"Don't Try This At Home"

Don't Try This at Home!: The Physics of Hollywood Movies by Adam Weiner
September 2007

Description
"This fresh look at the basics of physics deconstructs, demystifies, and debunks popular Hollywood films through the scientific explanations of the action genres most dynamic and unforgettable scenes."

Sample movie sequence and related physics concepts:

In ""Speed,"" a city bus going over 50 mph jumps over a 50-foot chasm--successfully. An examination of force, acceleration, Newton''s Laws, impulse, momentum, and projectile motion follows.

About the Author
"Adam Weiner has been a teacher of physics and AP physics at the Bishop''s School, a highly academic college preparatory school in La Jolla, CA for the last 11 years. Prior to that he worked as a physics instructor at Green River Community College in Auburn, WA in a department very active in physics education research. In addition to an M.S. in Geophysics from The University of Hawaii, Adam has an M.F.A. in acting from SUNY-Binghamton, and along with teaching physics, has done some professional acting, and stand up comedy. In his spare time Adam is a competitive long distance runner, surfer, and avid reader."