22 replies to this topic

[turbojet]

So I am writing a novel that is taking the superhero character while stripping away supernatural or anything that comics are known for when it comes to this kind of thing and while trying to construct an elaborate scene that has a daring escape, I was trying to make sure the physics worked and it could be possible that a man wearing a wing suit could glide a certain distance. Since I am not a physics expert nor do I care to learn, I decided to research the Batman's cape or Nolan's take on it. I ran into this article which states that it would work, but Batman's fall would kill him unless he had a parachute.

In before you say, well he is Batman so he doesn't need a chute, umm he kind of does. Nolan tried to ground Batman into realism with every aspect and for a character such as Batman, who has no super powers besides his unyielding will and piles of money, he should be a victim of physics or at least trying to use it in his favor. Now before you say that Batman usually swoops down on his prey so the force of the impact goes into them, then you are pretty much saying that Batman kills these men and women. The speed that Batman is going when flying the wingsuit is roughly 70 mph(110 kmh). If he used the criminals faces as make shift shock absorbers, then we should add how many Newtons that is.

F=ma

Batman has the mass of 95 kg. If Batman is moving at the velocity 110 kmh, then we could factor in his acceleration as well.

a=(vi-vo)/t

I would factor in the acceleration, but assuming that gravity will forever be a bitch and constant at 9.81 m/s squared and he needs at most 100 meters(328 feet) to have any sort of lift so he is going pretty damn fast and probably would still be going to fast for him to land safely. You guys could come up with acceleration if you want.

Toughness of the suit? Armor does not work that way where it can absorb impact from falls. Traceurs have figured out that a roll might dissipate the landing thus preventing them from being squashed, but they don't travel as fast as a Batman does in his cape. Scratch the traceur thing. They use to roll for dissipating Kinectic energy because if they didn't they'd crack break their ankles as shown here. Batman travels at speeds that no matter how well he rolls, he'd die and his armor won't protect him. So that is out.

If I have anything wrong, please correct me.

Edited by turbojet, 10 August 2012 - 06:56 PM.

[Gen]

:/
I don't get math! D:

[VisionaryBlur]

Perhaps his cape works as a hand glider and stiffens when he chooses for it to.

[turbojet]

Perhaps his cape works as a hand glider and stiffens when he chooses for it to.

Yeah, that is exactly how Nolan's Batman cape works. He'd still die as that would not deter his speed quick enough. His cape will not reduce his speed effectively if he decided to loosen up the cape well before landing as it is too small to be used as a parachute. He'd plummet to his death after an instant of floating.He needs a parachute or a longer cape.

Edited by turbojet, 10 August 2012 - 07:03 PM.

[Phos]

Another bit of evidence would be the cape's resemblance to Renascence era "gliders" that were basically just great ways to fall to your death.

Airbags might be more practical than a parachute for safe landings though. Parachutes take a while to fully deploy.

[Ruby CUL Terumi]

Who wastes their time with something like this?

[Nepenthe]

This just in: Physics tend to be exaggerated or ignored in super hero comics, and a real-life Batman probably would've died horrifically before any real shenanigans could ensue.

But on a serious note, I read an article about the findings awhile ago and found it intriguing. But I wonder what the feasibility would be for him to slow himself down with a more flexible batcape that acted like true bat wings, but I'm sure there's a bunch of problems with that right down to human physiology. Now I want to find a physics paper regarding fake bird or bat wings.

Edited by Nepenthe, 10 August 2012 - 07:05 PM.

[VisionaryBlur]

Yeah, that is exactly how Nolan's Batman cape works. He'd still die as that would not deter his speed quick enough. His cape will not reduce his speed effectively if he decided to loosen up the cape well before landing as it is too small to be used as a parachute. He'd plummet to his death after an instant of floating.He needs a parachute or a longer cape.

What if the cape were to extend when batman commands? I'm sure he could stuff some extra cape in that armor.

[turbojet]

Who wastes their time with something like this?

A physics college student who needed to pass time on his theory paper. He got an A by the way. And don't act like this is not fun as well as educational to think about.

This just in: Physics tend to be exaggerated or ignored in super hero comics, and a real-life Batman probably would've died horrifically before any real shenanigans could ensue.

But on a serious note, I read an article about the findings awhile ago and found it intriguing. But I wonder what the feasibility would be for him to slow himself down with a more flexible batcape that acted like true bat wings, but I'm sure there's a bunch of problems with that right down to human physiology. Now I want to find a physics paper regarding fake bird or bat wings.

Actually, being a vigilante is not that exaggerated. There has been plenty of them in real life. If Batman was prepared enough to buy armor or gadgets or a freaking tank Lamborghini then he'd be fine. The cape is a huge problem though.

As for a physics paper on fake bird wings,here you go.

What if the cape were to extend when batman commands? I'm sure he could stuff some extra cape in that armor.

The cape would have to extend pretty damn far for it to work. I wonder why Birds flap their wings just before they land? They are trying to reduce their speed before they impact. So for Batman to fly, his wingspan would have to be tripled. We are talking 18 feet here. He might as well get a chute.

