Bad Movie Physics Hurt Scientific Understanding

eldavojohn writes "A paper published by UCF researchers claims that bad movie physics hurt students' understanding of real world physics. From the article, "Some people really do believe a bus traveling 70 mph can clear a 50-foot gap in a freeway, as depicted in the movie Speed." The professors published this paper out of fear that society will pay the price. One of the authors commented on advancements in the past years "All the luxuries we have today, the modern conveniences, are a result of the science research that went on in the '60s during the space race. It didn't just happen. It took people doing hard science to do it." I commented on the physics of the most recent Die Hard having problems detracting from my enjoyment of the movie but is it really the root of a growing problem of poor science & math among students?"

Well

[stupidpuppy]

It does go a long way towards explaining the epidemic of bus jumping accidents.

Watching movies is not physics homework...

[EmbeddedJanitor]

... and it ain't no muthufukin English homework neither!

Re:Oh please..

[bigstrat2003]

I grew up with Ghostbusters and Star Wars but I never once thought that when I grew up I'd be creeping around old libraries with a Nuclear Device as a backback or tickling an Ewok under its chin while flying my spaceship around like it was a jet fighter.

Hey, it's not our fault you lack imagination. ;)

I'll cut the crap right now.

[Anonymous Coward]

You're going to get tons of people agreeing with your every word and placing you in their friends list, but I'm not going to play their games and be straight with you instead: can you ask your sister to get me a job at Pixar? And will she be my girlfriend? Either will do. Thanks.

Hollywood Porn Biology Hurts Sexual Understanding

[Anonymous Coward]

I dont know about Hollymood movies and physics but Hollywood porn sure destroyed my understanding of women and sex. Here are some of the things I learnt from Hollywood porn that I found out (the hard way) weren't really true:

1. Women always wear 6-inch high-heels to bed.
2. Men are never impotent.
3. Women never have headaches... or periods.
4. If a woman gets busted masturbating by a strange man, she will not scream with embarrassment, but rather insist he have sex with her.
5. When going down on a woman 10 seconds is more than satisfactory.
6. If you come across a guy and his girlfriend having sex in the bushes, the boyfriend won't bash seven shades of shit out of you if you shove your cock in his girlfriend's mouth.
7. Women always look pleasantly surprised when they open a man's trousers and find a cock there.
8. Women moan uncontrollably when giving a blowjob.
9. All women are noisy cummers.
10. A common and enjoyable sexual practice for a man is to take his half-erect penis and slap it repeatedly on a woman's butt or face.
11. A woman can't wait to get it in the ass.
12. People in the 70's couldn't cum unless there was a wild guitar solo in the background.
13. Men always groan "OH YEAH!" when they cum.
14. Double penetration makes women smile.
15 Assholes are so clean, you could eat out of them.
16. When taking a woman from behind, a man can really excite her by giving her a hard slap on the butt.
17. Nurses always suck patients' cocks.
18. Men always pull out.
19. When your girlfriend busts you getting head from her best friend, she'll only be momentarily pissed off before fucking the both of you.
20. Women smile appreciatively when men splat them in the face with sperm.
21. A man ejaculating on a woman's tits or butt is a satisfying result for all parties concerned.
22. Asian men don't exist.

I hope the next generation fed on an abundance of internet porn doesn't have the same misconceptions.

It'd make the jump. . .

[mosb1000]

It'd make the jump, but you might want to try dropping a bus 1.16m before making the determination that it'd be okay.

Re:Idiots

[Sunburnt]

loud explosions heard through a vacuum

How is this unrealistic? Space fleets of the future outfit their crews with situational aural feedback implants. These use a miniaturized tricorder to detect environmental cues and respond by overlaying predetermined noises, which, as everyone in the Federation surely knows, greatly increases human reflexes and situational awareness.

Hell, the directors of Star Trek are doing you a favor by reproducing that audio track in the show. Of course, I might be lying. I imagine at least one Trekker will fact-check this post.

Re:Think of the children...

[Lockejaw]

Ok, we can check antibiotics of the list.

Let's be fair.

[monoqlith]

That bus was going at least 75.

Heh

[David Gould]

My favorite part of the article was the fact that the third Google ad at the top was:

Quantum Physics Secrets - Transform Your Limiting Beliefs Find True Happiness and Purpose
www.MagicalTransformations.com

Just sayin'...

Re:Idiots

[CastrTroy]

And if you think Star Trek is bad, you should check out Dora The Explorer. There's this one movie my kid has, where Dora travels from South America, to France, to Tanzania, to Russia, to China, all in one day. Not only that she's using vehicles like a ship, an amphibious motor scooter, and a train, (I think it's a steam or diesel locomotive, not some fancy mag lev train). She doesn't even make it plausible by using an airplane.

So wait?

[OverlordQ]

A shotgun can't launch a guy backwards 10 feet through a window?

