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List Price: $26.00Price: $8.21 You Save: $17.79 (68%)Prices subject to change.
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Binding: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: September 29, 2005
Sales Rank: 843535
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
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 Superheroes acclaimed 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 Superheroes explores 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 Superheroes will make both comic-book fans and physicists exclaim, "Excelsior!"
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
WOW!
I am a middle school teacher in Crockett CA. I have taught science, language arts, reading and history over the past five years. Science has always been my favorite subject, and my passion, and this book is part of that passion for learning and understanding. Now I am an 8th grade science teacher, and have found this book the most valuable in my teaching collection.
Not only is it informative, but it's an attention grabber that can't be put down. Cover to cover, Jim Kalalios ... Read More
Rating: -
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
Rating:  -
As an engineer I am always drawn to books that attempt to bridge the gap between the theory and application sides of science. This book goes one step further and attempts to draw connections between the known aspects of physics and the abilities of comic book heroes. I found it to be easy to understand and rather enjoyed the paradoxes that some comic book powers seem to present when viewed from a physics standpoint.
You do not have to be a technical person to read or understand the book, ... Read More
Rating: -
James Kakalios teaches a course on the Physics of Superheroes, so I would expect that he would write with clarity and humor. And this is exactly what Kakalios delivers. Not only does he explain physics, he also delves into the relevant history of the comic books. He even reproduces those parts of the comic strips that he talks about so that his discussion is always in context. When the physics gets tough, Kakalios will take a few extra pages and explain things in more detail (for example, transistors). ... Read More
Rating: -
THis book ended up being a Christmas present for my brother ( a physics teacher) and he absolutely loved it. He really liked the book and ended up reading it the following day.
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