The Physics of Superheroes

by James Kakalios

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592401465
• ISBN13: 9781592401468
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Gotham Books
• Length: 365 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Superb!!

"The Physics Of Superheroes" by Jim Kakalios superbly explains the understanding of physics in a fun and new way. This terrific book demonstrates a number of important points. Physics is not an easy subject, but Jim Kakalios helps people have a better understanding of the book. It is not a book just for comic book lovers, but it is a book for people who do not understand comic books also. Who doesn't want to be a superhero? This book realizes the aspects of superheroes and other comic book characters. The author has written a book by combining his love for physics with his love of comic books. He has written a book for the general reader covering all of the basic points in a first-level college physics course and is difficult to put down. Kakalios also helps explain that gravity is at least 15 times greater on Krypton than here on Earth. He also explains the bad things about Spidey's web and how it cannot save people because of the abrupt stop and roughness of the web. Kakalios covers many topics such as electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, string theory and thermodynamics. He keeps you interested and sometimes even laughing throughout the book. I am not a comic book fan or physics fan, but this book is much more than that.

awsome!!

i'm an engineering major and have taken physics courses, this auther really explains physics very well. the topic is very entertaining and it is hard to put down. 5 stars

What a physics textbook should be!

This really could be a textbook to teach physics by. It is very well written and flows so smoothly, you won't realize how much you've learned. It covers every aspect of physics starting with simple forces and progressing to Quantum Mechanics all the while using superheroes as examples. I can only imagine that the author must be a great professor. I've been out of college for 15 years and I would go take his class. He finds the right combination of logic, humor, & scientific information to make this a great read. You could even skim over the more technical parts concering equations if you're not into the mathematics and still get a great understanding of the point he is trying to make. I actually thought this would be more of a compilation of superhero examples from a comicbook point of view. I had envisioned a rough analysis of many superheroes involving each of their attributes & discussing what was & what was not correct about them in the comic book world. The book is actually very different from that focusing on really only a few main figures such as Superman, Spiderman, The Atom, & Ironman. The book is structured more or less as a physics outline as I mentioned above & it works out very well this way. Almost everyone is familiar with Superman & Spiderman in some respects and the beginning of the book focuses primarily on these two figures. By then, if you're still reading, it won't matter if you really know the rest of the superheroes by then anyway. The author provides enough of a storyline background (to satisfy comic book fans) and to tell you everything you need to know concering the physics aspect. I don't think you really need a background in physics or comicbooks to appreciate this book, maybe at least an interest in one or the other. Either way it is very informative. Being a comic book fan from way back in the seventies it was great to hear some stories and characters mentioned again that I have been away from for a long time. And if you've taken physics classes, many moons ago as I have, you'll be surprised at how well the information is presented. I think the author explains Quantum physics better than anyone I've had teach it to me.

Intro to Physics, comic-book style

If you've been waiting to be bitten by a radioactive arachnid, struck by lightning while bathed in strange chemicals or be showered by a heavy dose of cosmic or gamma rays all in hopes of getting some cool superpowers, you're apt to be disappointed. Actually, you're apt to be dead, but even if you somehow survive the experience, it's unlike you'll be climbing walls, lifting cars or running past Mach One anytime soon. Forget the luck that would be required from a biological standpoint: the physics would make these and most other superhero powers impossible (and you're similarly in trouble if supervillainy is your goal). James Kakalios's The Physics of Superheroes discusses the unlikelihood of various superpowers. He doesn't do so in an effort to debunk comics - in fact it's obvious he is a huge fan of superhero comics - but rather as a starting point to educate readers about physics. As a physics professor, he has seen that in introductory courses, students often relate to the subject more if it he puts in a context they can relate to. One can discuss gravity, for example, while discussing falling balls and the like, but it's more entertaining when Superman is brought into the equation. And this book is definitely entertaining. Kakalios gives us a nice general overview of the world of physics for the layperson. The laws of motion and thermodynamics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics and other topics are illustrated through specific comic book examples. For example, what would really happen if you could shrink like Ant Man, run like the Flash or manipulate magnetism like Magneto. Sometimes the science is bad, but sometimes the powers are actually plausible if unlikely. Kakalios's writing style is easygoing and has a healthy dose of humor, often poking fun at various comic cliches as well as the real world of scientists. It's often really funny in addition to being informative. If you know your physics already, you probably won't learn that much here, but you can still have fun with the comic book material. And if you don't know your physics, this is a good way to learn the basics. Either way, this book is worth reading for science and comics fans alike.

A true geek's book

Although I no longer collect comic books and I no longer take physics classes, I still have an interest in both. As such, it was with great pleasure that I recently read Kakalios's book. A marvelous interweaving of easy-to-grasp physics with an amusing look into comic books (and groan-worthy humor from the author). As a lover of math, I would have enjoyed seeing more math to get from one point to another, but I was more than happy to keep a pad of paper by my side to see if I could derive formulas on my own. The book is written in a very easy to understand manner, and although there are parts that get a little hairy (or maybe I was just a little tired), the overall feel of the book is one of a nice summer reader. Not so easy that you'll have to get out of the hammock in an hour or so, but not so hard that you'll throw the book across the lawn and take a nap instead.