![]() ![]() ![]() Your job is to give initial conditions (position and velocity) to a little test body, which then moves around under the gravitational field of various heavier bodies, with the goal being to survive for as long as possible without colliding with one of the planets. They’re playing them anyway - why not think of it as collecting data? The other day Seed’s Daily Zeitgeist linked to this gravity game. I’ve long thought that video games would be a great way to teach the scientific method to kids. (When it comes to fiction, those rules are occasionally sacrificed for the sake of the plot, whereas in the real world they’re a bit more immutable.) Learning how to discover those rules, from the standpoint of an observer rather than one of the creators, is nothing more or less than learning how science is done. Any respectable universe, whether we find it out there or make it up ourselves, will be subject to certain internal rules of behavior. And that process is just as applicable to imaginary worlds as it is to the real one. There are a bunch of established pieces of knowledge that are worth remembering, no doubt about that, but much more important is the process by which that knowledge is acquired. Neither physics, nor any other science, is some list of facts and theories to be committed to memory. ![]() After all, they will tell you, how can you learn anything about science by studying fiction? Science is all about the real world! It has nothing to say about fake worlds that someone just made up.īalderdash, of course. (In addition to the Physics, we’ve learned about the Ethics, the Art, the Computers, the Religions, and the Metaphysics of Star Trek, as well as corresponding studies of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and so on.) And as long as it’s been in circulation, the idea of subjecting TV shows or fantasy genres to scientific investigation has been the target of scoffing from curmudgeonly old folks who are taking a temporary break from chasing kids out of their yards. The construction of the title - The of - is by now well-known, inspired in large part by Lawrence Krauss’s The Physics of Star Trek. But you could do a lot worse than buying a few copies for yourself and all your friends, let me assure you. I’m not going to offer a proper review of the book, because (1) I’ve only had a chance to skim it thus far, and (2) the author bakes me scones, which is a conflict of interest if ever I’ve seen one. Today, you see, is the official publication date of The Physics of the Buffyverse, by the blogosphere’s own Jennifer Ouellette. But I will indulge in some shameless pluggery. In honor of which we will - well, nothing special. Quadruple digits! Yes, this is our 1000 th post here at Cosmic Variance. ![]()
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