The Physics of Superheroes

Table Of Contents

The Physics of Super HeroesForeword
Preface to the Second Edition
Introduction: Secret Origins: How Science Saved Superhero Comic Books

Section 1-Mechanics

1. Up, Up, and Away-Forces and Motion
2. Deconstructing Krypton-Newton’s Law of Gravity
3. The Day Gwen Stacy Died-Impulse and Momentum
4. Flash Facts-Friction, Drag, and Sound
5. If This Be My Density-Properties of Matter
6. So He Talks to Fishes, Want to Make Something of It?-Fluid Mechanics
7. Can He Swing From a Thread?-Centripetal Acceleration
8. Can Ant-Man Punch His Way Out of a Paper Bag?-Torque and Rotation
9. The Human Top Goes Out for a Spin-Angular Momentum
10. Is Ant-Man Deaf, Dumb, and Blind?-Simple Harmonic Motion
11.Like a Flash of Lightning-Special Relativity

Section 2-Energy-Heat and Light

12. The Central City Diet Plan-Conservation of Energy
13. The Case of the Missing Work-The Three Laws of Thermodynamics
14. Mutant Meteorology-Conduction and Convection
15. How the Monstrous Menace of the Mysterious Melter Makes Dinner Preparation a Breeze-Phase Transitions
16. Electro’s Clinging Ways-Electrostatics
17. Superman Schools Spider-Man-Electrical Currents
18. How Electro Becomes Magneto When He Runs-Ampere’s Law
19. How Magneto Becomes Electro When He Runs-Magnetism and Faraday’s Law
20. Electro and Magneto Do the Wave-Electromagnetism and Light

Section 3-Modern Physics

21. Journey Into the Microverse-Atomic Physics
22. Not a Dream! Not a Hoax! Not an Imaginary Tale!-Quantum Mechanics
23. Through a Wall Lightly-Tunneling Phenomena
24. Sock It to Shellhead-Solid-State Physics
25. The Costumes are Super, Too-Materials Science

Section 4-What Have We Learned?

26. Me Am Bizarro!-Superhero Bloopers
Afterword-Lo, There Shall Be an Ending!
Recommended Reading
Key Equations
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index