What's Science Ever Done For Us: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe (Paperback)

by Paul Halpern (Author)
Key Phrases: Treehouse of Horror, Professor Frink, Milky Way (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Just in time for the release of the big-screen Simpsons movie, and in the tradition of numerous others in the Science of . . . series, comes this entertaining, educational look at the world's most famous yellow-skinned cartoon characters and what they can teach us—believe it or not—about genetics, artificial intelligence, time travel, space travel, extraterrestrials, quantum physics, the Coriolis effect, and other mind-expanding matters. Like William Irwin's The Simpsons and Philosophy (2001), the book extracts wisdom and real-world lessons from the long-running animated show: Halpern uses an episode in which Homer sells a tobacco-tomato crossbreed called tomacco, for example, to explore the subject of genetic mutation; the famous episode "The Springfield Files," in which a green-glowing alien is revealed to be Mr. Burns, leads the author into a discussion of the dangers of overexposure to radium. Halpern, a physics and mathematics professor, is clearly a big Simpsons fan, and, in addition to being informative and accessible to the lay reader, his book is a lot of fun. It's not often you laugh while you read a science book; like The Simpsons itself, the book is funny and smart. Pitt, David

Review
"A hugely entertaining celebration of the science behind the cartoon silliness."
(The Guardian Review, Saturday 18th August 2007)

"...a book that can be enjoyed by all ages."  (Physics World, December 2007)

"[The book] is a fun introduction to some aspects of science that will appeal to anyone curious about some common science..."  (concatenation.org, Wednesday 16th January 2008)

"A hugely entertaining celebration of the science behind the cartoon silliness." -- Guardian, August 18, 2007

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; Mti edition (July 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470114606
• ISBN-13: 978-0470114605
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #362,052 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plenty of fun, and you come away edumacated..., August 12, 2007

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you're a fan of The Simpsons, then you know that they've had plenty of episodes that involve fairly scientific topics and a few well-known guest stars from the scientific community. Paul Halpern digs a little deeper into these mysteries of science in the book What's Science Ever Done For Us: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe. By the time you get done with the book, you'll be better edumacated about a lot of things, and you'll have an enjoyable time getting there...

Contents:
Part 1 - It's Alive!: The Simpson Gene; You Say Tomato, I Say Tomacco; Blinky, the Three-Eyed Fish; Burns's Radiant Glow; We All Live in a Cell-Sized Submarine; Lisa's Recipe for Life; Look Homer-Ward, Angel
Part 2 - Mechanical Plots: D'ohs ex Machina; Perpetual Commotion; Dude, I'm an Android; Rules for Robots; Chaos in Cartoonland; Fly in the Ointment
Part 3 - No Time to D'ohs: Clockstopping; A Toast to the Past; Frinking about the Future
Part 4 - Springfield, the Universe, and Beyond: Lisa's Scoping Skills; Diverting Rays; The Plunge Down Under; If Astrolabes Could Talk; Cometary Cowabunga; Homer's Space Odyssey; Could This Really Be the End?; Foolish Earthlings; Is the Universe a Donut?; The Third Dimension of Homer
Inconclusion: The Journey Continues
Acknowledgments; The Simpsons Movie Handy Science Checklist; Scientifically Relevant Episodes Discussed in This Book; Notes; Further Information; Index

I'll admit I was expecting far less from this book when I first heard of it. I've seen too many "intellectuals" dissect a cartoon or story and add layers of complexity and academic baggage to the point that they've created their own fantasy world about what things "really" mean. Fortunately, that doesn't happen here. Halpern treats the Simpsons series with respect in terms of enjoying the episodes and understanding that they are primarily entertainment. But he goes deeper into some of the episodes to examine the science behind the storyline. For instance, he discusses the "fact" that water drains counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere due to the Coriolis effect. This is tied back to an episode where Bart and Lisa were trying to prove that fact and ended up having to travel to Australia to avoid an international incident. By the time you're done with the chapter, you know exactly what the Coriolis effect is, and whether water really *does* behave that way. Or there's the discussion about perpetual motion machines and whether it would ever be possible to build one like Lisa did in one episode. Again, by the end of the chapter, you know why the laws of thermodynamics mean that it's impossible to do that. Add in a few guest appearance by people like Stephen Hawkings, and you end up with an entertaining read about solid science, along with a few "I remember that episode!" moments...

This is a definite "should read" for Simpson fans, and perhaps a really good resource for teachers who are trying to hook younger minds into the realities of science...

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Asimov has arrived, July 12, 2007

By	Frederick E. Schuepfer "fredsc111" (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With his special gift of teaching complex science in an entertaining fashion, Paul Halpern has reached into our collective consciousness and pulled out - the Bard of Springfield (of the State of Vermont, according to The Simpsons movie premiere.) Homer Simpson provides the perfect foil for Halpern's easygoing, sensible rapport. After reading this book, I feel like I've known Halpern for years.

Every chapter has a few precious chestnuts that kept me going. In Chapter 8, called "D'ohs ex Machina," which is all about Thomas Alva Edison, he cracks: "Some think of Homer as just a dim bulb, and therefore would rule out any connection between him and Edison." Later he discusses robots and their potential for humanness, as measured by the venerated Turing Test. Maybe they could be bartenders: "If a robot is not quite ready for the Turing Test, at least it might master the pouring test."

First with "The Great Beyond" and now with "What's Science Ever Done for Us," Paul Halpern has cemented his reputation as the New Asimov, a scientist who can translate advanced research and theory into its worldly implications.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A most excellent book., July 12, 2007

By	Michael LaBossiere (Tallahassee, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As anyone who watches the Simpsons can attest (and anyone who is anyone watches the show), Springfield is town that is rife with science.

Within the confines of that fictional town many strange and scientific events take place. Three eyed fish swim the rivers. Homer proposes that the universe is shaped like a donut. He also travels back in time. Lisa builds a perpetual motion machine. The resident scientist, Dr. Frink, builds amazing machines that shrink people and teleport people.

Faced with such an abundance of science, it would be good and wonderful if some sort of book were available that clearly explained life, the universe and everything in that little town.

Fortunately, Paul Halpern has come to save the world...with science...and a book with a really, really long title.

In his 262 page book, What's Science Ever Done for Us: What The Simpsons Can Teach Us about Physics, Robots, Life and the Universe, Halpern explains the science of twenty six classic episodes of the show.

As any professor will attest, explaining complex things such as science means facing two serious challenges. The first is presenting an explanation that is clear and comprehensible. All too often attempts to explain merely lead to greater confusions and naps. In some extreme cases, people are actually blinded with science.

The second challenge is providing an explanation that is interesting. Being a professor myself, I can attest to the fact that a dull explanation can render a class unconscious. So much so, that I am still researching ways to get certain lectures transformed into a pill form (next stop-FDA testing).

Fortunately, Halpern meets these two challenges and brutalizes them in way that would make the bully Nelson proud.
His explanations of complex scientific matters, such as genetics and androids, are eminently clear and comprehensible. So much so that even people with the intellectual horsepower of Homer should be able to grasp his lucid and concise accounts.

His explanations are also quite illustrating. In addition to making use of the appeal of the Simpsons (a brilliant marketing angle, by the way) he also enhances his accounts with clever wit and humor.

I strongly recommend the book to anyone who is a Simpsons' fan. I also recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about science in a way that is interesting and not likely to cause blindness.

As Mr. Burns would say, this book is...excellent.