to explode."

Comments

Comic Book Physics

[Orion Blastar]

If I remember correctly it was Krypton's sun that exploded and destroyed the planet, or at least in one version it did. A red sun that went super nova.

Does Physics provide an answer why pieces of Krypton can harm Superman yet pieces of Earth do not harm Earthlings? ;) Also if Krypton had neutron star matter in its core, how come Kryptonite which came from Krypton's core is not super heavy?

Also if Superman is unable to be harmed and bullets bounce off of his chest, how come there are no holes in his clothes? Current storyline on Superman had him arrive in a pod with no blankets, so they did not use them to create his costume. Kal-El was a test tube baby and sent to Earth in the ship inside of a pod.

Also how does Superman lose his strength when exposed to Kryptonite or Red Solar Radiation, if he was exposed to high gravity he still should have his muscles unless they wore out over the years of growing up in a lower gravity environment. Another theory is that his body absorbs yellow sun radiation like a solar cell and he gets his powers from that. Kryptonite or Red Solar radiation apparently discharges that energy.

Also his relationship with Lois, man of steel and woman of kleenex, need I avoid the details of that intiment relationship should they decide to have children? ;)

Also how can Clark Kent pass physicals when they cannot even draw blood for blood tests from his arm as it is super hard? Also what about prostate tests, I'd hate to be the doctor who does those. :) Clark Kent is also an illegal alien having not been born on Earth, and obviously any papers saying so must have been forged or are false. So Clark Kent aka Superman is breaking Civil Law by claiming to be a US Citizen. So much for his good image. :)

Other things I seem to have a problem with:

Time travel by spinning the Earth backwards, I do not think that this will work and should only cause major earthquakes and other problems.

Just how many powers does Superman have anyway? They seem to keep on inventing them. Super Ventriliquism, Super Hypnosis, Super Telepathy, Super Accounting, are they just making these up as they go along? Maybe they should rename him as Unclear Man as his powers seem to be Unclear.

Also they had Superman in space without the need for air. How is this possible? Just how long can he hold his breath and avoid the effects of decompression?

With muscles that powerful, he should weigh a ton or more. People would be able to notice this as he walks on weak surfaces like wood floors.

Also how is it possible to disguise yourself by combing out that s-curl, putting on glasses, and changing clothes? Someone with the intellect that Lex Luthor claims to have should be able to see through that transparent disguise, but apparently not.