Insultingly Bad Movie Physics
The next time you go to the movies see if you can spot any of the examples of bad physics commonly found in flicks! From visible laser beams to exploding cars, this site explains how movies scenes should look if the laws of physics were followed. You can also read movie reviews and see what grade they receive from the Movie Physics Rating System.
Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School Teacher Section: Yes Searchable: No

Physical Science

  Curriculum Standard 5c

Proficiency Standards
By the end of grade six students will be able to:

• Recognize and give examples of the various forms of energy, e.g. heat, light, sound, electrical, mechanical, magnetic, chemical, and nuclear.



• Show by examples how types of energy are used for specific purposes.



• Observe and describe how one form of energy may be transformed into another.



• Design a simple experiment or demonstration to show the difference between potential and kinetic energy.

Proficiency Standards
By the end of grade ten students will be able to:

• Collect observations to show that transformations of energy involve the production of heat.



• Describe or sketch how energy is released when the nuclei of some atoms undergo fission or fusion.



• Explain quantitatively exchanges of energy within a system, e.g. hot metal in cold water.



• Investigate and explain the range of energy released in different transformations , e.g. change of state, chemical reactions, and nuclear phenomena.



• Use basic measurement to study increases and decreases in an energy system to determine conservation of energy.



• Describe momentum and conduct an experiment to illustrate conservation of momentum.

  Curriculum Standard 5e

Proficiency Standards
By the end of grade six students will be able to:

• Observe and describe objects in motion, including vibration motion.



• Define the force which causes an object to undergo a change in direction or speed.



• Design a simple experiment which demonstrates the effect of gravitational force on an object.



• Describe or conduct an investigation which illustrates that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

Proficiency Standards
By the end of grade ten students will be able to:

• Formulate questions, design an exploration, and collect data about objects in motion.



• Demonstrate inertia as a property of an object which resists a change in motion and is directly related to its mass.



• Observe, describe, and identify basic properties of waves (transverse and longitudinal).



• Demonstrate the relationships among change in motion, applied force, and mass of an object.



• Identify friction as a force opposing motion.



• Identify and experimentally explore forces acting at a distance (gravity/electromagnetism)

  Curriculum Standard 5f

Proficiency Standards
By the end of grade six students will be able to:

• Produce sounds by causing several types of objects to vibrate.



• Relate the pitch of a sound to the rapidity of an object's vibration.



• Use a prism to separate white light into the visible spectrum.



• Identify ways in which light can be generated, e.g. heat, electricity, chemicals.



• Distinguish among objects which are opaque, transparent, and translucent.

Proficiency Standards
By the end of grade ten students will be able to:

• Distinguish among amplitude, wavelength, and frequency of longitudinal and transverse waves.



• Conduct investigations to demonstrate the properties of reflection, refraction and diffraction of light.



• Demonstrate the differences in sound quality produced by simple musical instruments, e.g. whistle, vibrating string, tapping water glasses.



• Identify and distinguish among the various forms of electromagnet radiation, e.g. visible light, microwaves, X-rays.



• Determine the speed of a wave using wave length and frequency.