Physics' Laws and the Movies

  • 1. 

    In the film Apocalypto directed by Mel Gibson, the heroes observe a full moon on the night after a day when a solar eclipse has occurred.

     

    a) Is the situation shown in the film possible?

     

    b) If such a situation is/were possible, estimate how long a synodic month will be/would be.

     

    c) What are the differences between the conditions when a solar eclipse occurs and when a full moon occurs?

     

     

    Answers

     

    a) The situation shown in the film is NOT POSSIBLE. A solar eclipse can only occur when there is a new moon.

     

    b) Normally the time difference between a new moon and a full moon is about 14 days. If the situation shown in the film happened, the time difference would not be about 14 days but about 1 day. This would mean that a synodic month would not be about 29.5 days but about 2 days.

     

    c) When a solar eclipse occurs, the Moon comes between the Earth and the Sun. In this way the Moon blocks some or all of the Sun’s light reaching the Earth. Thus the order is:

     

    SUN → MOON → EARTH

     

    When a full moon occurs, the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. In other words, the Earth is in the middle and the Sun is on one side and the Moon is on the other. Thus the order is:

     

     

     

    SUN → EARTH → MOON

     

    2. Please watch the next sequence of film and analyse if it's possible that this actor to jump the fence. 

    Analyse:

    The fence is about 5 m tall. If we write the energy conservation we can calculate that the speed of the jumper has to be about 10 m/s. In so few steps it is impossible to reach this speed. 

    The video was found by Ioana Beraru.

    3. Please see the next selection of videos in which you have to find the discrepancies with Physics' laws.

     

     

    • The antinuclear fridge

    It’s impossible to refuge in a fridge in front of a nuclear bomb explosion.

    • Fire without oxygen

    How can you explain that the fire burns in a place without oxygen? The astronauts need oxygen masks.

    • Superman

    Even you are Superman you cannot resist to be hooked when the plane is flying.

    • Impossible jump

    The bus could not jump like in the movie because in any horizontal throw the mobile loses height in every moment.  In this case the bus climbed a slope and it moved like in an oblique throw.

    • Walk on the seabed

    Do you believe that so much air can remain under a boat? Please calculate the air volume at that pressure (about 2 atm). Then please notice how easy they are walking in the water. Make an experiment with a plastic dish instead of the boat and see how nice it floats.

    • Shooting in dive

    In a free falling down you can’t make such movements.

    • Impossible landing

    It’s impossible to fall down like this and to be able to talk on the mobile phone.

    • The bullet trajectory

    With one bullet you can reach all the targets!!!

    • Parody of shooting 

    The selection was made by: Bogdan Valean, Daniel Ilea si Daniel Banjan