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The Physics of Superheroes by James Kakalios: Used

AlibrisBooks
(460073)
Registered as a business seller
US $8.22
Approximately£6.13
Condition:
Good
Breathe easy. Returns accepted.
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Located in: Sparks, Nevada, United States
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Estimated between Thu, 24 Jul and Tue, 29 Jul to 94104
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    Diners Club

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eBay item number:364044925524
Last updated on 19 Jul, 2025 17:47:40 BSTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Condition
Good: A book that has been read, but is in good condition. Minimal damage to the book cover eg. ...
Publication Date
2005-10-01
Pages
365
ISBN
9781592401468

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
ISBN-10
1592401465
ISBN-13
9781592401468
eBay Product ID (ePID)
46465914

Product Key Features

Book Title
Physics of Superheroes
Number of Pages
384 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2005
Topic
General, Popular Culture, Physics / General, Comics & Graphic Novels
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Literary Criticism, Social Science, Science
Author
James Kakalios
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Height
1.3 in
Item Weight
20.5 Oz
Item Length
9.2 in
Item Width
6.1 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2005-046095
TitleLeading
The
Dewey Edition
22
Grade From
Twelfth Grade
Dewey Decimal
530/.071/1
Synopsis
If superheroes stepped off the comic book page or silver screen and into reality, could they actually work their wonders in a world constrained by the laws of physics? How strong would Superman have to be to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Could Storm of the X-Men possibly control the weather? And how many cheeseburgers would the Flash need to eat to be able to run at supersonic speeds? Face front, True Believer, and wonder no more! Because in "The Physics of Superheroes" acclaimed university professor James Kakalios shows that comic book heroes and villains get their physics right more often than you think. In this scintillating scientific survey of super powers youll learn what the physics of forces and motion can reveal about Supermans strength and the true cause of the destruction of his home planet Krypton, what villains Magneto and Electro can teach us about the nature of electricityand finally get the definitive answer about whether it was the Green Goblin or Spider-Mans webbing that killed the Wall Crawlers girlfriend Gwen Stacy in that fateful plunge from the George Washington Bridge! Along the way, "The Physics of Superheroes" explores everything from energy, to thermodynamics, to quantum mechanics, to solid state physics, and Kakalios relates the physics in comic books to such real-world applications as automobile airbags, microwave ovens, and transistors. Youll also see how comic books have often been ahead of science in explaining recent topics in quantum mechanics (with Kitty Pryde of the X-Men) and string theory (with the Crisis on Infinite Earths). This is the book you need to read if you ever wondered how the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Fourcan see when she turns transparent, if the Atom could travel on an electron through a phone line, or if electromagnetic theory can explain how Professor X reads minds. Fun, provocative, and packed with more superheroes and superpowers than an Avengers-Justice League crossover, "The Physics of Superheroes" will make both comic-book fans and physicists exclaim, Excelsior! Quotes: "The Physics of Superheroes" is clear, rapid, funny, and endlessly informative as if Stan Lee and George Gamow had teamed up to battle the nefarious forces of ignorance. Gerard Jones, author of "Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book" Author James Kakalios is a scientific genius who could put Lex Luthor and Dr. Doom to shame. Superman should have him on retainer. I dobecause "The Physics Of Superheroes" is this comic-book writer's newest favorite indispensable resource. Mark Waid, writer of "Spider-Man, Superman," and the "Fantastic Four", If superheroes stepped off the comic book page or silver screen and into reality, could they actually work their wonders in a world constrained by the laws of physics? How strong would Superman have to be to leap tall buildings in a single bound”? Could Storm of the X-Men possibly control the weather? And how many cheeseburgers would the Flash need to eat to be able to run at supersonic speeds?Face front, True Believer, and wonder no more! Because in The Physics of Superheroesacclaimed university professor James Kakalios shows that comic book heroes and villains get their physics right more often than you think.In this scintillating scientific survey of super powers you’ll learn what the physics of forces and motion can reveal about Superman’s strength and the true cause of the destruction of his home planet Krypton, what villains Magneto and Electro can teach us about the nature of electricity—and finally get the definitive answer about whether it was the Green Goblin or Spider-Man’s webbing that killed the Wall Crawler’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy in that fateful plunge from the George Washington Bridge!Along the way, The Physics of Superheroesexplores everything from energy, to thermodynamics, to quantum mechanics, to solid state physics, and Kakalios relates the physics in comic books to such real-world applications as automobile airbags, microwave ovens, and transistors. You’ll also see how comic books have often been ahead of science in explaining recent topics in quantum mechanics (with Kitty Pryde of the X-Men) and string theory (with the Crisis on Infinite Earths).This is the book you need to read if you ever wondered how the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four can see when she turns transparent, if the Atom could travel on an electron through a phone line, or if electromagnetic theory can explain how Professor X reads minds. Fun, provocative, and packed with more superheroes and superpowers than an Avengers-Justice League crossover, The Physics of Superheroeswill make both comic-book fans and physicists exclaim, Excelsior!” Quotes: The Physics of Superheroesis clear, rapid, funny, and endlessly informative— as if Stan Lee and George Gamow had teamed up to battle the nefarious forces of ignorance.” —Gerard Jones, author of Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book Author James Kakalios is a scientific genius who could put Lex Luthor and Dr. Doom to shame. Superman should have him on retainer. I do—because The Physics Of Superheroesis this comic-book writer's newest favorite indispensable resource.” —Mark Waid, writer of Spider-Man, Superman, and the Fantastic Four
LC Classification Number
QC23.2.K35 2005

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