Tom Rogers - Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics: Hollywoods Best Mistakes, Goofs and Flat-Out Destructions of the Basic Laws of the Universe

2007 by Tom Rogers
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Rogers, Tom

Insultingly stupid movie physics : Hollywoods best mistakes, goofs, and flat-out destructions of the basic laws of the universe / by Tom Rogers.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-4022-1033-4 (trade pbk.)
1. Motion pictures--Miscellanea. 2. Physics--Miscellanea. I. Title.
PN1998.R569 2007
791.43--dc22

2007033901

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

VP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To the worlds physics and engineering teachers, who on a regular basis stand before an often difficult crowd and share their passion for the subject. To Dr. Thomas Thorpe, whose high school lecture opened my eyes when he demonstrated momentum by knocking the podium on the floor. And to the best teacher I ever had, Professor P. K. Stein.

Few large projects get done without the support of others and this book is no exception. My son Scott was invaluable for his many insightful suggestions in the preparation of the book. He patiently read and edited my drafts repeatedly. Likewise, without the tireless support of my wife and soul mate Sandy, I could not have succeeded. Not only did she repeatedly proofread the developing manuscript, she was also a constant source of positive support. My son Mark and daughter Kelly also provided numerous suggestions, as did Bill Burns.

Contrary to the notion that art should resist the intrusion of science, this book steadfastly maintains that the art of moviemaking should embrace the science of physics, because at a gut level people understand physics better than is commonly believed. (Does any living soul not have first hand experience with force, acceleration, velocity, gravity, etc.?) Whats more, with a little study and reference materials like this one, its really not all that hard to understand basic physics at an intellectual level.

In spite of its esoteric reputation, physics books are actually fairly popularthe science sections of bookstores are full of them. People are fascinated by cutting-edge topics such as string theory, black holes, dark matter, and the weirdness of quantum physics. Oddly, its the more straightforward classical physics that often gets ignored, even though its extremely useful and the foundation of almost everything in modern science and technology.

Once again, this book breaks with the norm by concentrating almost exclusively on the commonplace physics principles taught in just about any good high school physics course. Even though many of these physics principles date back hundreds of years to the time of Newton (his major work, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, was published in 1687), they are still incredibly relevant and fascinating in their own right.

Yes, there are equations and calculations inside for the mathematically inclined, and as a tool of understanding for physics students taking introductory courses. Hopefully, the book will give them a deeper appreciation of the subject. For the budding filmmaker or science fiction writer, the book is filled with all kinds of useful details. However, most of the calculations and heavier technical detail are enclosed in boxes so that the casual reader can skip over them. Extra detail that does not require a mathematical background is enclosed in shaded boxes, again for easy scanning.

Those who spend some time with the book will learn to see movies more clearly, understand the world around them better, and hopefully have a lot of fun in the process.

Its only a movie, is often spoken by fans in defense of flicks with flaky physics, as though reviewing movies for physics content is an insult. But isnt the fact that Hollywood thinks they can feed us stupid physics the real insult? Let me explain why reviewing movies for something they need is not insulting, or unnecessarystarting with a hypothetical. Imagine a football movie: a group of plucky individualists have been forged into a team by the tough yet big-hearted coach. No one gave them a chance; yet, here they are in the big game playing their hearts out as Murphy, their beloved teammate, lies in the hospital with bandaged eyes, listening to the contest via radio.

The team is behind and desperate. Its the seventh down in the eleventh quarter, so they punt a touchdown pass from the 127th yard line. But wait, this isnt football. Its nonsense. Anyone with football knowledge would think it was ridiculous; some would be offended. The scene would never appear in a movie not because its unlikely or hackneyed, but because its unthinkable to take artistic license with the rules of football. (For those who dont favor American-style football, substitute basketball, soccer, hockey, or just about any other team sport. With a few modifications, the plot will still work.)

Artistic license isnt a drivers license; its an ambulance license. It grants the right to break rules without suffering petty penalties like traffic tickets. But rule breaking can cause errors, leading to serious penalties: wrecks. Rule breaking requires care; its not a good idea unless theres a good reason. Hollywood would never take such a gamble with the manmade rules of football. So, when it comes to something profound like the guiding rules of the universe, why, of course, break the rules at willno risk here.

Okay, I realize that Hollywood isnt likely to reform, but at least by discussing bad movie physics its possible to repair some of the damage done to our clear thinking by constant exposure to foolishness. Sadly, Hollywood has a rational reason for affording more respect to the rules of football than the laws of physics: audiences are more likely to know them. Ironically, movies may be part of the cure for this ailment: Hollywoods bad physics examples are good physics teaching tools. Besides, movies are almost as entertaining as physics, so what could be more fun than combining the two?

In 1997, after years of watching one Hollywood physics wreck after another, I took a stand for decency in movie physics by founding what has become the premier movie physics site on the Internet. Since American moviegoers are used to rating systems warning of possible affronts to their sensibilities from strong language, violence, and sexuality, and since warning systems are, of course, highly effective deterrents, how could I resist? I created a similar system to warn about affronts from bad physics. Well, maybe ratings arent so effective but at least theyre fun.