Outline for the Second Term Paper

Second Term Paper: Science Fact or Cinematic Fiction?

I. Intro
   A) Principle to be examined: Action/Reaction (Newton's 3rd Law)
   B) Example(s): Chicken Little, Road to El Dorado, and almost every Nintendo video game
                            ever (we'll go with SuperSmash Bros. Brawl)


II. Body
      A) Chicken Little
            1. Example: Character uses a shaken up soda bottle to propel self up (a full
                                building height).
            2. Why it Violates the principle of Action/Reaction: Reaction Force too strong
                                While this is a legitimate means of propulsion, it would not have
                                been able to create enough force to lift the weight of the character
                                to the height depicted.

   B) Road to El Dorado
            1. Example: Altivo (the horse) kicks a wall in the ball stadium, hard enough
                                to visibly shake it.
            2. Why it Violates the principle of Action/Reaction: Reaction Force too weak
                                The force needed to shake such a massive object should have
                                resulted in a reaction force strong enough to break Altivo's leg.

C) Super Smash Bros. Brawl
            1. Example: Characters can do what is referred to as a "double jump" (after the
                                apex of a jump, they can jump again in midair).
            2. Why it Violates the principle of Action/Reaction: No Reaction Force
                                (or even initial action force, really)
                                For the second jump, there is nothing to exert a force upon(empty
                                air) that can exert a reaction force. Therefore, there is nothing to
                                carry the character against the force of gravity.


III. Conclusion