Dr. James Kakalios - Physics Professor/Author
Dr. James Kakalios at CONvergence 2006.
James Kakalios is a physics professor at the University of Minnesota. Known within the scientific community for his work with amorphous semiconductors, granular materials, and 1/f noise, he is known to the general public as the author of the book The Physics of Superheroes, which considers comic book superheroes from the standpoint of fundamental physics.
Kakalios, who earned PhD from the University of Chicago in 1985, began his comic book collection as a graduate student as a way to relieve stress. At Minnesota, he taught a freshman seminar that focused on the physics of superheroes as a way to motivate students to think about physics. This course gained great popularity as an inticing alternative to the typical inclined planes and pulleys of physics.
The seminar was a great success, leading to articles in popular magazines including People, lectures on the subject, and publication of The Physics of Superheroes. First published in 2005, the book explores the basic laws of physics. Dr. Jim's goal is not to show where the world of superheroes contradicts modern science - he grants each of the heroes one or more "miracle exceptions" from natural law; instead, he focuses on examples of comic book scenes that can be used to understand the diverse laws of physics from an unusual angle. How did Gwen Stacy die? Spider-Man obviously didn't know enough about the effects of sudden acceleration. Can Ant-Man literally punch his way out of a paper bag? It's a matter of physics - of levers and torque, to be precise. In this way, Kakalios covers diverse topics, from mechanics to the quantum world.
It's a fitting venture for Dr. Jim, whose lifelong love of comic books helped cultivate his passion for science. "As a kid, comic books helped fuel my curiosity," he recalls. In one story, his favorite hero, The Flash, lost his ability to avoid air resistance and friction. "It made me aware [that], aside from the silly notion of superpowers, there were all sorts of secondary issues associated with the ability to run superfast that I hadn't considered."
Convinced that comics could help make science more accessible and appealing to students of any age, Kakalios toyed for years with the notion of creating a class on the science of superheroes.
"Take Superman," says Jim. "In his very first year, he could only leap, not fly. His skin was tough, he had great strength, all because Krypton had larger gravity than Earth. Using the hero's ability 'to leap over tall buildings in a single bound' as a benchmark, the class calculated that Krypton's gravity would have to have been six to eight times that of Earth."
"That means Krypton had to be either six times larger or six times denser than Earth. Assuming that normal matter on Krypton obeys the laws of physics, the planet could not be six times denser than Earth. So Krypton had to be six times larger," explains Kakalios. "But any planet that much larger than Earth would have to be a gas giant like Jupiter. Because Krypton had a solid crust supporting buildings and cities, the only other explanation for its increased gravity would be a super-dense -- and unstable -- material like a neutron star in its core. And that would explain why Krypton exploded."
Dr. Jim is of the opinion that the most unrealistic aspect of the comic-book universe is often the sociology. He notes that pedestrians don't usually provide running monologues describing everything around them. There is one aspect of the story of the Atom that he does not question, however. The Atom begins as a physics professor, who encounters a chunk of white dwarf star and picks it up. "By a conservative estimate, he is lifting about 5000 metric tons. This is not unreasonable," Kakalios will say at the end of his talk, taking off his glasses before walking offstage. "We physics professors are just that strong."
Website: http://www.physicsofsuperheroes.com/