Batman's cape-glide is an accident waiting to happen, say physicists (Wired UK) →
#Batman
#physics
After accounting for the drag and lift forces acting on Bruce Wayne in flight, the doomed trajectory was calculated. The 4.7-metre wingspan is just half that of an ordinary hang glider and, when launching off an 150-metre-high Gotham city skyscraper and gliding (successfully, the team predicted) for around 350 metres, Batman’s velocity would peak at 110km/h before levelling off at a life-threatening 80km/h descent. The paper does admit that variations in the angle of the glide were not taken into account, and could contribute to a safe landing. However, Batman would need to slow significantly to avoid becoming a messy afterthought for Gotham city’s road sweepers.
The Dark Knight Rises
illustration by Michael Sapienza :: via etsy.com
(via herochan)
