superheroes vs. the laws of physics

[Vanguard07]

I've seen him do it tons of times. He'll crawl through the window of someone's apartment and stick crawl around on the walls.
You hardly ever see Spiderman standing on the floor. He's always on the wall or ceiling whether inside or outside.

The only thing i can think of is Earth 616 just doesnt build the interior of their buildings out of dry-wall.

 

[Vanguard07]

Man we are some Uber Geeks.

Damn right D!
And I hear we're gonna inherit the earth one day.
That'll be sweet.
Till the less meek take it back at least.

 

[The Question]

I've seen him do it tons of times. He'll crawl through the window of someone's apartment and stick crawl around on the walls.
You hardly ever see Spiderman standing on the floor. He's always on the wall or ceiling whether inside or outside.

The only thing i can think of is Earth 616 just doesnt build the interior of their buildings out of dry-wall.

Well, I guess he just knows how to distribute his weight properly.

 

[Kotagg]

As for Nightcrawler, we need to clarify whether his "wormholes" are actually singularities, or just folds in space. If they are the former, there's no "time limit" that they have to close in for the matter around them to be sucked in.

There is no pulling time for a singularity; the moment it exists, all matter within its are of effect is instantly engulfed.

 

[deemar325]

Damn right D!
And I hear we're gonna inherit the earth one day.
That'll be sweet.
Till the less meek take it back at least.

Power to the Geeky!!!

 

[ookami]

Man we are some Uber Geeks.

Geeks are sexy. I luv a man who knows what he's talking about..makes me tingly in very nice places.

 

[Kotagg]

Lol

 

[KevanG]

Actually a book (novel, no pics) concerning wolverines skeleton came out recently. It's called Weapon X and it goes into all sorts of details about how they used little nanothingies that acted as pores in wolvies skeleton when the metal got put on. It was all pretty cool.
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/books-978141652164/141652164X/Wolverine+Weapon+X

 

[War Lord]

Cyclops: there's no recoil from a laser, why would there be recoil from Cyclops's blast? There is only recoil from something that has mass.

Invisible Woman: she'd only have a problem if her retinas were invisible or if she blocked all light from reaching them. She creates a force field around herself that refracts light. She must be able to control the amount of light entering the forcefield while also blocking the light from exiting and reaching someone else's eyes allowing them to see her.

got nothing for the Vision

When Cykes hits a target, that's where physics would strike back.

 

[KevanG]

Didn't they come out with a book that explained the science behind superheros?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

There's a book called The Science of Superheroes (and there's a The Science of Supervillains, too), but it doesn't really explain the science behind their powers so much as it questions whether there is any science to back up the powers.

 

[X-Punisher]

Lackey: The laser thing is a good point - and correct me if I'm wrong - but I think that Cyke's optic blasts have been determined to be kinetic in nature, meaning they're not so much "hot" lasers as they are physical intertia-based blasts. Thus, I think XFanTim's deduction is applicable.

How about superheroes punching each other? Many people have super strength and fight those without it, but do not kill them. For instance, Spiderman punches DocOc/Shocker/Chameleon/etc quite often in the face. Why does this punch not shatter his face and kill him, considering this is the same Spidey that lifts tons of weight?

And this one is semi-related, I guess: one of Rogue's issues with her powers is her inability to participate in intimate contact. Now of course I'm sure she means hugging, cuddling, and all that in addition, but I'm sure a noticeable part of it is the inability to copulate. That said, whatever happened to a condom? A specialized panythose/condom combination? The sensation and intimacy is still there for the most part.

Spiderman pulls his punches.

 

[The Question]

There's a book called The Science of Superheroes (and there's a The Science of Supervillains, too), but it doesn't really explain the science behind their powers so much as it questions whether there is any science to back up the powers.

Yeah. I heard that book wasn't very good. The Science of Superman and the Physics of Superheroes are both much better.

 

[Ahura Mazda]

Well one is about the pysics of flight for most of the superheroes. What is it that propels them in the air, and how can they hover there. It is not a question theat they have lowerred their body mass to make themselves buoyant by the wind, for if that was the case Superman could not hit people while in the air.

Ok we could say this was telekenisis but if that was the case, this power should be able to use to affect others.

