Customer Reviews

The Physics of Superheroes

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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 writes in a style that is mater a fact, with simple explanation of the most complex formulas.

I use his text, as will as others and superheroes as a device to stimulate my students in all areas of learning, but in science, this book is the back bone of my curriculum. Jim's explanations of "matter", "energy", "the dead cat theory", and "the string theory" are clearly and thoughtfully exposed using superheroes and their super powers. How is it possible for Superman to jump tall buildings, and Flash to runs at such speeds? The "principle of conservation of energy" along with the formula for "work", and "kinetic energy" are explained in fascinating detail. All students can understand this! I can't think of teaching without this powerful and enlighten book.

If you teach science, from K-12 or college, this book is a must! I also can't express my sear joy to have met him at ComicCon 2008, and get his signature in my dog eared book. Thanks Jim!!!

As a foot note, my daughter is attending UC Irvine where a teacher offers course called "The science of superheroes" base solely on Jim's book. Check it out!

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.

With such an intriguing title (and a recommendation from a tai chi classmate), I had to pick up this book when I saw it in the library. Unfortunately, I'm not really the right audience for it: the ideal reader is familiar with the characters referenced while not knowing the physics, while I know the physics but am wondering who the heck these superheroes are? Okay, Superman and the Flash, fine. But Ant-Man, the Atom, or Iron Man? So I was at a disadvantage.

Given that, I ended up finding the book a bit dry and long-winded, though with some entertaining and enlightening bits, such as the revelation that poor Spiderman killed his girlfriend through a misapplication of Newton's Laws. So if you know the superheroes but not the physics, read someone else's reviews and decide. But if you know the physics already, this probably won't excite you.

Any lover of superheroes with a yearn to read funny textbooks is honor-bound to pick up this recent piece of reference by James Kakalios. Comic book lover and physics professor at the University of Minnesota, Kakalios employs the mathematics behind electricity, motion, power, time, theory and, if it applies, logic, to defend or debunk the ideas behind super powers. Why is Superman so strong? Could Henry Pym really become an "ant man?" And why is it believable for the X-Men's Kitty Pryde to walk through walls? As Kakalios doesn't cover everything, what he does cover is fascinating.

He opens his book with a preoccupation with Superman and his origins, from the very first appearance of the Man Of Steel to his present day shenanigans. It's interesting how his beginnings as a transplanted alien who can merely leap over tall buildings in a single bound were drastically upped into his becoming a man who can carry skyscrapers around like serving trays. Kakalios understands that Superman's powers come from the difference in Krypton's and Earth's gravity and gives us the math to prove the extent of those powers. Moreover, the author goes on to use physics theory to explain to us why Krypton blew up in the first place! Astounding.

However, as interesting as most of this piece is a great deal of it is really, really boring. It is, after all, a physics textbook. Long mathematical equations are thrown at us as proof to anyone other than the Layman that Kakalios knows what he's talking about. But it really isn't reader-friendly. Normal readers might find themselves skimming through quite a bit of this piece until falling into the fun bits that actually put the cards on the table. The best parts of the book are the reasons why this superhero (or villain, like Electro) could or could not feasibly perform such and such act. The regular non-physics major wouldn't care about the numbers. But, when you go out and buy a book called "The Physics of Superheroes," by all means, expect some physics gobblygook. You know what you're in for from the title.

Did Spiderman or the Green Goblin kill Gwen Stacy? What are "pym particles?" Can the tiny Ant-Man truly retain the strength of a full-sized man? Why doesn't Marvel Comics great Stan Lee understand science? And, can Storm really control the weather? All of these questions and more are answered with pure mathematical answers that, 65% of the time, aren't filled with boggling equations. The make-up of Spiderman's webbing is analyzed. Thor's powers are rationalized with Wonder Woman's. The outlandish pre-requisites needed for the Flash to run super-fast, over water, and up the sides of buildings are scrutinized and explained with stupifying clarity. It makes one's head spin just thinking about how easy it is to gain superhuman abilities just by getting struck by lightning, bitten by a radioactive spider or being born on a different planet.

It gets three stars on a scale of five. There is something for everyone in this book but not enough for one person. Yes, a great deal of it is a bit too brainy. But, all of that is more than made up for with the last forty pages. Therein, Kakalios deals with the superpowers that have no business even trying to make us believe them. Some powers out there are so physically inconceivable that he has made a point to blast them at the end of this book. Long loved characters like Cyclops, Superman and the Atom are poked fun at, not only due to unbelievable storylines, but thanks to unbelievable powers! This is by far the most hysterical part of the book as Kakalios takes no prisoners. He gives a long tirade on why Cyclops, who wears the wrong colored ruby quartz glasses, can expel forces of energy without breaking his neck (thanks the the Laws of Physics.) Really, if you can't laugh out loud at this section, you're truly made of steel.

Kakalios' facts are good, but not perfect. He has a class question and answer section at the end of the book. One of the questions was "Could Wolvervine cut through Captain America's shield?" Of course not, but Kakalios neglects to point out that Captain America's shield is an amalgam of Adamantium and Vibranium. Also, he never once deals with Superman's ability to fly and what that has to do with Krypton's gravitity.

If you choose to pick this piece up, refer to the back of the book for Key Equations first. You will be glad you did.

I am a sixteen-year-old boy who, like many teenagers, thinks physics is very difficult and boring. My mom got me this book for a project and the moment I started reading this book I fell in love with it. This book explains in such great detail everything I have been confused about in my physics class. Usually physics can be boring and hard to wrap your mind around, but in this book it's interesting and easy to understand. The forces and powers that superheroes require to do their feats are incredible. This book makes clear connections to concepts that I wouldn't understand if the author had not made them so simple. My favorite is that The Flash would require 75 BILLION FOOD CALORIES for him to start running every time to get to his super speed. That's 75 MILLION HAMBURGERS. How he would consume that many in a lifetime is unknown, but that's every time he starts running. This book is worth every penny and will raise your grade in physics for sure. You will read this book over and over again, and you will pass it on to friends to help them out as well. If you're not taking physics and just like superheroes then this is a good book for you too. It explains all the scientific mysteries of superheroes. I highly recommend this book to all and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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

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, in fact I'd say it is a great way to get some points across to the non-technical among us. The book could easily be read and understood by High School students on up and would serve as a great companion to an introductory physics course text.

The book does get a tad dry in spots and could have used some more general illustrations to help explain concepts to those new to the whole physics realm.

Call me a nerd, I'm writing a review on a book that deals with both Physics and superheroes! Growing up I always enjoyed watching my Saturday morning cartoons, but I'm not going to lie and say that I loved superheroes. I enjoyed them, but I wasn't crazy for them. With that being said, Kakalios' book, The Physics of Superheroes, was pretty good.
Kakalios does a good job at covering many of the basic principles taught in a basic Physics class. I currently have a physics class and much of what is talked about in this book helped solidify concepts taught by my professor. My physics textbook was a hard read for me, but this book was much easier to understand. For example, Kakalios explains the force needed to be supplied by Spider-Man's webbing in order to keep him from falling to his death. Kakalios does a great job at keeping things relatively easy for someone with some background in Physics to understand.
However, the further into the book you get the more difficult the Physics becomes. I'm still trying to comprehend a lot of the things taught to me this semester and certainly wasn't ready for a lesson on Atomic Physics or Quantum Mechanics. All in all this was a good book. I give this book four stars because there was quite a bit of physics that I just wasn't ready for. I'd recommend it to anyone who thinks they might enjoy a blend of Physics and Superheroes.