Physicists from the University of Leicester (UK), using the laws of aerodynamics, calculated the speed of the protagonist of comics and films, Batman. For calculations, they analyzed an episode of K. Nolan's film "Inception" (2005), where a bat-man, revealing his cloak, flies down from a skyscraper.
After examining the episode of Batman's flight from a tall building, future scientists David Marshall and his friends from the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy calculated the magnitude of the forces acting on a person during such a flight. The calculation was based on the conditional weight of the superhero of 90 kilograms, the height of the building - 150 meters. Physics students also calculated the range of Batman's special cape. When this cape meets the flow of air, it straightens and becomes rigid, while its span is 4.7 m.
All calculations were made in accordance with the laws of aerodynamics. According to the data received, the students concluded that the lifting force of the cloak - the cape will be enough to keep Batman in the air, while the superhero's flight speed will be from 60 to 100 kilometers per hour.
According to these curious calculations, when jumping down from a building 150 meters high, a bat man will fly 350 meters in three seconds, while its maximum speed will be 109 kilometers per hour, and its landing speed is 80 kilometers per hour. After performing all the calculations, the young physicists concluded that Batman could indeed fly with his cloak, but a sharp landing would be life-threatening due to the high speed in the last seconds of the flight - the superhero would simply crash into the ground.
As one of the authors of the calculations said: "If Batman wanted to survive after such a flight, he would definitely need a bigger cloak." Physicists also advised the filmmakers to come up with jet thrust to extend airspeed and slow down landing speed if they wanted to keep the size of Batman's cape unchanged.
This paper by four physics students, titled "Trajectory of a Falling Batman", was published in December 2011 in the Journal of Special Physics Topics and generated mixed reactions from the public.