Also, given that Superman obtains his powers through the absorbtion of solar rays from the Sun, how come he is not black which would make it more efficient.

 

[daveswb]

Cool topic, but I think we are loosing focus. The discussion I though wasn't how do thier powers work, but with thier power how they break the laws of physics.

IE who cares how they fly. The question is when superman punches somone in mid air with his incredible force, how come they aren't flung to the other side of the country?

The spider-man one is good to. If he weighs 167 lbs (according to marvel.com) Even if he is clung with both hands and both feet dividing his weight evenly that's still 42 lbs of weight per appendage. More often than not the walls going to give. The only way to really explain it is with the electricity type explination. That he is also clung "magnetically" to the studs and braces underneath as well.

 

[The Question]

Well one is about the pysics of flight for most of the superheroes. What is it that propels them in the air, and how can they hover there. It is not a question theat they have lowerred their body mass to make themselves buoyant by the wind, for if that was the case Superman could not hit people while in the air.

Ok we could say this was telekenisis but if that was the case, this power should be able to use to affect others.

Also, given that Superman obtains his powers through the absorbtion of solar rays from the Sun, how come he is not black which would make it more efficient.

Flight:


One theory is that Superman has a super conductive organ or nervous system. Superconductivity is when there's no resistance when an object conducts electricity. Depending on the current, the object will often either float or get much heavyer. If Superman has such an organ or nervous system that is designed to manipulate the pull of gravity on him, then his flight makes sense.


As for the skin tone, solor absorbtion would be more efficient if his skin were pure white, like an albino's. Melanin blocks the absorbtion of solar rays. My best guess is that Superman's skin has a chemical in it that gives him pigment but doesn't blovk solar rays like melanin does.

 

[Ahura Mazda]

Flight:


One theory is that Superman has a super conductive organ or nervous system. Superconductivity is when there's no resistance when an object conducts electricity. Depending on the current, the object will often either float or get much heavyer. If Superman has such an organ or nervous system that is designed to manipulate the pull of gravity on him, then his flight makes sense.


As for the skin tone, solor absorbtion would be more efficient if his skin were pure white, like an albino's. Melanin blocks the absorbtion of solar rays. My best guess is that Superman's skin has a chemical in it that gives him pigment but doesn't blovk solar rays like melanin does.

Yes I see where I got the skin tone wrong. I was thinking more more on how white is the absence of all color while black was the absorption of all colors (all 3 of them that is). I think I worte too fast however because I did not think it through which is explainned that those with the darkest skins generally come from countries with the greatest solar exposure and therefore given human anatomy their skin tone protects them from it.

Again on his flight, if he were to able to affect the pull on gravity on himself to allow flight, how does it allow him to hit something with any impact while being light enough to float, unless you are telling he can affect his different body prts seperately.

 

[daveswb]

Flight:


One theory is that Superman has a super conductive organ or nervous system. Superconductivity is when there's no resistance when an object conducts electricity. Depending on the current, the object will often either float or get much heavyer. If Superman has such an organ or nervous system that is designed to manipulate the pull of gravity on him, then his flight makes sense.


As for the skin tone, solor absorbtion would be more efficient if his skin were pure white, like an albino's. Melanin blocks the absorbtion of solar rays. My best guess is that Superman's skin has a chemical in it that gives him pigment but doesn't blovk solar rays like melanin does.

Well it would make sense on earth. Not in the vacum of space. How does he fly in space? How does he fly out of our solar system if the yellow sun gives him his powers?

 

[The Question]

Again on his flight, if he were to able to affect the pull on gravity on himself to allow flight, how does it allow him to hit something with an impact while being light enough to float, plus how does he propel himself against the wind.

Gravity doesn't just work in terms of up and down. Every object has a gravitational pull to it. Superman can manipulate gravity as to float and propell himself.

Well it would make sense on earth. Not in the vacum of space. How does he fly in space?

Same way he flied on Earth. Manipulates gravity. There is gravity in space from all the planets and asteroids and the like. It's just much weaker.

How does he fly out of our solar system if the yellow sun gives him his powers?

The sun powers him. But he builds up a solar charge. And our sun isn't the only star in the universe.

 

[daveswb]

So he's like a big solar battery? No!

