‘Tragic’: Physics Shows Batman’s Cape — Not Villains — May Be His Biggest Threat
- Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:08pm by
Liz Klimas
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Batman has faced villains like the Joker, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Two Face and more. In less than two weeks, in the third and final installment of director Christopher Nolan’s series — The Dark Knight Rises — he will take on a terrorist seeking to destroy Gotham city. Would you believe though that Batman‘s greatest threat wasn’t any of these characters, but a flourishing piece on his own costume?
(Related: Can‘t Wait for ’The Dark Knight Rises’ to Come Out? Check Out This 13-Minute Featurette)
(Image: Wikimedia)
Physicists couldn’t resist taking on the practicality of Batman having a cape. What they found was that not only would such a cape get in the way, but it would probably help lead to his demise.
(Figure: D.A. Marshall et al./University of Leicester)
Although the research of the physicists from the University of Leicester was published in the Journal of Physics Special Topics in December 2011, it is getting play now thanks to the highly-anticipated film set to hit theaters July 20. In short, the paper describes how “the speed at which Batman would be travelling would be too dangerous to stop without some method of slowing down.”
Under the assumption that Batman has a “memory cloth” cape that allows him to glide from tall buildings, using a method similar to that of wingsuit athletes, the physicists discuss how it is feasible for Batman to glide in the way he is generally represented. Gliding at speeds from 110km/hour to 80 km/hour, any impact Batman would have with other surfaces without some mechanism to slow him down would likely be fatal.
(Figure: D.A. Marshall et al./University of Leicester)
The research concludes that “clearly, gliding using a batcape is not a safe way to travel, unless a method to rapidly slow down is used such as a parachute.”
Wired UK laments the findings of the study as “tragic.”
“We’re not sure what’s worse — Batman taking pause between attacks to clamber out of a pile of cardboard boxes, or Commissioner Gordon having to create a new bat signal that more accurately represents Batman’s descending shadow, parachute intact,” Wired ponders.
Update: Check out The Blaze Magazine editor Chris Field’s blog post on how “friendless physicist“ are ”determined to suck the fun out of everything” with this latest Batman debunk.
(H/T: io9)
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Comments (46)
knightwing51
Posted on July 14, 2012 at 2:34pmthis show us how bored our scientist are they do studies on fictional hero’s. give me a break,
Report Post »and for you batman fans checkout my idiot senator in it.p.leahiey the guy we vermonters have to put up with.
ZenBiker
Posted on July 11, 2012 at 10:57amScientists, heal thyselves. The fact that Batman‘s cape DOES allow him to fly in manner you deem impossible leads to the conclusion that you are the equivalent of ’flat earthers’ when in comes to cape design. This goes double for superhero costume designer Edna Mode when she denied a cape for Mr. Incredible‘s new costume in ’The Incredibles’.
It is tragic that cape designers are still clinging to Einsteinian and Bohrsian ‘physics’ in the design of the textile tools for their clients, and when they finally overcome their denial that cold fusion incorporated into simple Lycra/Kevlar cloth fabricated on an event horizon, the (hopefully) Good Guys will get a product they deserve and, like Batman, begin to realize there is no “can’t do it”, only ideolgical obstacles of the tailoring type.
Zen out.
Report Post »Poggle The Stick
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 6:20pm0_0 These are superheroes who cares anyways???!!!!
Report Post »JesterJay
Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:15amBatman would have heard all about this, but his cowl keeps him from hearing anything.
Report Post »lylejk
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 11:58pmStop making fun of Batman’s Cape and Cowl. Besides, there’s a reason why they refer to comics as being a Universe. In the particular cartoon Universe, the physics are such that a dymamic person can overcome the stumblng that such a cape would cause a person to fall in our particular universe. lol
:)
Report Post »black9897
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 11:19pmGeez, it’s not real. I love Batman. Why go dissect it? Let people enjoy great superheroes.
Report Post »Chip0603
Posted on July 14, 2012 at 2:38pmAmen guy. I agree with you 100%
Report Post »affinity
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 9:13pmEveryone knows that Batman wears a Kevlar cape and mask and flame resistant tights.
