RFLA 200S 02 - Science of Superheroes (CRN 10340)

The superhero genre is all the rage right now. But do superhero comic books and movies get any of the science right? Can gamma rays turn you into the Hulk? How much energy would the Flash need in order to use his super speed? How much force does Superman need to exert to “leap tall buildings in a single bound”? In this course, we will examine the concept of a superhero throughout history. We will analyze comic books as well as study recent superhero films to determine if the powers and abilities of the most well-known superheroes are scientifically possible. In addition, we will learn to apply the scientific principles of energy, thermodynamics, astronomy and more to a wide variety of super-powered characters. The course contains a required lab, where we will perform experiments to estimate the strength of Superman’s skeletal structure or the forces experienced by Spiderman during his webslinging.

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