There was a superman comic where he was sent to the future in where the sun changed to a red star. And the instant he was there he was powerless. If he had stored up power he would of had some power for a short time, wouldn't he? Also again in the dark night returns. Superman is near a nuculear expolsion and the expolsion causes a giant cloud to block him from the sun. The explosion than hurts him. He almost dies until he get's away from the cload cover and back into the sunlight. So there are 2 examples he does nto "Store" up the energy. So again how does his power work on in other non yellow suned solar systems?

Also you have to assume that he has to be with in a certian aproximation to the yellow son to get his powers. So as he get's to the edge of the solar system and further away from the sun he would begin to lose his powers. How close is the next yellow star to us? And how close does he have to be for his powers to work?

Because just saying the other stars give him power than means that the other stars in the universe would of powered all the kryptonians and they would all been able to escape thier planets destruction.

 

[Varient]

Nah, there are major problems even with that explanation. Any miniature singularities would suck in the matter around them, such as the air, ground, trees, etc.

No, Nightcrawler's powers have been explained as using the Dark Matter than Cloak uses - meaning they are "magic," and thus completely outside of science.

????

U assume that the pressure on the other side of "the hole" is less than our side.

Unless you are typing about spacial singularities which are another way of saying "Blackhole" a serious gravity well that nothing escapes.


I believe his power is explained as the forming of a portal from one place to another that transits a dimension established in marvel as "the darkforce dimension" a place which either powers or effects are utilized by a number of characters in the marvel universe.

Teleportation can be explained in science by three or four theories that don't require transit thru otherspace - but Nightcrawlers does.

 

[Varient]

How can Wolverine's body produce blood cell if his skeleton is covered in metal?

they have said "laced" for over 20 years.

 

[Lackey]

Again on his flight, if he were to able to affect the pull on gravity on himself to allow flight, how does it allow him to hit something with any impact while being light enough to float, unless you are telling he can affect his different body prts seperately.

You're confusing weight and mass. Take two astronauts in space who are virtually weightless... just because they're weightless doesn't mean that one ramming into the other one or throwing a punch isn't going to hurt or cause damage. They're weightless, but they didn't lose any of their mass.

 

[MajinShenron]

When Thor and Captain America fought, Thor hit Cap's shield and it barely moved Cap. Ok, lets say Cap's shield was strong enough to not break, but there is no way it can withstand enough to not send Cap flying.

 

[LibrarianThorne]

So he's like a big solar battery? No!

There was a superman comic where he was sent to the future in where the sun changed to a red star. And the instant he was there he was powerless. If he had stored up power he would of had some power for a short time, wouldn't he? Also again in the dark night returns. Superman is near a nuculear expolsion and the expolsion causes a giant cloud to block him from the sun. The explosion than hurts him. He almost dies until he get's away from the cload cover and back into the sunlight. So there are 2 examples he does nto "Store" up the energy. So again how does his power work on in other non yellow suned solar systems?

Also you have to assume that he has to be with in a certian aproximation to the yellow son to get his powers. So as he get's to the edge of the solar system and further away from the sun he would begin to lose his powers. How close is the next yellow star to us? And how close does he have to be for his powers to work?

Because just saying the other stars give him power than means that the other stars in the universe would of powered all the kryptonians and they would all been able to escape thier planets destruction.

Actually, since 1986, Superman is a big solar battery. That's why Kryptonite isn't an instant win on him any more (Kryptonite replaces the yellow sun radiation in his body with the lethal Kryptonite radiation, but he's sucked up so much power from the sun that he needs to be around green Kryptonite for a very long time before he's in any danger of death).

As to why Superman doesn't shatter the Eath (or at least Metropolis) with a single punch is because he holds back more than nearly any other being on Earth. When he punches a villain, he's not going all out unless he's positive that the villain is big enough to take it (like Doomsday or Darkseid). Even then, he typically won't go all out (he wasn't going at full power against Doomsday until an issue before his death, and at that point he'd been massivley weakened due to the prolonged fight). Superman also has a top speed of somewhere around two or three times light speed, as when President Luthor was elected he shattered one of Jupiter's moons by flying into it at superluminal velocity.

(Yes, that last sentence exists solely so I can use the word 'superluminal' in a sentence.)