Good examples of Physics in movies

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on identifying movies that effectively illustrate principles of physics, with participants suggesting titles such as "October Sky," "2001: A Space Odyssey," and "The Right Stuff." The forum emphasizes the importance of providing proof of physics concepts from the films, ranging from kinematics to quantum physics. Participants also mention the need for viewers to analyze the scenes themselves to understand the underlying physics, rather than simply providing answers for homework assignments. Resources like "Mythbusters" and various online lists are recommended for further exploration of physics in cinema.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics concepts, including kinematics and quantum physics.
  • Familiarity with cinematic techniques and storytelling in film.
  • Ability to analyze film scenes for scientific accuracy.
  • Knowledge of specific movies that depict physics principles.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research "Mythbusters" episodes related to physics in movies.
  • Explore the physics concepts presented in "2001: A Space Odyssey."
  • Analyze the scientific accuracy of scenes in "The Right Stuff."
  • Investigate the portrayal of relativistic speeds in "Battlestar Galactica."
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for students, educators, and film enthusiasts interested in the intersection of physics and cinema, particularly those looking to enhance their understanding of scientific principles as depicted in popular films.

613theprince
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Good examples of Physics in movies...

hey guys...
im kind of new to this site...and I am really facing diffictuly with my upcoming project due this wedesday...
i need to give atleast (minimum) 7 examples of good physics in movies...with proof of phyics... please i need HELPP! ASAP
if you guys don't mind placing as many examples as you could with proof from the laws of physics that any scene (so and so) obeys the laws and fundamentals of physics that would be greatly aprecaited...each example provided must be a length of one paragraph
**please note it could be any proof from laws of physics...(from kinematics to quantom physics)...ANYTHING!
thank you guys tooo much...and happy new year... THANK YOU! :)
 
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Generally it is against guidelines to ask for the answers for a homework assignment. The forum only allows help with them. In this case someone might be able to suggest certain movies or maybe even certian scenes but it will be up to you to provide the proofs.

I would suggest some movies but I can't really think of any at the moment.
 


October Sky is a very good one :biggrin:
 


2001: A Space Odyssey did a really good job as regards the Pan Am Clipper and movement on the moon.
 


I think this person is really stressing and wants lots of answers...they posted on yahoo answers, with the same exact post, lol.
 


Perhaps, but when one comes to PF for help, it is guaranteed to be 'peer-reviewed' for accuracy. (Not 'peers', exactly, since the final authorities are experts.) When an idiot chirps up (which, frequently, is me :redface:), someone with more knowledge sets it straight.
We don't supply solutions in an academic perspective, but guide people toward them. For non-academic endeavours, I personally try to provide as good a solution as I can.
In this case, pointing out a few films isn't in violation of the guidelines, since the OP still has to figure out what physics applies in them.
 


Yeah, I'm way more dumb than you, but we can always help a friend in need, especially when it comes to Physics :biggrin: and movies, what a great mix. I loved October Sky, I watched it for the first time, back in sixth grade, in my science class.

Yeah, they kinda really need to see the movie to know how and why Physics is being applied in them. Looks like it will be movie night for a few days. It does sound fun tho!
 


"In space, no one can hear you scream" (They got one thing right)
 


mcknia07 said:
Yeah, I'm way more dumb than you. Looks like it will be movie night for a few days.

No way are you dumber than me. I hold records for dumbness that you could only dream about, pup.
And if there is a movie night involved (although it wouldn't help the OP with the question), one has to include 'Spaced Invaders'. I still laugh my guts out just thinking about it.
 
  • #10


What about Inspector Gadget? Was that made into a film?
 
  • #12


In Star Trek, when Picard/(or replace here your favourite captain) is walking on Earth, he is obeys the law of gravity.
 
  • #13


"The Dish" is good (and entertaining as well).

The principles are a little subtle, such as:

How did they pick the dates? They're more important than they seem. Why would a two-body solution for the orbit work at the time they used, but not work closer to the actual Moon landing? (kind of obvious once you think about it).

