What's Science Ever Done For Us: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe

by Paul Halpern

A playful and entertaining look at science on  The Simpsons

This amusing book explores science as presented on the longest-running and most popular animated TV series ever   The Simpsons.  Over the years, the show has examined such issues as genetic mutation, time travel, artificial intelligence, and even aliens.  What's Science Ever Done for Us?  examines these and many other topics through the lens of America's favorite cartoon.

This spirited science guide will inform Simpsons fans and entertain science buffs with a delightful combination of fun and fact. It will be the perfect companion to the upcoming Simpsons movie.

The Simpsons is a magnificent roadmap of modern issues in science. This completely unauthorized, informative, and fun exploration of the science and technology, connected with the world's most famous cartoon family, looks at classic episodes from the show to launch fascinating scientific discussions mixed with intriguing speculative ideas and a dose of humor. Could gravitational lensing create optical illusions, such as when Homer saw someone invisible to everyone else? Is the Coriolis effect strong enough to make all toilets in the Southern Hemisphere flush clockwise, as Bart was so keen to find out? If Earth were in peril, would it make sense to board a rocket, as Marge, Lisa, and Maggie did, and head to Mars? While Bart and Millhouse can't stop time and have fun forever, Paul Halpern explores the theoretical possibilities involving Einstein's theory of time dilation.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Humor, Physics, Pop Culture

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Acclaimed science writer and physicist Dr. Paul Halpern is the author of fourteen popular science books, exploring the subjects of space, time, higher dimensions, dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, particle physics, and cosmology. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, and an Athenaeum Literary Award. A regular contributor to NOVA's "The Nature of Reality" physics blog, he has appeared on numerous radio and television shows including "Future Quest" and "The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special".

Halpern's latest book, "Einstein's Dice and Schrodinger's Cat," investigates how physicists Albert Einstein and Erwin Schrodinger battled together against the incompleteness and indeterminacy of quantum mechanics. Their dialogue inspired Schrodinger's famous thought-experiment about a cat in a box that is in a mixed state between life and death until it is observed. They struggled to find a unified field theory that would unite the forces of nature and supersede quantum weirdness. Sadly they would never find success and their efforts would lead to a fiasco.

More information about Paul Halpern's books and other writings can be found at:
phalpern.com

Reviews

[Pramod Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Science? What’s science ever done for us?”
—Moe Szyslak, bartender, “Lisa the Skeptic”

An interesting and amusing take at learning the science behind the daily lives of television's most famous family – The Simpsons. Those who are familiar with this TV series will know that many of the episodes do have strange scientific phenomenon in them.

The book explores some of the most memorable episodes of this series and inspects the members of Springfield’s Nuclear Family and their encounters with fascinating scientific concepts. The author inspects and explains the science involved in the storyline and makes it more enjoyable for the non-scientific Simpson fans. The book discusses a variety of complex scientific theories in simple language devoid of any scientific mumbo-jumbo. The book covers topics like Genetics, Biotechnology, Nuclear Science, Evolution, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. The scientific explanations given are crisp and comprehensive and the book mixes popular culture and science to produces a reading material that is engrossing and entertaining.

This is a science book, which will make you laugh and learn at the same time!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who knows me knows that anything Simpsons-related is a pretty good bet for me - my best friend got this book as a just-because present. Now, I have a B.A. in English - science is not exactly my bag. But this book did a great job at exploring the scientific concepts behind some of The Simpsons' iconic episodes and characters. (For example, could radiation from a nuclear plant produce a 3-eyed fish like Blinky?) The author does a great job at discussing the science in layman's terms, and never goes too long without making a Simpsons reference, which kept my attention. When it comes to non-fiction books about science, that's no small feat.

