Movie Physics

If you're like me, you frequently get annoyed with the way physics is portrayed in movies. The website Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics (ISMP) records some of the worst violations. They outline the physics actually at work in such situations as flashing bullets, flying through a glass window, gas tanks exploding due to being shot, and the like. They also review individual movies, with ratings based on their physics, and a detailed description of what exactly is wrong with the way physics is portrayed in the film.

This seems to me like a good opportunity for entertaining educational experiences. Teachers or parents could view a portion of a popular film with students (such as the horrendous opening fight scene of Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, reviewed at length in ISMP), then discuss the scientific flaws in the work. An AP physics student could write an entire research paper on the flaws in that first scene of Episode III, complete with equations calculating what would actually happen (based on estimated quantities, such as mass, of the various participating entities).

Of course, the accurate physics in a film is not necessarily an indication of how good the film is. One of my favorite films is Back to the Future and, let's face it, a time-traveling Delorian is about as unscientific a premise as you can have for a film, even ignoring the time paradox confusion that arises in all three of the films.

But analyzing such a film to understand where you are suspending physical disbelief for the purpose of entertainment is a good way to develop scientific thinking skills.