Think about it and you can envision how they plan things like the Moon landing - two-body orbit, wait for the Moon to come through the middle of the orbit, then slow down enough that the Moon captures the spacecraft into an orbit.

If you copy the orbital elements from the blackboard, they actually do work and the actual look angles for the antenna are correct for a two-body solution (the actual look angles should be slightly different since the Moon is just close enough to start affecting the orbit, but the look angles are definitely close enough that they could have found Apollo 11).

They even used the correct location for the Moon.

Bad math? Even with a slide rule, it's not going to take 24 hours or whatever to calculate the look angles. It should take a couple hours, maybe 2 and a half hours at most.

Bad trigonometery? Glenn is panicking over the how far off his calculations might be, but if you compare that error to how far away the Moon is, the error in the angles is extremely small - definitely small enough they could have found Apollo 11 fairly easily.
 
  • #14


misgfool said:
In Star Trek, when Picard/(or replace here your favourite captain) is walking on Earth, he is obeys the law of gravity.

You silly ***—that was all special effects.
Patrick Stewart has, in fact, never set foot upon this planet. The whole show was done on a sound stage orbiting Jupiter. They did a great job of pretending to be in a gravitational field, but I'm pretty sure that nobody other than you was actually fooled by it. :rolleyes:

edit: How could I have forgotten...? 'The Right Stuff'.
 
  • #15


In "The Day the Earth Stood Still," there's a scene in which a physicist is working on a general relativity problem on a blackboard. The alien comes in and corrects a couple of equations, thus unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics. All of the physics on the blackboard, except obviously for the final step, is strictly correct. I know because in one corner of the blackboard was the name "M. Peloso." This sounded strangely familiar, so I googled and found that the equations had been provided by my cosmology professor from undergrad, Marco Peloso!
 
  • #16


Danger said:
You silly ***—that was all special effects.
Patrick Stewart has, in fact, never set foot upon this planet. The whole show was done on a sound stage orbiting Jupiter. They did a great job of pretending to be in a gravitational field, but I'm pretty sure that nobody other than you was actually fooled by it. :rolleyes:

edit: How could I have forgotten...? 'The Right Stuff'.

Come on, you're so gullible. Patrick Stewart was a name of one holographic character in a borg training simulation.
 
  • #17


"Mythbusters" on the discovery channel has done a lot episodes pertaining to movies and the physics involved in stunts, unfortunately a lot of them are busted.

http://shopping.discovery.com/product-61560.html


They have a lot of Mythbusters clips on youtube. Here is the Ninja walk on water stunt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GWhOLorDtw&feature=related
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #18


Red Planet had some good physics (and bad).

The zero-g fire was pretty cool, and the design of the spaceship itself was pretty reasonable.
 
  • #19


mcknia07 said:
Yeah, I'm way more dumb than you, but we can always help a friend in need, especially when it comes to Physics :biggrin: and movies, what a great mix.

Not always. Not when it would constitute cheating.

So it's okay to maybe post some movies for the OP to go check out, but try to avoid answering his project questions for him. Like, don't say, "This right here is a good example in this movie." Instead, say, "The movie _____ has some good things in it you might be able to use. What do you think those are and why?"
 
  • #20


The matrix? The bullet sequences depict shock waves effectively? Their use of an EMP?
 
  • #21
Check out this site:

http://www.nicholls.edu/phsc/movies/

Chad
 
  • #22


Contact seems like one that should go on the list.
 
  • #23


Futurama has some good math and physics occasionally (probably mostly in the TV series, but maybe in the movies too) "Sweet Clyde, use variation of parameters and expand the Wronskian!"

There might be some decent physics in Serenity (at least I think the space scenes are completely silent)

I also remember in battlestar galactica they mentioned "relativistic speeds" at one point and implied something about time dilation...but again, a TV show, not a movie.
 
  • #24


It's been a while since I've seen it so I can't say if it's "good" physics, but Donnie Darko was good.
 

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