[Hazard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schule ist was für Versager: Was wir von den Simpsons über Physik, Biologie, Roboter und das Leben lernen können behandelt naturwissenschaftliche Themen, die in der Fernsehserie The Simpsons aufgegriffen wurden.
Der Autor war bemüht, auch sehr anspruchsvolle und zum Teil abstrakte Bereiche wie Kosmologie und Topographie dem interessierten Laien näher zu bringen. Die Gratwanderung zwischen korrekter wissenschaftlicher Darstellung und nötiger allgemeinverständlicher Vereinfachung ist zumeist gelungen, das wissenschaftliche Niveau ist dabei eher niedrig. Leider war es jedoch für den Übersetzer an manchen Stellen immer noch zu hoch, da ein paar Sätze zwar in grammatikalisch korrekte deutsche Sätze übersetzt wurden, die jedoch im jeweiligen Zusammenhang wissenschaftlich keinen Sinn ergeben. Ich kenne den Originaltext nicht, gehe aber davon aus, dass dies schlicht Übersetzungsfehler sind. Innerhalb eines Themenbereiches ist der Schreibstil flüssig, jedoch sind die Überleitungen zwischen den Themen eher unelegant formuliert. Auch einige Beispiele, die wohl dem besseren Verständnis dienen sollen und durchweg Bezug zu den Simpsons haben sind unglücklich gewählt bis albern.
Das Buch ist ein netter Zeitvertreib für Simpsonsfans, jedoch keine großartige Lektüre, aber immer noch um Welten besser, als das im Anhang genannte Die Simpsons und die Philosophie: Schlauer werden mit der berühmtesten Fernsehfamilie der Welt.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a recommended read for any nerdy fan of the yellow-skinned clan. Each chapter addresses a Simpsons episode with a scientific concept. Could there be a Simpsons Gene that affects male Simpsons but spares the intellect of the females? Could nuclear plants give rise to three-eyed fish in the local waterways? How would a mini-black hole bend light rays so that Bart could not see roofer Ray? Does the Homer^3 episode really explore an additional dimension (aka Do the Simpsons exist in a 2D or 3D universe)? Could you create tomacco? Does the Coriolis force affect the spin of toilet water? While the analogies are hokey and the explanations are super-simplified, the book takes itself and the cartoon surprisingly seriously, and the material is genuinely interesting. In addition to picking up some educational tidbits, I learned how many of the Simpsons' writers have advanced degrees in math and physics... odd for a cartoon but likely contributes to why the series is so smart and regularly nods its head toward the realms of science. Probably also influences why I've enjoyed and followed the show for its 20+ years.

[Andrew Hecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Science of Doh!
If you are a fan of The Simpsons, this book is a real treat. Halpern uses plot lines from the past twenty years of the show to discuss physics, robotics, genetics, thermodynamics, gravity, quantum mechanics, the Coriolis effect. the Theory of Relativity (both general and special), nuclear physics, time travel, cosmology, string theory, interstellar space travel, paleontology, nanotechnology, teleportation and every other scientific issue that has arisen from the show, including appearances by Stephen Hawking and Robert Gould.

One of the great things about The Simpsons is that the show works on so many levels. Science plays a huge part in the series. Clearly Matt Groening (and the myriad writers) are science geeks, but you don't have to be one to appreciate the interesting and novel way Halpern handles these complex subjects, but if you are, you'd probably love it even more. I've been inspired to go back to look at some of the older episodes, particularly The Treehouse of Horrors Halloween stuff. Can't wait to get started.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry peeps. Just couldn't get into this one. I read a couple dozen pages in and stopped. I even assigned this to a composition class of mine(yes, composition; I've used history, sociology, philosophy, and science), but no go. I found the material a little too esoteric for my needs, and I didn't find the 'science' in it that interesting or relevant to my needs or to the needs of my students. The questions are not those I desire to explore for myself or my students: Could gravitational lensing create optical illusions, such as when Homer saw someone invisible to everyone else? Is the Coriolis effect strong enough to make all toilets in the Southern Hemisphere flush clockwise, as Bart was so keen to find out? If Earth were in peril, would it make sense to board a rocket, as Marge, Lisa, and Maggie did, and head to Mars? I'm not a big enough fan of The Simpsons or this material, and that's that. Peace! ;o)

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for a general discussion about science. Covered a variety of subjects that the Simpson's talked about in their episodes...very interesting to learn about the laws of thermodynamics, with relation to the Simpson's!

