Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Physicists vs. Hollywood
Share:
by ScienceDave | August 15, 2007 at 07:01 am
652 views | 82 Recommendations | 16 comments
Videos
Photos
Two physics professors at the University of Central Florida are steaming over such blockbusters as "Superman" and "Speed", since they instill unrealistic expectations in students' perceptions of physical laws.
So, no, you can't turn back time by flying around the world, and you're not blown back 30 feet when shot by a bullet. At least the guys from Jackass are still keeping it real.
Common sense may indicate that people should know the stunts in movies are just make believe, but the professors say that’s not necessarily true.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. And, if that were realistic, a ramp would be needed to adjust the direction of motion to even try to make the leap, said UCF professor Costas J. Efthimiou, who co-authored the article.
“Students come here, and they don’t have any basic understanding of science,” he said. “Sure, people say everyone knows the movies are not real, but my experience is many of the students believe what they see on the screen.”
And that’s not just a UCF problem. Efthimiou said students across the United States seem to have the same challenge with science. It starts young.
The Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 report seems to support his observations. The report shows that the average science scores among 12th graders in the U.S. dropped from the previous year. The scores remained stagnant in the fourth and eighth grades. Worse, only about one-third of all students tested were proficient, meaning they had a solid understanding of what they should know.
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Crowd Power
gfs1179
Simi Valley, California, United States
Jordan Yerman
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (16)
at 07:10 on August 15th, 2007
nouseforadave, urm, excuse me scientists...but isn't the point of movies to experience unrealistic expectations...and c'mon there are a lot of body parts that defy the laws of physics too and you don't hear anyone complaining about that. And if your students don't realize that when John Mclean drives an 18 wheeler over a gaping hole it's not actually possible...do you want them in your class. Good Stuff.
at 08:22 on August 15th, 2007
Good thing they didn't watch Transporter 2...
at 10:35 on August 15th, 2007
Awww, c'mon, Dave! You mean people can't really dodge bullets, at an almost 90 degree angle, like Neo in the Matrix?
at 12:03 on August 15th, 2007
(Actually, I can, but Lawrence Fishburne told me not to show off)
at 11:06 on August 15th, 2007
Can I say "Suck it up, Princess" to a group of scientists?
Maybe the students are doing poorly in science because it's not taught to them well enough. Now, before everyone jumps on me--my mother is a teacher. I'm not anti-teacher. I'm pro-creativity when it comes to lesson plans.
I was turned off of science by a few shitty teachers who felt the fact that they were knowledgable about their subject was more important than making me knowledgable or excited about it. Would I be a scientist now instead of a writer if they were better teachers? Nope. Would I know more about science, though? Certainly.
Blaming movieland science for poor science scores is like blaming bad acting in Shakespeare plays/movies for teenagers scoring poorly on quizes about Hamlet. It's a big leap, to say the least.
It's the teacher, not the material.
at 11:55 on August 15th, 2007
Seriously, I agree, Kaitlin! It seems here, in the States, if the nation's school systems' curricula focused less on preparing the students for a barrage of standardized tests, that might help! Several teacher friends of mine complain that because of the pressure generated around taking the tests, most of their time is eaten up by prepping for these tests!
at 12:20 on August 15th, 2007
"It's the teacher, not the material. "
It's not the teacher. It's also not the material. It's the social weirdness that makes it OK to complain about how little you know... and blame it on someone else. Go get a textbook. Then another, and another. Turn off the TV. Study. Experiment. Take things apart. Put them back together. Preferably into something no one ever saw before. You can still be a scientist, engineer or other highly technical member of society. It is entirely up to you. The scientific method takes about an hour to learn; basic math a couple of years, the rest will take your whole life and you still won't finish, but your efforts will be rewarded by every moment spent on the task. None of it has to be learned in school - information doesn't care how it is assembled.
So, yes, just as you said: Suck it up. Get to work. Make your teacher's job performance irrelevant.
at 12:44 on August 15th, 2007
I agree about the cool-factor of not knowing stuff. When I worked at a computer place, I was shocked- shocked!- to see all the folks who gleefully told me how little they knew about the $2000 machine they were about to buy, and, as I tried to explain, cut me off with a "Oh, I'll just ask someone when I need to". My other favorite is "The web is for IT people"... I'm convinced that all kids need to experiment with breaking things and setting them alight (with proper safety precautions, of course, sez the angel on my shoulder) in order to discover the exciting and kinetic nature of the planet on which they've found themselves.
at 11:48 on August 15th, 2007
Agreed Kaitlin! I couldn't beleive the Prof's had the audacity to publish such a paper, without considering the way science is taught. How did this get released by the university??
My favourite: "Worse, only about one-third of all students tested were proficient,
meaning they had a solid understanding of what they should know."
But, how does this compare with other subjects? How is 'proficient' being defined?
at 12:09 on August 15th, 2007
Just the tip of the iceberg; people don't read any more, they get their news, information and education in sound bites and video bites, our technical jobs have been outsourced as have our technical industries, our constitution is virtually ignored, the broadcast medium is owned by just a few corporations and withheld from the public by the FCC and the nation is being led by a superstious, lying, imperialist thug and a congress that refuses to do what it was elected to do.
But hey, what's happening with Paris Hilton???
at 13:40 on August 15th, 2007
I love the discussion going on here!
And, yes, fyngyrz, you're right--it's is up to us to educate ourselves. But I disagree with your usage of "entirely." As kids we do learn how to learn from our parents and teachers. Later, our desire to go out and seek education on our own terms is the vine that grows from the seed of those earlier experiences.
It's our responsibility, certainly, but teachers can plant and water the seeds that lead us there.
It is a sum of many things, that which determines how we seek knowledge as adults. Our teachers do play a part.
at 14:26 on August 15th, 2007
Dave, good stuff, but I'm chiming in with some others. I think the prof is a bit unrealistic in blaming it all on the movies. I mean, I don't really believe that there's a Princess Leia with cinammon buns hairstyling.
On the other hand, Star Trek was said to have fueled great interest in many science and tech fields.
Getting kids excited about learning is the key.
at 14:28 on August 15th, 2007
I'll add in my own personal grievance--I hate it when people talk about astronatus working in zero gravity. They work in microgravity. A little thing, but scientifically and technically, big.
at 15:07 on August 15th, 2007
Wow... I never thought that these movies could really have an effect on student's understanding of the laws of physics.
at 00:28 on August 16th, 2007
Most people don't pay a dime for physics and math, but they are buying tickets worth hundreds of millions dollars to see SF movies ( Matrix, Potter wizardry etc.). Not to bad for eccentric physics and math in action.
at 02:14 on August 16th, 2007
I object to exposing children to such things. They grow up to expect they can play Dukles of Hazard and then woder why they end up in a wheel chair and their girlfriend ends up dead.
Doh I saw them do it in a movie why doesw it hurt in real life.
I think Americans have enough trouble telling the difference between Hyper Reality and Reality without these influences.