Science Project about Futurama

[on:]

Me and some friends are doing a science project for school about the good science and the bad science found in various Sci-Fi movies and TV shows.  We're going to be doing case studies on Star Wars, Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Futurama.

I'm going to create a video with highlights of some of the good and bad science from each movie/show.

If you folks could think up some funny scenes from Futurama that show examples of good science and bad science, i would be greatful!

[Reply #1 on:]

First of all, welcome to PEEL!

Sounds like a great idea for a project. I think that Professor Farnsworth explaining the engine of the ship to Cubert, how scientists increased the speed of light, and Cubert discovering how the Planet Express ship travels (all from the season 2 episode "A Clone of My Own" ) are pretty good examples.

[Reply #2 on:]

You could put the cryogenics in there as bad science, as it allows nobodies like Pauly Shore to live for over a thousand years, wasting up valuable space.

[Reply #3 on:]

You should use scenes from Roswell That Ends Well. It has bad science because their method of time travel makes no sense. But it has good science because they talk about causality briefly. They also use technical terms for atomic blasts. Im sort of reaching with all of this..

[Reply #4 on:]

Good science - Godfellas, they couldn't catch up to Bender cause they were going full speed when they firef him. Er, maybe.

Bad science - "That just raises further questions!" Need I say more?

[Reply #5 on:]

You could use the global warming video from crimes of the hot

[Reply #6 on:]

For bad science listen to the Professor's explanation of the fast fossilisation process in "Jurassic Bark".

[Reply #7 on:]

More bad science, the reverse fossilization explanation from AOI2. 

[Reply #8 on:]

Welcome to PEEL, CongoJack!

Oh, and cryogenics could be considered good science. For example, it can help preserve bodies for centuries, which can be beneficial to scientists. Or, if you mean "good science" as in "logical", you could point out that cryogenics is a ligitamate study, and will probably one day be used as it is in Futurama.

Also, bad science: in "The Cryonic Woman", the cryogenics employee stating that there is a cure for heart attacks. This is pretty unlikely. You can prevent a heart attack by living a healthy life, but it is fairly impossible to supress a heart attack after it has already occurred.

[Reply #9 on:]

Hey, welcome guy. I can't believe anyone hasn't mentioned this, but I reccomend the episode "Parasites Lost". It has great clips of the insid of a human body, and may example how some of it works. Oh yeah, and it's hilarious.

[Reply #10 on:]

 

Originally posted by SlackJawedMoron:
More bad science, the reverse fossilization explanation from AOI2.   

This was actually one of the first things that came to my mind!  I think its ideal because its a really crappy explanation with a quick punchline.  That racoon is priceless!


Thanks everyone for all the great responses!  I guess I had gotten the feeling over the years that Futurama had to contain more good science.  I guess I'll listen to the commentaries more.  David Cohen usually points out all the scientific aspects.

Keep the ideas flowin'!

[Reply #11 on:]

Paracites Lost, for it's semi-tangible ideas on vitually controlled microdroids...which kind of are in the works now.

[Reply #12 on:]

to sum it all up:

All of Futurama is Bad Science! lol

[Reply #13 on:]

Well not ALL of it Nasty Pasty, if you listen to the commentary David "X" Cohen goes on about how true some of the stuff is sometimes.

[Reply #14 on:]

good point, but the show it built on the fact that all the Science stuff on the show is B.S.

And thats what makes it great! Now if you'll excuse me, i have to travel back in time to do past-nastification with Cleopatra.

[Reply #15 on:]

All I need is a few fleeting moments of good science, no matter how insignificant they may be.

Only one I could come up with off the top of my head is in Tale of Two Santas in the very beginning with the story about a group of people jumping into a river of liquid sulfer and all dying.

[Reply #16 on:]

Watch The Deep South with audio commentary, Cohen talks about a lot of stuff in there.

Can't think of anything really right at the moment for some reason...