[Phos]

This just in: Physics tend to be exaggerated or ignored in super hero comics, and a real-life Batman probably would've died horrifically before any real shenanigans could ensue.

But on a serious note, I read an article about the findings awhile ago and found it intriguing. But I wonder what the feasibility would be for him to slow himself down with a more flexible batcape that acted like true bat wings, but I'm sure there's a bunch of problems with that right down to human physiology. Now I want to find a physics paper regarding fake bird or bat wings.

Human musculature isn't properly distributed to fly. Just compare the build of a human to that of a bird. Their body is dominated by pectoral muscle equivalents attached to a bone we don't have, commonly known as the keel.

[Nepenthe]

Actually, being a vigilante is not that exaggerated. There has been plenty of them in real life. If Batman was prepared enough to buy armor or gadgets or a freaking tank Lamborghini then he'd be fine. The cape is a huge problem though.

As for a physics paper on fake bird wings,here you go.

Oh, I know there's been real vigilantes before (in fact, there's a real ninja in the UK). I've just always assumed that- as a comic character- Batman could realistically never get away with all of the physical shenanigans he's done and suffered through, the batcape being merely one of them.

And thanks for the paper. <3

[Ruby CUL Terumi]

It's a video game.
Do you think guys in thight suits wearing their underwear on the outside, plumbers that do acrobatic jumps in a Mushroom Kingdom, or blue hedgehogs that run at the speed of sound are ment to be taken seriously?

[Emmett L. Brown]

It's a video game.
Do you think guys in thight suits wearing their underwear on the outside, plumbers that do acrobatic jumps in a Mushroom Kingdom, or blue hedgehogs that run at the speed of sound are ment to be taken seriously?

No, but I do believe that you're struggling really hard to understand the concept of a thought experiment. It's like this: You take a scenario that isn't real, and then you try to work out what would happen if it were real and all the laws of physics applied.

[Discoid]

It's a video game.
Do you think guys in thight suits wearing their underwear on the outside, plumbers that do acrobatic jumps in a Mushroom Kingdom, or blue hedgehogs that run at the speed of sound are ment to be taken seriously?

Jesus F. Christ, man. Calm your tits and let everyone have their fun. Nobody's saying it was supposed to be taken seriously, which is why it's fun to just think about how it would logically work.

[Ruby CUL Terumi]

No, but I do believe that you're struggling really hard to understand the concept of a thought experiment. It's like this: You take a scenario that isn't real, and then you try to work out what would happen if it were real and all the laws of physics applied.

Jesus F. Christ, man. Calm your tits and let everyone have their fun. Nobody's saying it was supposed to be taken seriously, which is why it's fun to just think about how it would logically work.

I wasn't angry, or any of the kind, sorry if I came over like that.
I've got no problem if that's what you guys think then... I personally find it a waste of time, but to each an opinion.

Edited by Hazama, 10 August 2012 - 08:07 PM.

[Tornado]

turbojet, I would think you spend enough time in the United States Presidential Election thread to know that the obscenely wealthy are above the law. That presumably includes the laws of physics.

Edited by Gilda, 10 August 2012 - 08:18 PM.

[y cant solkia crawl]

turbojet, I would think you spend enough time in the United States Presidential Election thread to know that the obscenely wealthy are above the law. That presumably includes the laws of physics.

Or 3-foot tall hedgehogs.

[Emperor Robrainiac]

I still don't see how applying logic in fantasy settings is fun or entertaining. I don't watch, read or play things to think about my math homework, I do those to take a break from that crap.

Maybe I just hate math and physics so much that anything with formulas give me headaches. Well, I'm not one to ruin your guys fun (Math? Fun? I thought I'd never say that... I couldn't even divide to save my life) so that's all I gotta say.

I would go on a rant about how suspension of disbelief is dead but as stated through out this topic, it's just for fun... And It's probably just me that doesn't think logic or math is fun.

Edited by Lyra Heartstrings, 10 August 2012 - 08:32 PM.

[King Sombrero]

If mathematical problems have applications to something I like such as this, I find it more motivating to actually solve rather than if some random Shannon and Bobby having XX$ in their savings or something. Nice work even though I can't advanced math. This reminds me of Awesomest's Sonic physics formula.

[Emmett L. Brown]

I still don't see how applying logic in fantasy settings is fun or entertaining. I don't watch, read or play things to think about my math homework, I do those to take a break from that crap.

Maybe I just hate math and physics so much that anything with formulas give me headaches. Well, I'm not one to ruin your guys fun (Math? Fun? I thought I'd never say that... I couldn't even divide to save my life) so that's all I gotta say.

I would go on a rant about how suspension of disbelief is dead but as stated through out this topic, it's just for fun... And It's probably just me that doesn't think logic or math is fun.

Well, it's like a school assignment, only you don't get told what you have to do and how you have to do it, and you get personal satisfaction from working it out instead of just relief of being done.

Yes, learning can be fun. Using what you've learned can be entertaining. Applying physics to fiction can be cool.

School really does kinda suck, though.