Physics in Action: Analyzing Movie and TV Scenes

This assignment requires you to choose two different scenes from two different movies, television shows, or games. The scenes that you choose should demonstrate areas of physics that we have looked at so far this year (Kinematics and Forces).

For each scene, you will complete the following:

Detailed Description: Explain what is happening in the scene using common English, focusing on the parts relevant to the physics analysis.
Physics Breakdown: Identify and explain the physics terms and concepts at play in the scene. This will help you prepare for the specific area of analysis.
Hypothesis: Choose a specific part of the scene and state whether you believe it is possible in real life based on your knowledge of physics.
Scene Analysis: Analyze the scene, using clues and your research to determine its realism. Consider factors like distance, time, speed, acceleration, gravity, and forces. Use your physics knowledge and calculations to support your conclusions.
Scene Sketch: Create a labelled diagram of the scene, which will be helpful for your calculations and explanation.
Conclusion: After analyzing the scene, summarize your findings about the physics involved.

Scene 1: The Car Chase Scene in 'Fast and Furious 7'

(a) In this scene, Deckard Shaw (played by Jason Statham) is chasing the protagonists, Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Conner (played by Paul Walker) in a car through the streets of Los Angeles. There are several close calls and stunts, including the protagonists driving out of a building and landing on another building's roof.

(b) This scene showcases concepts like velocity, acceleration, and forces. The cars are moving at high velocities through the city. We see acceleration and deceleration during the chase. Forces acting on the cars include friction and air resistance.

(c) We will focus on the stunt where the protagonists drive out of one building and land on another's roof. We hypothesize that this scene is not possible in real life due to the laws of physics.

(d) Our analysis shows that the distance between the buildings is too great for the cars to jump. The cars would need an extremely high velocity to make the jump, requiring a very long runway. Additionally, the cars would need to be perfectly aligned and have the correct angle of takeoff. These factors make this stunt highly unlikely in real life.

(e) Our sketch depicts the two buildings with the distance between them labelled. The cars are drawn in their positions before and after the jump.

(f) We conclude that the stunt in this scene is not possible in real life based on the laws of physics.

Scene 2: The Basketball Game Scene in 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'

(a) In this scene, Will Smith's character, Will, is playing basketball with his cousin, Carlton (played by Alfonso Ribeiro). Carlton is trying to impress a girl by showing off his basketball skills, but he is not very good. Will decides to help Carlton by teaching him how to shoot a basketball.

(b) The scene demonstrates projectile motion and force. Projectile motion is the motion of an object thrown or projected into the air, falling back to the ground under gravity. Here, the basketball is thrown and projected into the air. Force is the influence that causes a change in an object's motion. In this scene, force is used to throw the basketball and make it move in a specific direction.

(c) Our focus is on the basketball shot that Carlton makes at the end of the scene. We believe that this scene is possible in real life based on our understanding of projectile motion and force.

(d) Our analysis reveals that Carlton's shot follows a parabolic path, which aligns with the laws of projectile motion. The force Carlton uses to shoot the basketball is sufficient to make it travel the distance to the hoop. Using our physics knowledge and calculations, we can determine the amount of force required for this shot.

(e) Our sketch shows Carlton shooting the basketball, with the parabolic path and the distance between Carlton and the hoop labelled.

(f) We conclude that the basketball shot in this scene is possible in real life based on the laws of physics.

Physics in Action: Analyzing Movie and TV Scenes