Report Post »GenOptimus
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 8:46pmI’m crying ! It feels just like that day I learned the truth about SANTA !!! Whaaaaaaa!!!!
Report Post »macpappy
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 6:28pmThe fact that TheBlaze even put this up shows you what they think of the average posters IQ.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 8:16pmPBS NOVA: 95% of the Universe consists of Dark Energy & Matter… and we have only been focused upon the 5% that we can see… so we know very little about REALITY!
Report Post »GenOptimus
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 8:37pmYou clearly haven‘t left your mother’s basement even enough to hear about the new batman movie that‘s coming out but your real problem is simply that Batman’s cool and you’re not. Deal with It !
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 4:49pmA BatMan… is not… a Bat…
Report Post »RLTW
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 11:00pmBatman, Spiderman, Superman, I just want to know why all the superheroes are Jewish?
Report Post »TRK
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 4:36pmIf Lucious Fox says it will work, it works.
Report Post »WakingSheep
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 4:29pmWhat a waste of time. I wonder how much stimulous they got to produce this study.
Think I really care about the science behind wolverines healing capabilities as well?
How about spidermans “spider sense”?….
geez…..
Report Post »SerikFox
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 3:52pmBut he can glide that fast and land safely. You know why?
Because he’s Batman!
Report Post »Lothmar
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 3:35pmHe takes their advice but decides to keep the name and instead changes his visual to that of a club like object.
He still couldn’t glide and whatnot at that point, but at that point he’s a more direct batman. F all this sneaking around ‘CLUB!’
Report Post »Black Manta
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 3:33pmBabylon (America) is about to go down, and all Blaze can come up with is Batmans cape…Esau’s simple as hell…SIMPLE…
Report Post »GenOptimus
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 8:51pmIt’s all for “fun”! I know that‘s a big word for you but I’m sure someday you’ll understand in kindergarten.
Report Post »sta
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 3:09pmAs E in “The Incredibles” said, “No Capes”!
Report Post »Misha
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 3:21pmExactly my first thought! Loved that movie – which was good b/c my son went through a phase where he watched it pretty much daily.
Report Post »crisnick
Posted on July 14, 2012 at 3:55pmYou beat me to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »MeteoricLimbo
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 3:00pmwell duh.
Report Post »edcoil
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:51pmCaps for super hero’s are very dangerous – don‘t you remember the scene in the movie Incredibles when the lady was created a new design and listed all the other hero’s that died due to their caps.
Report Post »togjr9
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:45pmThese guys should be working at Solyndra, oh wait they already sucked that cow dry!
Report Post »John 3:16
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:31pmBatman’s and our biggest threat may be scientists period, not physics. Scientists will soon be honored about the same as lawyers are now. They “speak with forked tongues” A little Lizzy Warren, Indian, oops! Native American lingo.
Report Post »nappy
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:30pmOH dang. Now I don’t think those stories every really happened.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:29pmInteresting. I actually conducted a study (with a 5 billion dollar grant from the Obama administration) and concluded that being bitten by a radioactive spider will NOT give you spider senses either. I also created one net new job…and retired.
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 5:58pmYeah….that other study to bombard people with gamma rays didn’t work out either. The plus side of course was that the clothing suppliers got a boost in sales each time the test subject got angry. Now THAT’S helping the economy and small business.
Report Post »Kaoscontrol
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:28pmWow…until I read this, I believed Batman was real— now I find out the whole thing is fiction!
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:35pmWe need to talk…about Santa.
Report Post »salvawhoray
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:47pmSo I wasn’t Touched By Robin?
Report Post »Tri-ox
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:25pmThey do know that Batman is a fictional character – Right?
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 4:55pmNo: In the Unknown… anything is Possible… so the Possible must be explored…
Report Post »80mesh
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:24pmdid anyone “ask” batman … crickets … thought so
https://www.google.com/search?q=flying+wing+airfoils&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Q3P8T_7JKYSy2QXaiuTvBg&ved=0CFMQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=643
Report Post »9111315
Posted on July 10, 2012 at 2:19pm. . . and except for gravity, Superman really can fly.
Report Post »