The Physics of
Phineas & Ferb
Anna Farello
Keith Harrigian
Elasticity
Clip Start: 8:28
Problem: Phineas and Ferb manage to travel from India to
Paris using what appears to be a simple rubber band
ball. They would cover a distance of over 9,700 km if
they went straight to Paris, but as you can see, they
pass by other global landmarks along the way.
What we Need: Conservation of Energy, Conservation of
Momentum, Kinematics, Vectors, Springs
The Work:
More Issues
More Math
Conclusion
While Phineas and Ferb have a great deal of
momentum, there aren't any perfectly elastic
collisions. They would need additional velicity after
each collision to continue traveling as far as they do.
They do have a jet coming off of the ball, so it is
plausible that they can keep going without friction
and expulsion of heat and sound slowing them down.
However, they would need to be traveling with an
extremely high velocity upon each impact, and would
need significantly better restraint systems to survive.
With certain modifications, we agree that one could
travel around the world on an elastic ball. "With a
little compression, a little recoil, and a Jet Engine,
we'll be bouncing around the world"
Futbol x-7
Clip Start: 5:36
"The Only Thing That's Impossible is
Impossibility"...and this game.
Problem: While the gyroscope would
seem to make this game plausible,
one must remember that multiple
players will be in different areas of
the field. They gyroscope would not
center for several people. But are
there ways around it?
What We Need: Torque, Vectors, Newton's Laws
Calculations
Conclusion
The calculations make it seem like it could be possible to
keep ferb against the wall. However, this was done
assuming some kind of vacuum was used to keep the
players on the ground. We never see any kind of
system that would do this, and it would make running
extremely difficult. It would take too much work to
counter the effect of the vacuum. Not to mention that it
would affect the roll of the soccer ball. We conclude
that as fun as Football X7 looks, it is implausible.
It might be possible if it were played in space without
gravity, but that would once again mess up the
movement of the ball and make controlling one's
movement nearly impossible.
Rollercoaster
*Clip start-5:00
Problem: Phineas, Ferb and
friends on the coaster are
"flung" into space by the Eiffel
Tower (which is a problem in
itself), but they fall to Earth and land in their backyard
tree safe and sound. It is possible that the acceleration
due to gravity would not be enough to leave humans
unharmed?
What we need: Kinematics
The Physics Behind It
Conclusion
A five-story jump is most often fatal with the
acceleration of gravity. If the 1,388.89m/s^2 acceleration
is factored in along with a height of 400km, the result in
real life would be a flattened group of kids. Even if they
fell due to gravity there would be fatal damage to the
coaster and the children in it because a tree is not elastic
enough to cushion a then-final velocity of 2800m/s. For
the children in the coaster to land safely in the tree, they
would need to fall from a much shorter distance and, of
course, accelerate at 9.8m/s^2. If the coaster had major
shock absorbers that could help conserve energy more
efficiently, then the situation may be plausible. The most
inaccurate fact in the episode is the time it takes them to
reach land. In reality, it would take 4.76 minutes to travel
through 400km of atmosphere.
Coffee-Melting Escape
Clip Start-6:10
Problem: The evil Dr. Doofenschmirtz
freezes Perry the Platypus. However,
Perry knocks over coffee which melts
the ice around him in less than one
second. How efficient is the coffee?
What we need: Thermodynamics; efficiency
The Physics Behind It
Conclusion
Some of the hottest coffee is about 200°F (served at
none other than McDonalds). If Doofenschmirtz's coffee was
this hot, it would still not be able to melt a cubic meter of ice
in less than a second. Of course, for the purpose of time in
the show, Perry has to free himself as quickly as possible.
Moreover, if Perry was truly frozen, he would not be able to
shake the table enough to knock over the coffee.
Additionally, while efficiency is often used with engines, I
felt it was appropriate to mention that the coffee has perfect
efficiency. This is impossible because when work is done,
energy is lost to various factors and is not perfectly
conserved.
To fix this circumstance and make it more accurate, it would
have to take much more time for Perry to melt.
Atlantis
Clip Start-2:40
Problem: Phineas and the
gang find Atlantis by walking
on the ocean floor. How is
this possible and would the
pressure be too much for
them to handle?
What we need: Forces, Buoyancy, Pressure
The Physics Behind It
While many physics factors play into this situation, there are not
many calculations. Below is a list of why this could never work:
Humans are less dense than salt water, therefore we naturally
float.
o The video implies that Fbuoyant < Fgravity.
Atlantis is never looked for off the coast of New York. Usually it
is searched for in the Mediterranean Sea or off the west coast
of Africa.
o Suppose they were in the Mediterranean. They would be at
a depth of around 250m. Since P=ρgh,
P=(1000)(250)(9.8)=2,450,000 Pa
Their air tanks are probably no more than 3ft^3 in volume. For
kicks, let's say they contain 6 cubic feet of air. At 250m deep,
this would give Phineas and his gang about 15 breaths max.
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•
•
Conclusion
The most obvious conclusion is that Phineas and Ferb did not
actually find Atlantis. If they started at the local beach and walked
(on the ocean floor) to the proposed location of Atlantis, it would
have taken them weeks. At the bottom of the ocean, there is so
much pressure that the buoyant force is extremely great. To be
able to walk down there, gravity would have to overcome
buoyancy. If the kids each held a boulder that was more dense
than the ocean, they would be able to keep themselves on the
floor.
Now the air tanks. It is physically impossible to breathe less
than 15 times while 250m below the surface and singing about
Atlantis. Since Phineas and Ferb are kids, they may have a couple
more breaths than adults, but the overall situation is not believable.
In addition, 2,450,000 Pascals is the equivalent of about 24
atmospheres. This pressure is unbearable for kids their age. They
would most likely die without extensive training beforehand.
Ultimate Conclusions
•
Phineas and Ferb are too young to defy the
laws of physics
Their parents should be more aware of what
their kids are doing
Phineas and Ferb have a blatant disregard
for rules
OR
Phineas and Ferb are so mentally and
technologically advanced that they are smart
enough to get around the laws of physics
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Because We Like Music Even
More
Bibliography
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=19138.0
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html
http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question12158.html
http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=53810
http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/yellowpages/coasters/galaxy
-orbiter_galaxyland.shtml