For much of my adult life, I did not carry a wallet or wear a wristwatch. Then the two women who know me best – my mother and my wife – did something to change this. My mother bought me a Batman wallet and my wife bought me a Batman watch.

To this day, I generally carry both with me. The wallet is ragged and tattered. The watch is now on its second strap and third battery. How did my mother and wife know that simply providing me with a wallet and watch with comic book connections would completely change my habits? Because they know my fascination with superheroes – and particularly with Batman! Merely add a superhero to something and my interests go from small to great in nanoseconds!

That is why I wish that this book, The Physics of Superheroes by James Kakalios, a professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota, had been around when I was younger. If it had, I may have actually been interested in math, science, and physics.

Kakalios teaches basic physics through the use of Silver Age comic book heroes and villains. He predominantly illustrates through characters which conform to the laws of physics. He grants every hero and villain one "miracle exception" which allows them to initially possess their extraordinary powers. (Let’s face it: radioactive spiders, lightning bolts, gamma rays, mutations, and chemical spills rarely bring positive results!) But after one "miracle exception" he approaches them from a standpoint of basic physic principles. Following are a few examples:

In the Golden Age of comics, Superman's powers derived from Earth's lighter gravity in comparison to Krypton. By calculating the force necessary to “leap over a tall building in a single bound” Kakalios proves Superman’s home planet must have possessed gravity 15 times greater than the earth. This explains why Krypton was unstable and exploded. In order to possess such high gravity and maintain life (in other words, not be comprised mostly of gas), it must have contained a sphere of super-dense neutron star material at its core. This would produce enormous strains on the planet's surface!

Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man's first girlfriend, was thrown from the George Washington Bridge by the Green Goblin and saved from plummeting to the ground by Spider-Man's webbing. However, when Spider-Man raised her to the top of the bridge, he discovered she was dead. Green Goblin originally blamed it on the height from which she fell. But a mysterious "SNAP!" in one comic panel alludes to something else. For decades, comic fans argued over the exact cause of Gwen's death. Through the principles of impulse and momentum, Kakalios proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was the jerk from Spider-Man's webbing that fatally snapped her neck. Bummer!

Flash does not actually run up walls (he can't, there would be no adequate friction generated between his feet and the wall), but gives the illusion of doing so because of the great strides his superspeed allows him. Surprisingly, the laws of physics do allow him to run across water at super-speed (but don’t ask me to explain it). Unfortunately, Flash could never eat enough to provide the energy he needs to maintain his super-speed. Flash would also have major problems speaking to and hearing others when he breaks the speed of sound (which, for Flash, is most of the time). Finally, his running would also generate static electricity of lethal proportions that would need to be regularly discharged. Ouch!

Characters who shrink or grow would have major problems exercising their abilities, even granting a "miracle exception." To shrink, they would have to lose density or mass. They could not do this without essentially losing who they are. Additional problems arise from their small stature. They would have problems seeing – the size of the light waves entering their eyes would distort their perception. They would also have problems hearing, again due to the size of sound waves.

Kakalios discusses electromagnetism through the use of two great villains – Electro and Magneto. (Well, at least Magneto – Electro is a bit cheesy.) At one point, Kakalios hilariously argues that, in spite of Magneto's great powers, one simple crack from a wooden bat would suffice to knock him out. His magnetic powers would have no way to resist this simple wooden device. Likewise, a good dose of water is enough to stop Electro – electricity and water simply don't mix.

At the end of the book, Kakalios introduces quantum mechanics. If I understand rightly, classical physics works with visible reality, but it does not work on an atomic level. Atoms possess large waves (relative to their small size) that must be accounted for. Quantum mechanics helps us to do this. This leads to interesting material on the possibility of a fourth dimension. Comics provide an endless amount of illustration for extra-dimensional activity – from Marvel's "What if’s?" to DC's "Crisis on Infinite Earths." Kakalios concludes with helpful material on transistors and the revolution they have brought to our modern world. He uses Iron Man's suit to illustrate their power.

Who knew that Newton's laws of motion, the three laws of thermodynamics, magnetism, electricity, and quantum mechanics could be so fun and interesting? And applicable? Now I know why I love comics so much – for the rich education they offer! At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

One final note: Any comments above – especially any pertaining to science, math, or physics – could be grossly inaccurate. I'm not a scientist; I'm a pastor-theologian. I recognize my substantial limitations in the fields of science, math and physics. And yet, as a theologian, I am fascinated with God's creation and the wonder and mystery that pervade it. I guess this is an admission that I believe it is the great “miracle exception” of divine creation that provides the context and raw material for all the fun in the first place! Without the “miracle exceptions” the world would be in short supply of superheroes – except for Batman, of course.

© Richard J. Vincent, 2006