Latest Alejandro Garcia Stories

The best animators know their physicsFrom drawings to computer animation, the magic of cartoon movies allows audiences to explore a fantastical and imaginary world. To make animated characters life-like on the big-screen, the laws of physics have to be taken into account by film makers. To be believable, every character's movements have to have the fundamentals of physics supporting them. If film makers incorporate scientific principles in the creation of the animated movie, audiences can...

The Incredible Hulk makes a terrific leap, and physicist Alejandro Garcia cringes. It's not because Bruce Banner's alter ego is angry and green, but because the ground underneath stood still. Newton's laws say that the force of the jump should have destroyed the launch site. "You can tell when something isn't quite there," Garcia said. "Often the audience doesn't like it, and they can't quite put their finger on it."So the San Jose State University professor is trying to...