Questions tagged [physics]
For questions about the physics of a fictional universe. Questions purely concerning real-world physics are off-topic. Always use in conjunction with the specific work tag in question.
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Why and how can you hear explosions in space in Star Wars?
Considering that sound can't travel through vacuum.
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Was the Millennium Falcon too slow?
I've always been puzzled by the speeds of space craft in Star Wars. The Millennium Falcon was said to travel at "point 5 beyond the speed of light" - which I guess is 1.5c:
HAN: She'll make point ...
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How does Captain America's shield work?
Captain America is able to throw his circular shield and have it return it to him like a boomerang.
Is this even possible according to physics (especially considering the ranges at which he uses the ...
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Is there a canon explanation for how Proton Torpedoes were able to turn 90 degrees at the end of Star Wars: ANH
Based on this question: Why did Luke need a targeting computer in the first place?
Proton Torpedoes launched from Luke's X-Wing were able to change direction 'on a dime' 90 degrees to get into Death ...
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Do ships at warp experience time dilation?
From the Gene Roddenberry quote in this answer:
'In answering these questions, I came up with the statement that "this time system adjusts for shifts in relative time which occur due to the vessel'...
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What is the best scientific explanation for how The Flash moves so fast without issue, or is it just "magic?"
The Flash goes from zero to ??? in an eye blink. As he does not have a Saturn 5 rocket on his back, how do you explain the acceleration? How do you explain his ability to stop on a dime and turn ...
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Interstellar -- Black hole manipulation?
Some things have confused me about the black hole in Interstellar. Namely:
How did Cooper ever leave the black hole once he was inside it?
How was Cooper able to suspend in the tesseract? Something ...
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In Stargate why can you go only in one direction through the gate but radio signals can go both ways?
So why can people and other objects just go in the one direction while radio signals can go both ways? Is that ever explained or is it just fact?
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How does mass conservation work in the MCU Ant-Man movie?
In Ant-Man, it's (briefly) explained that the Pym particle reduces the distance between molecules, allowing a person to shrink while retaining his mass and strength.
Much of the movie is consistent ...
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How did the Avalon (seemingly) get to Arcturus so quickly if they're only traveling at .5 of lightspeed?
Assume spoilers about Passengers from here, but really this has nothing to do with the plot so...
There are a number of tiny points to criticize in the film, but what I'm really coming up empty on is ...
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In Star Wars, is there a pretend-science explanation of how lightsabers work (like midi-chlorians for The Force)?
In Star Wars, Luke wielded both a lightsaber and the Force, neither of which was explained in much detail.
In The Phantom Menace, it was explained that intelligent microscopic life-forms called midi-...
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How did the cookfire get hot enough to melt gold in Game of Thrones? [closed]
In the television series Game of Thrones, Khal Drogo melts gold in a cookpot over a seemingly ordinary fire, and then pours the molten metal on Viserys' head. How could the cookfire get hot enough to ...
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Is Sheldon right that Superman would have killed Lois when he caught her? [closed]
Quoted from The Big Bang Theory:
Penny: Yeah, I do like the one where Lois Lane falls from the
helicopter and Superman swooshes down and catches her, which one was
that?
Leonard, Sheldon ...
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Why does Captain America's Shield make noise?
If the shield doesn't vibrate, how could it produce sound? This would necessitate something vibrating to move the air.
The only thing that I can think of that is plausible, is that vibranium is able ...
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What is the difference between photon torpedoes and quantum torpedoes?
It seems that quantum torpedeos are the next generation of photon torpedoes but I was wondering what made them better and what makes them 'quantum'.
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