Captain America Civil War Physics Question (spoilers)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the physics of a scene from the Captain America movie where the character appears to pull a helicopter downwards while in midair. Participants explore the feasibility of this action from a physics perspective, considering principles such as force, acceleration, and momentum.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that it is possible to exert a downward force greater than one's weight by using Newton's 3rd Law, implying that the character could pull the helicopter down if he moved upward simultaneously.
  • Others propose analyzing the situation using free body diagrams to understand the relationship between Captain America and the helicopter's acceleration.
  • A participant mentions that if Captain America were to exert enough impulse, he would shoot into the sky, indicating that the scene is more of a "plausible impossibility" rather than a realistic portrayal.
  • Some participants note that Captain America may have used an anchor point, such as hooking his arm onto a rail, to assist in the maneuver, suggesting that this could change the dynamics of the situation.
  • One participant raises the idea that if Captain America's jump was higher than the helicopter's skids, he could momentarily affect the helicopter's balance, allowing it to drop slightly before the pilot could react.
  • There is a mention of the fantastical elements of superhero abilities, suggesting that the physics may not fully apply due to the character's enhanced capabilities.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of views, with some agreeing on the principles of physics involved while others highlight the limitations and fantastical aspects of the scene. No consensus is reached on the feasibility of the action as depicted in the film.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the reliance on assumptions about the character's abilities and the specific conditions of the scene, such as the helicopter's state and the effects of Captain America's momentum.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to fans of physics, film analysis, and those curious about the application of physical laws in fictional contexts.

Daniel Lobo
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Hello everyone, a question has popped up in my mind after watching the the new Captain America movie recently in theaters, obviously the prerequisite to answering it requires you to have watched the movie and so, even though it's nothing major, I'll leave an extra spoiler warning here just in case.
My question is wether or not Captain America could really pull the helicopter downwards without holding holding on to anything as he did in the movie, equivalently, could I exert a downwards force while in midair greater than my own weight. Now I'm not asking wether or not he could really exert such a force, but if in principle it is possible.
Sorry for my bad english.

Cheers
 
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You can pull harder than your weight - you just move up a bit.
Newton's 3rd Law.

You can analyse this by free body diagram to get the relationship between the copter and cap's acceleration.
 
Captain would move up, then by Newtons 3rd law the heli would accelerate downwards acoordingly?
 
Yep - you can probably work it out by free body diagrams.
The effect is a bit like you have someone on skates on ice trying to pull a heavy ice sled towards them by a rope.
You are probably more used to that situation from physics class.

If Cap gives enough impulse to drop the copter say 3-4m to the ground in less than a second, he would shoot into the sky.
I gather that didn't happen ... so your instincts were good: it was a cartoon move: what Disney called a "plausible impossibility".
 
If I remember correctly - didn't Cap hook his other arm onto a rail attached to the building in the film? An anchor like that would be helpful. With the Super Soldier Formula, all things are possible. If he can survive decades frozen in ice, surely he can toss around a mere helicopter. :)
 
He difinatly did hook his hand on the building, but that was after his initial jump and bringing the heli down to the required height if I'm not mistaken.
 
Not seen the movie.
If his jump was higher than the helecopter skid(?), and it was hovering, then it is plausible that the sudden appearance of his weight on a finely balanced system could cause the copter to drop a bit before the pilot could correct. The extra impulse comes from his momentum when he hits. I think it's quite hard to shove a helecopter around though.

Helecopters can usually wrench a handrail away from it's supports ... so what sort of rail?

Mond you - these superheroes have magic properties that appear and vanish whenever the plot calls for it.
 

This is the scene in question I think.
 
Maybe Bucky didn't floor it right away because deep down he didn't want to injure his friend?
 

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