Sci-Fi Laws Of Physics

(Mail any suggested changes or additions to tsolomon@bucknell.edu)

Sci-Fi Law I

Even in the vacuum of space, you can hear really cool sounds from passing spaceships, weapons firing, explosions, etc.

In many cases, you get different sounds, depending on whether the ship contains a good person or a bad person. (See Star Wars for a particularly good example --> the empire's one-man fighters make an annoying screech sound, whereas the rebellion's figthers make cool swooshing sounds.)

Sci-Fi Law II

Einstein's Theory of Relativity applies only if it make the action more exciting.

Any aspects of relativity that prevents fast-paced battle scenes and/or stories of galactic empires are ignored. The most obvious example is faster-than-light travel. Also, relativistic effects such as time dilation and length contraction are ignored --> they would complicate the plot too much. (See "Relativity:Distance & Time" drill #1 for an example.)

Sci-Fi Law III

Speed is absolute, rather than relative.

Sci-Fi Law IV

Not only can spaceships travel faster than light, but light can travel faster than light.

Here, we are referring to radio transmissions that allow real-time communications between two people separated by several hundred light years. (Radio waves and light waves are the same thing, except for that radio waves have larger wavelengths. They both travel at the speed of light.)

Sci-Fi Law V

Any difficult technical problem can be solved merely by "reversing the polarity" or by "adjusting the phase."

Sci-Fi Law VI

Causality is irrelevant.

Sci-Fi Law VII

Stars are so close together that you can see them whizzing past your window while the ship is moving.

Sci-Fi Law VIII

Newton's Laws (Classical Mechanics) do not apply in space

Specifically: even in the vacuum of space, a ship's engines must work hard to keep the ship moving with constant velocity; if the engines fail, the ship comes to a "complete stop."

Sci-Fi Law IX

Black holes make great vacation spots

I'm referring to a particular episode of ST:Voyager, in which the ship gets trapped inside the event horizon of a black hole (the theoretical radius where the gravitational field is so strong that even light cannot escape). Rather than getting crushed to a fruit-juicy pulp, the crew "punches a hole in the event horizon" and flies the ship out.

Sci-Fi Law X

Newton and Einstein are still revered (by name) as scientific geniuses, even as every one of their principles is violated.

Disclaimer: This list is not meant as an attack on sci-fi shows. I happen to be a big Sci-fi fan, particularly of the Star Wars movies and of Star Trek in all of its incarnations. Just like Coyote/Road Runner cartoons, they are great entertainment, even if (and, in some cases, because) they take liberties with the known laws of physics.