The Science of Harry Potter: The Spellbinding Science Behind the Magic, Gadgets, Potions, and More!

by Mark Brake, Jon Chase

Overview

Harry Potter has brought the idea of magic and sorcery into mainstream fruition more than any other book series in history. Often perceived as a supernatural force, magic captivates and delights its audience because of its seeming ability to defy physics and logic. But did you ever wonder if science has any explanation for these fantastic feats? 

The Science of Harry Potter examines the scientific principles behind some of your favorite characters, spells, items, and scenes from the Harry Potter universe, providing in-depth analysis and scientific facts to support its theories. 

Witches and wizards alike will be fascinated by the merging of this improbable realm and real science.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631583056
Publisher:	Skyhorse Publishing
Publication date:	01/22/2018
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Mark Brake developed the world’s first science and science fiction degree in 1999. He also launched the world’s first astrobiology degree in 2005. He’s communicated science through film, television, print, and radio on five continents, including for NASA, Seattle’s Science Fiction Museum, the BBC, the Royal Institution, and Sky Movies. He was one of the founding members of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute Science Communication Group. He has written more than a dozen books, including Alien Life Imagined for Cambridge University Press in 2012. Mark also tours Europe with Science of Doctor Who, Science of Star Wars, and Science of Superheroes road shows.

Jon Chase is a freelance science communicator with an honors degree in aerospace engineering, and a master’s degree in communicating science. After producing a science rap video for NASA about astrobiology in 2008, the Guardian identified him as “the next big thing” in education. Jon has worked with the BBC, the Open University, the Science Museum, the Royal Society, and the Royal Institution. He tours Europe with Science of Doctor Who, Science of Star Wars, and Science of Superheroes shows.

Table of Contents

Part I Magical Philosophy

What Lies behind the Study of Astronomy at Hogwarts? 3

Did Nature, Like Magic, Conjure Something out of Nothing? 8

What Is the Real Story of the Quest for the Sorcerer's Stone? 12

The Dream of Alchemy: Where Do Base Metals Truly Turn into Gold? 17

Merlin: How Does Legend Compare with Canon? 21

Who Really Was the Last Great Wizard? 27

How Would Hermione's Time-Turner Work? 31

Does Science Have Limits, Like J.K. Rowling's Limits of Magic? 35

What Kind of Prophecy Is Possible? 39

How Do Voldemorts Death Eaters Rate on the 14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism? 43

Part II Technical Trickery and Paraphernalia

Could Scientists Be the Modern Wizards? 55

Can Scientists Demonstrate Wingardium Leviosa? 59

How Hazardous Is a Flying Broomstick? 65

Can Muggles Make a Motorcar That Flies? 70

Could Science Develop Moody's Mad Eye? 75

When Will Muggles Develop Moving Portraits? 78

How Could You Make Your Own Marauder's Map to Skip Class? 82

How Would We Fashion a Working Weasley Family Clock? 86

Can Technology Replicate the Reductor Curse? 89

How Could a Wizard Make Great Balls of Fire? 95

Part III Herbology, Zoology, and Potions

Is the Bezoar a Real Antidote? 103

Devil's Snare: What Are the Real Life Flesh-Eating Plants? 107

How Has Medicine Made Powerful Potions from Peculiar Plants? 111

The Psychology of Sex: Do Real-Life Love Potions Work? 117

Have Spy Agencies Used Their Own Version of a Veritaserum Potion? 120

Will Humans Evolve Legilimency and Occlumency Like Snape? 124

Could Evolution Produce Its Own Fluffy? 128

Where and When Might Harry Find Dragons? 131

Why Would Pigeons, and Not Owls, Make a Wizards Best Friend? 135

Is It Possible to Stupefy Someone? 139

Why Are Death Eater "Pure-Bloods" Wrong about Breeding and the Gene Pool? 144

Part IV Magical Miscellany

Platform 9¾: Are There Real Hidden Railway Stations in London? 151

How Could You Make a Room of Requirement? 155

Are Force Fields the Muggle Version of Shield Charms? 159

Could Age Lines Ever Become a Real Technology? 163

Will Society Develop Arithmancy? 169

Could Muggles Master the Memory Transfer of a Pensieve? 174

Can Muggles Develop Their Own Form of Teleportation? 178

What Technology Is the Muggle Version of the Horcrux? 182

Is It Just Wizards and Witches Who Wave Wands? 186

Lumos! How Can a Wand Give off Light? 191

Will We Ever See an Invisibility Cloak? 197

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Mark Brake and Jon Chase’s The Science of Star Wars

“If you’ve ever wondered how life could arise on Tatooine or how likely it is that there’s a cantina full of aliens somewhere in our galaxy, The Science of Star Wars is for you.”
—San Francisco Book Review

“A real treat, with many moments of epiphany lurking between the pages . . . Offers much more than just the scientific facts.”
—Labtimes

“A gloriously fascinating look into that galaxy far, far away!”
—Professor Lewis Dartnell, University of Westminster, New York Times bestselling author of The Knowledge

“As a longtime Star Wars maniac, I’d like to recommend Mark Brake and Jon Chase’s The Science of Star Wars: The Scientific Facts Behind the Force, Space Travel, and More! for the geek on your Christmas list. The book is divided into sections on space travel, space, aliens, tech, and bio-tech, with each addressing the scientific feasibility of the Star Wars universe, from faster than light travel to the nature of the Force itself. Written in a clear, friendly style, reading The Science of Star Wars is like sitting down for a conversation with a super geeky scientist friend.”
—Unbound Worlds

“Using the basic principles of mathematics and science, author Mark Brake and science presenter Jon Chase have unlocked some of the secrets behind the George Lucas films, and have concluded that The Force might not be complete fantasy.”
—Telegraph

“A fairly easy read in the sense that simple language is used to explain what can at times be fairly complex concepts . . . It’s certainly best enjoyed by anyone with a bent towards the stars and how they stay up there. . . . For the right fan, it would be an excellent Christmas present.”
—In a Far Away Galaxy

Praise for Mark Brake and Jon Chase’s The Science of Star Wars

“If you’ve ever wondered how life could arise on Tatooine or how likely it is that there’s a cantina full of aliens somewhere in our galaxy, The Science of Star Wars is for you.”
—San Francisco Book Review

“A real treat, with many moments of epiphany lurking between the pages . . . Offers much more than just the scientific facts.”
—Labtimes

“A gloriously fascinating look into that galaxy far, far away!”
—Professor Lewis Dartnell, University of Westminster, New York Times bestselling author of The Knowledge

“As a longtime Star Wars maniac, I’d like to recommend Mark Brake and Jon Chase’s The Science of Star Wars: The Scientific Facts Behind the Force, Space Travel, and More! for the geek on your Christmas list. The book is divided into sections on space travel, space, aliens, tech, and bio-tech, with each addressing the scientific feasibility of the Star Wars universe, from faster than light travel to the nature of the Force itself. Written in a clear, friendly style, reading The Science of Star Wars is like sitting down for a conversation with a super geeky scientist friend.”
—Unbound Worlds

“Using the basic principles of mathematics and science, author Mark Brake and science presenter Jon Chase have unlocked some of the secrets behind the George Lucas films, and have concluded that The Force might not be complete fantasy.”
—Telegraph

“A fairly easy read in the sense that simple language is used to explain what can at times be fairly complex concepts . . . It’s certainly best enjoyed by anyone with a bent towards the stars and how they stay up there. . . . For the right fan, it would be an excellent Christmas present.”
—In a Far Away Galaxy

From the Publisher