I got my prize from AnimeOnDVD.com the other day, and I thank them for their prompt delivery of my prize. I could mention an experience I’ve had in the past, but I’ve already ranted about that, so there’s no need for me to beat a dead horse.
Physics in anime doesn’t usually catch my attention, but certain things tend to pique my interest; the calculations I did for Uchuu no Stellvia is an example. Recently, I was watching Idol Defense Force Hummingbird, and I noticed something weird (besides the fact that idol singers are piloting fighter aircraft). The time it takes for Satsuki to jump out of the cockpit of a plane is only 3 frames (~0.1s for a 29.97fps source), as shown below.
Obviously, the acceleration of gravity is much greater than -9.8m/s^2, but the scientist in me wondered how much more.
To do this, I first had to assumed that Satsuki was 1.6m tall (a number I got online) and the height she fell from was ~2.5m (judging from her relative height).
From here, I manipulated the well-known kinematic equation, (1/2)*a*t^2+vo*t+so=s (a=acceleration, t=time, vo=initial velocity, so=initial position, s=final position) to solve for a. If we set vo=0 and so=0, we get a=-2s/t^2. Finally, substituting in our previous numbers, our final answer gives a=-500m/s^2 or approximately 50 times the pull of gravity! Poor Satsuki!
The moral of the story is to never think about physics when watching anime; it’s too late for me, save yourself…
If you bothered to read all of that, congratulations. As a reward, go take a look at the following curious sites I ran across recently: Sumeragi Designs and an english frontend for 2chan.
Okay, it’s not much of a reward, but nobody probably read the above calculations anyway…