Outline for the Second Term Paper

Intro
a. The Law of Inertia states that an object moves with constant, uniform motion until acted on by an unbalanced force. A force is balanced by an equal force acting in opposition, such as the floor pushing you up versus gravity pulling you downward.
b. The momentum of an object depends on its velocity and weight (mass). In order to stop an object of large momentum, there needs to be a large force applied quickly or a small force applied more slowly. Sometimes, if it’s done too quickly, it can be visually jarring to an audience.
b. Thesis: In physics, the Law of Inertia and the principle of Momentum and Impact are incorrectly illustrated in many films in order to create a sense of believability, as opposed to a completely correct representation.


Body
I. Tangled (2011)
a. The escape from the castle
* In this scene, Flynn Rider makes his great escape from the castle after being captured under false pretences. He gets help from the “tough guys” of the film.
* He is catapulted from inside the castle courtyard, into the air/over the wall. While in the air, he remains in and upward/straight stance.
b. Landing:  Flynn lands perfectly on top of Maximus the horse (who is on the other side of the castle). Neither of them have any reaction to the momentum Flynn exerted.

II. The Spy Next Door (2010)
a. Bob Ho is a spy who takes on babysitting his neighbor/girlfriends’ kids. When his cover is blown, the kids soon join him in helping fight “the Russians”.
* In this fight scene, Nora (the youngest; 4 years old) stands up to the biggest Russian and shoots him with a small gun-like device. It shoots a “bullet” that catapults the Russian to the end of the hall, causing him to break the door and part of the wall.
* Highly un-believable, even though the laws of physics were broken for comedic purpose.

III. The Avengers (2012)
a. The fight scene (towards the end)
* Thor falls almost straight down, at lightning speed (YES pun intended), to the ground.
    ~ hits the floor, stumbles a little as he’s getting up, then gets up like nothing has happened and
        walks towards the other avengers completely unharmed.

Conclusion
a. The Law of Inertia and principle of Momentum & Impact are purposely used incorrectly for the effect of comedy and visual enjoyment. This does not always mean that the action is believable even in the context of the film, but the suspension of disbelief required to experience films with exaggerated realities makes up for this fact.