What's Science Ever Done For Us : What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe

A playful and entertaining look at science on The Simpsons This amusing book explores science as presented on the longest-running and most popular animated TV series ever made: The Simpsons. Over the years, the show has examined such issues as genetic mutation, time travel, artificial intelligence, and even aliens. ''What's Science Ever Done for Us?'' examines these and many other topics through the lens of America's favorite cartoon. This spirited science guide will inform Simpsons fans and entertain science buffs with a delightful combination of fun and fact. It will be the perfect companion to the upcoming Simpsons movie. The Simpsons is a magnificent roadmap of modern issues in science. This completely unauthorized, informative, and fun exploration of the science and technology, connected with the world's most famous cartoon family, looks at classic episodes from the show to launch fascinating scientific discussions mixed with intriguing speculative ideas and a dose of humor. Could gravitational lensing create optical illusions, such as when Homer saw someone invisible to everyone else? Is the Coriolis effect strong enough to make all toilets in the Southern Hemisphere flush clockwise, as Bart was so keen to find out? If Earth were in peril, would it make sense to board a rocket, as Marge, Lisa, and Maggie did, and head to Mars? While Bart and Millhouse can't stop time and have fun forever, Paul Halpern explores the theoretical possibilities involving Einstein's theory of time dilation. Paul Halpern, PhD (Philadelphia, PA) is Professor of Physics and Mathematics at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and a 2002 recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. He is also the author of The Great Beyond (0-471-46595-X). A playful and entertaining look at science on The Simpsons

This amusing book explores science as presented on the longest-running and most popular animated TV series ever made: The Simpsons. Over the years, the show has examined such issues as genetic mutation, time travel, artificial intelligence, and even aliens. "What's Science Ever Done for Us?" examines these and many other topics through the lens of America's favorite cartoon.

This spirited science guide will inform Simpsons fans and entertain science buffs with a delightful combination of fun and fact. It will be the perfect companion to the upcoming Simpsons movie.

The Simpsons is a magnificent roadmap of modern issues in science. This completely unauthorized, informative, and fun exploration of the science and technology, connected with the world's most famous cartoon family, looks at classic episodes from the show to launch fascinating scientific discussions mixed with intriguing speculative ideas and a dose of humor. Could gravitational lensing create optical illusions, such as when Homer saw someone invisible to everyone else? Is the Coriolis effect strong enough to make all toilets in the Southern Hemisphere flush clockwise, as Bart was so keen to find out? If Earth were in peril, would it make sense to board a rocket, as Marge, Lisa, and Maggie did, and head to Mars? While Bart and Millhouse can't stop time and have fun forever, Paul Halpern explores the theoretical possibilities involving Einstein's theory of time dilation.

Paul Halpern, PhD (Philadelphia, PA) is Professor of Physics and Mathematics at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and a 2002 recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. He is also the author of The Great Beyond (0-471-46595-X).

The Simpsons, the world's most popular and longest-running animated series, is a treasure-trove of scientific ideas and a clever mixture of fact and fancy. Now there's a guide to the science behind the show. In What's science ever done for us ? you'll find answers to an amazing array of scientific questions raised in 26 classic episodes, including : can genetics explain Homer's dimwittedness and Lisa's brains ?; are shrink-rays and teleportation devices possible along the lines of professor Frink's inventions ? ; Could androids, like the one that replaced Bart in one episode, ever have consciousness ? ; Do toilets in North America and Australia flush in opposite directions ? ; If Earth were in peril, should we try to escape on a rocket, like Marge, Lisa, and Maggie did, and attempt to colonize Mars ? ; Could we travel back in time, like Homer did, change the past, and find ourselves in a parallel reality ? Whether you're a Simpsons fan, a science buff, or both, get ready to laugh and learn as Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa, and the entire town of Springfield prove that science isn't just fun - it's hilarious ! [Source : d'après la 4e de couverture] The Simpson Gene You say tomato, I say tomacco Blinky, the three-eyed fish Burns? radiant glow We all live in a cell-sized submarine Lisa's recipe for life Look Homer-Ward angel D'ohs ex machina Perpetual commotion Dude, I'm an android Rules for robots Chaos in cartoonland Fly in the ointment Clockstopping A toast to the past Frinking about the future Lisa's scoping skills Diverting rays The plunge down under If astrolabes could talk Cometary cowabunga Homer's space Odyssey Culd this really be the end? Foolish earthlings Is the universe a donut? The third dimension of Homer. A study of the world of science describes how the animated television show has addressed such scientific issues as genetic manipulation, time travel, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life, exploring the theoretical possibilities of such speculative concepts.