Re:Idiots

[tepples]

The theory of relativity. It isn't a fact it's a merely guess

And I guess that you exist.

the fi in sci-fi

[Hooya]

Forget the bad physics. What about the probabilities?! Don't forget the branch of statistics!! I mean, come on.. What is the probability of bad shit(TM) happening to McClain all the freakin time?? Even worse, what are the probabilities of Bad Shit(TM) happening to McClain exactly as many times as there are Die Hard movies? Either there are some Bad Shit happening to McClain while no one is watching or there are Die Hard movies out there where none of that Bad Shit is happening and McClain is just chillin at home watching TV.

Actually, come to think of it, Bad Shit did happen to his partner Zues. The Motherf*ing snakes on the Motherf*ing plane. But alas, McClain was nowhere to be found.

Re:Die Hard has died

[Farmer Tim]

Gur vaqrfgehpgnoyr nfvna tvey trgf uvg ol n gehpx naq fgvyy svtugf yvxr abguvat unccrarq. [etcetera]

Yep, that's the average undersanding of physics. If only we could port that FF plugin to wetware...

Re:Speed calculation

[Sunburnt]

Hey, if the wheels are turning fast enough, it should aid the jump!

Ah, right. Got me there.

Re:Think of the children...

[deltatype0]

Well damn, there goes my dream of creating little bug-eyed girls with sugar, spice, everything nice, and Chemical X.

Curse you TV and your unreal chemistry.

Curses.

Re:Watching movies is not physics homework...

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you remember a summer blockbuster that was educational?

Do you remember a summer blockbuster that was any good?

Re:Watching movies is not physics homework...

[boaworm]

The Core (2003) http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0298814/ [imdb.com] was both educational and fun.

Atleast reading the movie physics review on it. http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/core.html [intuitor.com]

Quotes such as "It's the worst physics movie...ever...." and "...the movie's heroes are at least 335 bombs short...." just make me laugh everytime I read it

Re:Think of the children...

[Redneck Hacker]

I can't recall anyone claiming that love or flowers are hurting the children.

My kid is allergic to pollen, you insensitive clod.

Re:Idiots

[TClevenger]

No. Others knew that with enough force behind it even a brick could fly.

That would be the inventors of the F-4 Phantom, right? :-)

Re:Watching movies is not physics homework...

[Anonymous Coward]

Nothing beats the screenwriter's infamous defense of his work on AICN [aintitcool.com].

"A five minute trip to any online encyclopedia source (either MSN Encarta or the Britannica service) would let you know that the model of the Earth's Core I used for the movie is correct."

No, seriously.

Re:Idiots

[The One and Only]

I'm not sure when this was written, but nowadays we have things like babelfish and google's language tools and Amikai (not a misspelling) that do instant translation fairly well. "Babelfish" itself is not based on Star Trek but instead on another piece of Sci-Fi, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is itself filled with ridiculously nonsensical things. Nevertheless, babelfish now exists. The algorithms are always improving. I don't see why it's impossible to think that someday we can add voice to those algorithms and put the whole thing on a chip with a small speaker that fits in your ear. (I also don't see what NASA's problem is with "standard frequencies" - few of the aliens in Star Trek live in a vacuum, they've all been in contact with other species and are usually part of one or another galactic organizations. Only non-warp enabled aliens live in a vacuum.)

Or, as Babelfish would say (English to German and back:)

I am not safe, when this was written, but nowadays to have we of things as babelfish and that googles of language tools and Amikai (not a false spelling) the immediate translation rather well do. "Babelfish" is not based on Sterntrek however instead of on another piece of Sci FI, the leader of the trampers to the galaxy, which is filled even with ridiculously senseless things. Exists nevertheless babelfish now. The algorithms always improve. I do not see, why it is impossible to think that a daily we can add voice those algorithms and set the complete thing on a splinter with a small loudspeaker, that into your ear fits (I also do not see, problem of which NASAS with "standard frequencies" am - few the foreigner in the Sterntrek, which is in a vacuum phases, have her everything, those in connection with other sort to be and are normally part of or other galactic organizations. Non--reject only the made possible foreigners, those in a vacuum. Phases are)

Re:Idiots

[Durandal64]

Agreed. Warp-like effect has been studied in theoretical physics, and has even been considered by the US military.

The US military also blew money on researching psychic teleportation [space.com] and remote viewing [wikipedia.org]. That the military turns over a rock doesn't mean there isn't just a bunch of dog shit underneath.

Re:Sure it can

[Minwee]

I think you've said enough, Mr. Vice President.

Re:Hollywood Porn Biology Hurts Sexual Understandi

[johnny cashed]

Well at least The Uranus Experiment: Part 2 got the physics in space right. The physics of an astronaut/alien orgy in zero g!

Re:Watching movies is not physics homework...

[rizole]

Now you tell me. Boy am I kicking myself now.

Re:Watching movies is not physics homework...

[Anonymous Coward]

John McCain: Republican senator from Arizona, running for the 2008 Republican nomination for President.

John McClane: Bruce Willis' character in Die Hard.

Unwitting puns: Priceless.

Re:Watching movies is not physics homework...

[teh_commodore]

If more people are dumb, it makes us smart people worth more. It's economically viable for us to invest in these movie studios.