What’s Science Ever Done For Us: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe by Paul Halpern PhD (PDF)

Description

A playful and entertaining look at science on The SimpsonsThis 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.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: From Booklist Just in time for the release of the big-screen Simpsons movie, and in the tradition of numerous others in the Science of . . . series, comes this entertaining, educational look at the world’s most famous yellow-skinned cartoon characters and what they can teach us—believe it or not—about genetics, artificial intelligence, time travel, space travel, extraterrestrials, quantum physics, the Coriolis effect, and other mind-expanding matters. Like William Irwin’s The Simpsons and Philosophy (2001), the book extracts wisdom and real-world lessons from the long-running animated show: Halpern uses an episode in which Homer sells a tobacco-tomato crossbreed called tomacco, for example, to explore the subject of genetic mutation; the famous episode “The Springfield Files,” in which a green-glowing alien is revealed to be Mr. Burns, leads the author into a discussion of the dangers of overexposure to radium. Halpern, a physics and mathematics professor, is clearly a big Simpsons fan, and, in addition to being informative and accessible to the lay reader, his book is a lot of fun. It’s not often you laugh while you read a science book; like The Simpsons itself, the book is funny and smart. Pitt, David Review * “A hugely entertaining celebration of the science behind the cartoon silliness.” (The Guardian Review, Saturday 18th August 2007)”…a book that can be enjoyed by all ages.” (Physics World, December 2007)”[The book] is a fun introduction to some aspects of science that will appeal to anyone curious about some common science…” (concatenation.org, Wednesday 16th January 2008) From the Back Cover Is the universe shaped like a donut?Homer proposed such a theory. Do three-eyed fish swim near nuclear power plants? Bart managed to catch one. Are perpetual-motion machines suitable for school projects?Lisa constructed a working model.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! About the Author PAUL HALPERN, PHD, 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 the author of The Great Beyond, also from Wiley. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I had believed this book to be a little more humorous and a little lighter on the science side. As I read the book some aspects of the book had me thinking and thinking some more; not much of a chuckle ; quite a bit of over my head science, but it was interesting and I liked it.

⭐Real science with more than a dash of great humour

⭐Arrived on time. Given as a gift to a college kid majoring in Physics. I haven’t read the book myself, but it’s one of his most popular. I intend to read it.

⭐I bought this book for my dad who is a physics teacher and he seemed to like it, but I flipped through it and it is so boring that I think you’d have to be into physics to really enjoy it.

⭐This book is funny and insightful. My family has had a lot of fun reading through parts together.

⭐It’s not hard to look at these “Science of…” and “Philosophy of…” and “Psychology of…” and “Plumbing Concepts of…” series as shameless attempts to leech off the popularity of shows that have die-hard fan bases. Star Trek, The Daily Show, Seinfeld. The Simpsons.I haven’t read all of them, so I can’t acquit all of the authors involved, but I can say that Paul Halpern doesn’t seem to be riding that particular boat. This is a real Simpsons fan. And a real science fan. And the book reads like the musings of a man who likes to mull over both things together on his own; the best books are the kind where the authors write more for themselves than for anyone else.In fact, the only thing that works against this little volume is that it sometimes lapses into “duh” territory. Halpern uses the show to springboard discussions of various topics — are matter transporters possible? can fish mutate an extra eye? is it possible to genetically bond tomatoes with tobacco? — and even though he provides a lot of Lisa-like illumination, some of the info is a no brainer. Homers should be pleased.This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, although it meant there were a few points where I felt the book was treading water. Still, Halpern is erudite enough — and his knowledge of Simpsons arcana vast enough — to make even these moments fun to read. Halpern is not only excellent at making the most obtuse of topics accessible to readers, he’s also a maverick at gracefully weaving in countless references to the show. His knowledge of Simpsons arcana is impressive, and equally impressive is his ability to wield it without being clunky or cute. He doesn’t — like many of these books — use one half to jump start the other. This book is equal parts Simpsons and science, and both halves are carefully and craftily employed. Even if they don’t always blend, they do twine tightly together.You don’t have to be much of a science buff to enjoy the Primer’s Approach to Science that Halpern has laid out here. Furthermore, you don’t have to be much of a Simpsons buff to chuckle at Halpern’s skillful use of Springfieldian trivia in the transitions and topic caps. Of course, if you’re either one — and especially if you’re both — you’ll want this book.

⭐As anyone who watches the Simpsons can attest (and anyone who is anyone watches the show), Springfield is town that is rife with science.Within the confines of that fictional town many strange and scientific events take place. Three eyed fish swim the rivers. Homer proposes that the universe is shaped like a donut. He also travels back in time. Lisa builds a perpetual motion machine. The resident scientist, Dr. Frink, builds amazing machines that shrink people and teleport people.Faced with such an abundance of science, it would be good and wonderful if some sort of book were available that clearly explained life, the universe and everything in that little town.Fortunately, Paul Halpern has come to save the world…with science…and a book with a really, really long title.In his 262 page book, What’s Science Ever Done for Us: What The Simpsons Can Teach Us about Physics, Robots, Life and the Universe, Halpern explains the science of twenty six classic episodes of the show.As any professor will attest, explaining complex things such as science means facing two serious challenges. The first is presenting an explanation that is clear and comprehensible. All too often attempts to explain merely lead to greater confusions and naps. In some extreme cases, people are actually blinded with science.The second challenge is providing an explanation that is interesting. Being a professor myself, I can attest to the fact that a dull explanation can render a class unconscious. So much so, that I am still researching ways to get certain lectures transformed into a pill form (next stop-FDA testing).Fortunately, Halpern meets these two challenges and brutalizes them in way that would make the bully Nelson proud.His explanations of complex scientific matters, such as genetics and androids, are eminently clear and comprehensible. So much so that even people with the intellectual horsepower of Homer should be able to grasp his lucid and concise accounts.His explanations are also quite illustrating. In addition to making use of the appeal of the Simpsons (a brilliant marketing angle, by the way) he also enhances his accounts with clever wit and humor.I strongly recommend the book to anyone who is a Simpsons’ fan. I also recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about science in a way that is interesting and not likely to cause blindness.As Mr. Burns would say, this book is…excellent.

⭐Using The Simpsons TV series as a vehicle, the author takes the reader along on a fascinating romp through various fields of science, all of which have been touched upon, in some way, in some of the Simpsons episodes. He starts of by introducing the principle characters, as well as the creators and writers for this show, including their backgrounds. Then, typically, in each of the following chapters, an episode of interest is briefly recounted and the science highlighted therein is subsequently discussed in more detail.I enjoyed reading this book, finding it entertaining, lighthearted, often humorous and informative. I believe that most well-read science enthusiasts will not likely to learn anything new here. However, the enjoyable prose, the book’s structure and, well, The Simpsons make for a very pleasant read – especially for Simpsons fans.

⭐Ein nettes populärwissenschaftliches Büchlein wie es sie in Massen gibt.Der Aufhänger mit den Simpsons ließ mich in die Falle laufen.Dieses Buch hat mit den Simpsons so viel zu tun, wie die Sendung “Galileo” mit dem Astronomen. Berührungspunkte aber nicht viel mehr.Wer auf diese Art und Weise der Wissenschaft näher kommen will, sei “The Physics Of Superheroes” empfohlen.

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⭐Hoffentlich (ich will es meinem Enkel schenken) geeignet, um etwas Englisch und etwas Physik gleichzeitig zu lernen, ohne dass es sich wie Unterricht anfühlt.

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