[Reply #17 on:]

yeah, like how a crazy straw in a bag allows fry to breathe underwater.  good science 

[Reply #18 on:]

Not sure whether this counts as science, but the accumulated error between the Gregorian Calendar and the solar year over 1000 years adds up to around 7 hours, which would have Fry wake up the afternoon of December 31, 2999, rather than midnight.

[Reply #19 on:]

Luck of the Fryrish - At the horse races, as David X. Cohen comments, Professor Farnsworth yammers: "No fair! You changed the outcome by measuring it." A reference to the 'uncertainty principle'. A long standing argument about measurements in the world of  quantum mechanics.

Check wikipedia.com if you need more info.

[Reply #20 on:]

 

Originally posted by conman16x:
yeah, like how a crazy straw in a bag allows fry to breathe underwater.  good science   

I never said that part specifically...

[Reply #21 on:]

It has a very accurate and useful information in it about why you shouldn't make out with a robot, now thats useful stuff 

[Reply #22 on:]

umm... how exactly is a presentation about sci-fi a science project? it's not actually teaching you anything about science...

anyways, there is lots of good science in futurama. a lot of it isn't obvious, but just little details.
most of the time when someone, usually farnsworth, is explaining something scientific it's bad science. ie, fast fossilization, the PE ship engine, reverse fossilization, Guenter's hat, the Z-ray...

[Reply #23 on:]

 

Originally posted by Zeep:
umm... how exactly is a presentation about sci-fi a science project? it's not actually teaching you anything about science...

our chemistry teacher is very open when it comes to picking project topics.  pretty much as long as it relates to science, its fair game.

i think the thing about the uncertainty principal is probably one of the more scientifically accurate things in futurama.

[Reply #24 on:]

Oh, what about the P and NP bins in Put Your Head On My Shoulder? That's good computer science isn't it?

[Reply #25 on:]

What about the What-If machine? That would count as bad science, right? Or would it...j/k   

[Reply #26 on:]

 

Originally posted by conman16x:
 our chemistry teacher is very open when it comes to picking project topics.  pretty much as long as it relates to science, its fair game.

i think the thing about the uncertainty principal is probably one of the more scientifically accurate things in futurama.

How about the St. Pauli Exclusion Principle Beer?

[Reply #27 on:]

Maybe the Professor explaining the time altering chronotons' effects on DNA + RNA in 'Teenage Mutant Leelas Hurdles'. It may be fictional but at least you see what a DNA strand looks like.

[Reply #28 on:]

The realisation of a Klein bottle, though I'm not too sure of that's good or bad science.

The use of chronitons in "Time Keeps On Slipping" to accelerate growth, I'd say that's bad science.

[Reply #29 on:]

Another example of good science is the Omicronians (don't know if that is spelled right) watching 1000 year old shows on tv because light takes 1000 years to get there.

[Reply #30 on:]

I tried reading up about the 'St. Pauli exclusion principle' at wikipedia.com and I'm not sure I really understand. Well, I obviously don't if I'm not getting the joke.

[Reply #31 on:]

 

Originally posted by Alliteration:
Another example of good science is the Omicronians (don't know if that is spelled right) watching 1000 year old shows on tv because light takes 1000 years to get there.

You mean radio wave thingys. Anyway, this seems like a cool project. You can watch all the Futurama you want and say it's home work. Use the chroniton/time slips/Globe Trotter algebra in "Time keeps on Slippin" Good/Bad scientific gold mine right there. (I'm smart, I just can't spell   

[Reply #32 on:]

From the 2nd episode of S1. The commentary explains how the Earth's placement and speed of the moving shadow (dark side) were designed by a writer that happens to have a PhD.

[Reply #33 on:]

use all the inside the body stuff from "parasites lost", thats godd biology
(apart from zoidberg
FARNSWORTH: to the brain
ZOIDBERG: where the food is digested)
bad science, how nixon, a dead ex-president is alive and well as a head in a jar

[Reply #34 on:]

I think he is looking for more "good science" material than bad.  I'm new so I can only think of the example two posts up. 

[Reply #35 on:]

how about when dr.zoidberg rides that sperm in the human body.