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ShorinBJ Since: Nov, 2011
May 8th 2023 at 1:59:20 PM •••

Let me clear something up here for anyone thinking that the kids wouldn't be able to move or breathe if they kept their mass, as they should per Wayne's explanation of how his invention works. Your physical strength is a function of how much weight your bones and muscles can bear as, essentially, a sophisticated system of levers and ropes. What happens if you make a rope with half the diameter but the same mass? It's twice as dense and just as strong.

When you get stronger from exercise, it's not that you've gained some ability to lift more by thinking harder at your muscles or something like that. It's literally that the "ropes" are thicker and thus able to bear a larger load. That's the limit on your strength. The kids would be able to move under their own power just fine. The problem of the ground under them supporting their weight remains.

Speedchesser Since: Feb, 2012
Oct 31st 2013 at 10:08:15 AM •••

This part is becoming nattery.

  • Artistic License – Physics: Mostly overshadowed by the Rule of Cool and the Rule of Funny. Decreasing the amount of empty space between molecules would indeed decrease an object's volume. However, since the amount of actual matter remains, it would do absolutely nothing to the object's mass. Thus, Wayne should not have been able to sweep them up. What you've done is increase the object's density. This greatly decreases the surface area over which their weight, defined in physics as the force generated by the acceleration of gravity acting upon mass, is distributed. This greatly increase the amount of pressure exerted upon the surfaces beneath their feet. Though the floorboards in his lab could probably have held them, once in the backyard, they should have sunk into the soft soil.
    • And, of course, the opposite holds true, meaning that Diane could have picked Adam up in the second movie, whether she was blown up or not. Likewise Adam wouldn't have quite the strength to lift a car.
      • Except picking up a 112-foot toddler would still have been extremely difficult and awkward for a five-foot whatever woman, and she needed to get Adam to hold still long enough for Wayne to shrink them back to normal size.
    • Two take a "ride" on a bee. They are flown all over the yard, which to them is 3 miles long. Despite the fact that in comparison size that bee is traveling at well over two hundred miles per hour, they do a remarkable job of hanging on. After their shrinking escapade think of all the money they'll save by just grabbing onto an airplane rather than having to pay fare to sit inside.
      • The error here actually lies with perceived time. Their smaller brains/bodies should function proportionally faster, so the perceived time longer with the distance. In this sense the bee ride and much of the film are 'accurate' with the exception of this concept.
    • Surface tension

Repair Dont Respond is in effect, yet this entire thing is discussing the physics with several opinions and voices. I'm wary of cutting most of it, though, since we need what remains to be accurate and fair. Still, we have to cut this. You shouldn't have bullets that elaborate on the one above them as a rule of thumb, and you definitely shouldn't have third-level ones elaborating on elaborations.

I would appreciate help deciding what to do with this section.

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StaryuHayabusa Since: Feb, 2014
Feb 7th 2014 at 1:32:42 PM •••

This article and its comments thoroughly summarize most of the issues with the films. (I'm not entirely sure that I buy any of the ideas put forth about sound and hearing, but I'm hardly a qualified professional.) It doesn't mention anything about slowed time perception as a result of shrinking, but this video neatly summarizes a recently published study that confirms this (the study is linked in the video description).

Perhaps it may suffice to simply link to these sources?

Edited by 173.50.86.234
lebrel {{Tsundere}} pet. Since: Oct, 2009
{{Tsundere}} pet.
Mar 19th 2012 at 1:19:52 PM •••

One, Cute Shotaro Boy has been renamed to Adorably Precocious Child. Two, this trope is highly misused and this example does not give enough detail to see if it applies; please check the definition at Adorably Precocious Child before re-adding.

Calling someone a pedant is an automatic Insult Backfire. Real pedants will be flattered.
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