"A PhD physicist (and self-professed fangirl) uses the science in George R. R. Martin's fantastical world--from ice walls to Valyrian steel, from wildfire and dragon fire to the genetics of the Targaryens and Lannisters--to explain the real magic in our own realm.
Exploring the science in George R. R. Martin's fantastical world, from the physics of an ice wall to the genetics of the Targaryens and Lannisters.
Game of Thrones is a fantasy that features a lot of made-up science-fabricated climatology (when is winter coming?), astronomy, metallurgy, chemistry, and biology. Most fans of George R. R. Martin's fantastical world accept it all as part of the magic. A trained scientist, watching the fake science in Game of Thrones, might think, ""But how would it work?"" In Fire, Ice, and Physics, Rebecca Thompson turns a scientist's eye on Game of Thrones, exploring, among other things, the science of an ice wall, the genetics of the Targaryen and Lannister families, and the biology of beheading. Thompson, a PhD in physics and an enthusiastic Game of Thrones fan, uses the fantasy science of the show as a gateway to some interesting real science, introducing GOT fandom to a new dimension of appreciation.
Thompson starts at the beginning, with winter, explaining seasons and the very elliptical orbit of the Earth that might cause winter to come (or not come). She tells us that ice can behave like ketchup, compares regular steel to Valyrian steel, explains that dragons are ""bats, but with fire,"" and considers Targaryen inbreeding. Finally she offers scientific explanations of the various types of fatal justice meted out, including beheading, hanging, poisoning (reporting that the effects of ""the Strangler,"" administered to Joffrey at the Purple Wedding, resemble the effects of strychnine), skull crushing, and burning at the stake.
Even the most faithful Game of Thrones fans will learn new and interesting things about the show from Thompson's entertaining and engaging account. Fire, Ice, and Physics is an essential companion for all future bingeing."
By:
Rebecca C. Thompson
Foreword by:
Sean Carroll
Imprint: Massachusetts Inst of Tec
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Weight: 368g
ISBN: 9780262539616
ISBN 10: 0262539616
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 19 January 2021
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
1. Winter is Coming. Or is it? Seasons in Westeros 2. And Now My Watch Begins: The Science of an Ice Wall 3. North of the Wall: How to Survive in the Cold 4. White Walkers, Zombies, Parasites, and Statistics 5. Regular Steel, Made in Pittsburgh 6. Valyrian Steel, Made in Damascus 7. Dragon Biology: Bats but with Fire 8. How to Kill a White Walker: The Physics of Dragonglass 9. Harrenhal: Can Fire Melt Stone? Take Down a Wall? 10. The Battle of Blackwater: The Science of Wildfire 11. Houses Targaryen and Lannister: The Genetics of a Family Tree with Few Branches 12. We Do Not Sow: The Science of The Sea 13. The King's Justice: The Biology of a Gruesome Death
Rebecca Thompson is director of public outreach for the American Physical Society, one of the most prominent physics societies in the world. She is a PhD physicist, and author and creator of the long-running Spectra series of educational comics. She has given several public lectures about the science in Game of Thrones and other TV shows.
Reviews for Fire Ice and Physics: The Science of Game of Thrones
In a world full of magic, there are still scientific rules that this alternate universe plays by. Rebecca Thompson guides the reader through what we know and what might be possible based on known science, blurring the mental lines we've drawn to separate fantasy from reality. - Ethan Siegel, theoretical astrophysicist; author of Treknology and Beyond the Galaxy Even if you can't tell a White Walker from a White Russian, you'll find Becky Thompson's Fire, Ice, and Physics to be endlessly rewarding. From how to build an ice wall to how to make Valyrian steel to the aerodynamics of dragons, this fun and engaging book is full of clearly explained physics and real-world applications. I couldn't put it down! - James Kakalios, Taylor Distinguished Physics Professor at the University of Minnesota; author of The Physics of Superheroes From the biophysics of dragon fire to the engineering of ice walls, this book gives all the material you need to elevate those Game of Thrones conversations to even higher levels. - Clifford Johnson, Professor of Physics, University of Southern California; author of The Dialogues: Conversations about the Nature of the Universe
