I didn’t think it could happen, but there, on my TV screen was a glaring, scientific mistake that Hollywood completely missed when verifying the science-behind-the-script.
I’m a tad behind on my movie viewing. So this morning (6/15/2014), I saw the 1989 film, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, for the first time. I was able to suspend credulity until Moranis explained how the shrinking happened: His shrinking machine merely removed the extra space that exists between atoms and–presumably–between protons and electrons.
Now, my only official education is a 1984-earned G.E.D. certificate … but I have picked up a few things in 67 years. One of them is that space is weightless. The protons, neutrons and electrons of two objects have weight (or mass, for you science junkies), but the space between those objects has no weight/mass. So, when the, say, 80 pound kid (fill in whatever weight you choose) was shrunk to 1/4 inch, he would still have weighed 80 pounds!
That would’ve meant the kid couldn’t have climbed that flower to look around (the plant wouldn’t have supported him), and they all couldn’t have ridden their dog (they would’ve crushed him), and so on.
If only Moranis hadn’t explained it that way, I’d’ve been fine with my thoughts. <sigh … there are ongoing problems with having been a proofreader….>
(See what I mean about this blog being a complete waste of your time??)
Bruce's Oddball Blog 