[Matt Beck · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I’m both a huge fan of science and a huge fan of The Simpsons, but it really fails on both counts. The book reads like a collection of essays from high school seniors or college freshman who were given the prompt “pick a science topic and connect it to The Simpsons.” There’s too heavily of a reliance on Halloween episodes, and often times there’s a very tenuous link between the Simpsons reference and science topic in a chapter.

This book may have been a good read for a high school Simpsons fan when it first came out, as the small tastes in science topics could have inspired a young fan of the show to look into and perhaps even pursue one of the science topics academically. Given how much pop culture has moved on, though, no such demographic really exists anymore.

I think it was a good thought, but there probably just wasn’t quite enough meat on the bone for a full book. Hindsight is 20/20, but I think Simon Singh’s later book about The Simpsons and math had the better approach to pad the story with some Futurama.

[Vignesh M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book that should get a lot of recognition by the readers, atleast by the Simpsons fans. This book has covered a lot of scientific topics ranging from genetics to cosmology to higher dimensional "bulk". Each topic prompts you to go deeper and research about these separately, for example, robotics, time travel, parallel universes, interstellar communication and so on and so forth. The Simpsons shall always remain my all time favorite series irrespective of whether it is scientifically accurate or not!

[Tony Foxhoven · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun, quick little read as a tour of different disciplines

[David Bril · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice easy read that tells you many of the ways the Simpsons has incorporated Science into its show.

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book examines various scientific topics and relates them to various episodes of the Simpsons. Topics such as genetics, thermodynamics, and astronomy are explained in relatively easy language and are related to Simpsons episodes amazingly well. Did you know that Tomacco can actually be achieved? And that Dr. Frink's teleportation machine could be plausible? Some topics are a little hard to muddle through and understand (I myself was lost during the cosmology explanations), but the author does his best to explain them easily and relating them to familiars such as Homer, Bart, and Lisa.

[David Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone with a passion for the Simpsons, and an equally undeniable passion for science, this book is a must read. It was in no sense the silly book it may appear to be from the outer cover. I can't imagine a better combination than learning about the mysterious wonders of the universe while recounting in my head the great episodes of the Simpsons I have seen in the past. This book truly made me think that the guys who write the Simpsons really are as smart as I thought they were.

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's Science Ever Done for Us? is an immensely readable and enjoyable book. It relates its scientific facts with plenty of real life analogies. I liked the shorter chapters and the overall structure to the book. Some of the other books I've read have monster chapters and do not do as good a job of "leading" the reader and recognizing we probably don't have the longest attention spans for science. The material is organized in a logical way.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially, this book picks out various science references that were made in Simpsons episodes, and expounds on them, explaining why some of them are impossible, and giving a more in-depth background on others. It's a nice quick read, and even if you haven't seen the episodes themselves, the book is still a nice hodge-podge of science trivia.

[Amanda Ariela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that, by following The Simpsons plots, I would be able to really understand some science concepts. But nope. I don't know why I even try. It's a nice read, and it's fun, but I'm too dumb for this.

[Peggy]

It was not at all what I was expecting. The author's voice came across as quite dry. He did not take advantage of the humorous aspects of the Simpsons to illustrate the science he was going to write about.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as interesting as some of the other pop culture/science books I've read.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the science was interesting. (For the first time I really understand what the Y2K scare was about.) The insertion of the Simpsons info was kind of akward at times.

[Josh Newhouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat above me in the science world, but interesting nonetheless both in its Simpsons commentary and in the scientific theory I was able to understand...

[Δx Δp ≥ ½ ħ · Rating 4 out of 5]

belajar sains, tak pernah sekocak ini

The Science of Doh!

[Zulakmar Hazwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny and realistic...

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have book for the Simpsons fans/scientists! So funny and it shows there are plenty of science applications behind The Simpsons. Oh boy I wish I am Professor Frink!

[Darren White · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave up on it, the science in it was pretty general. You'd do better to just spend your time watching "The Simpsons"

[Katja Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sehr amüsant und interessant.

[Belle Meade School]

500

[Pedro Aquino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Só me ajudou a ficar ainda mais fã da série!