Hollywood is notorious for movies that stretch the laws of physics for the sake entertainment and commercial purposes. To illustrate how these laws are defied, for example in the fictional film The Matrix several scenes defied these laws especially the first law of Newton's motion. This is a science fiction film that was released in 1999 showcasing how humans perceive reality which has been simulated and called ‘the matrix'. We are tasked with the assignment of trying to explain how such scenes tend to defy how physics dictates our day-to-day living such the gravitational pull on all objects on the surface of the earth.
Emphasis is placed on the scene of bullet dodging which in reality defies all laws known to physics. In the scene, we happen to see bullet shooting between two characters; an Agent and Neo. Neo is first to shoot at the Agent who dodges all the bullets at superhuman speeds. Neo later is on the receiving end of the round, but he too manages to evade most of the shots. Neo is not so skilful at dodging and gets a scratch from the bullet. Usually, bullets travel at high velocities in straight lines. Bullets experience resistance in the form of gravity that causes a projectile fall of the round at the same time there is slowed speed due to air resistance (Defying Newton's Laws of Physics, 2018). This eventually ensures the bullet cannot go a long distance than it needs to go. Bullet velocities average between 370 m/s and 460 m/s against human response time, that is, time used by human to respond upon being released from the cartridge. For Neo to dodge the bullets, it only means these bullets stopped mid-air even though there is no external force likely to cause them to stop. This defies Newton's first law of motion. Neo is in no way capable of dodging the bullets for objects in action must remain in motion given the lack of an external force that would cause a change in direction.
The bullet while in motion maintains a constant speed and upon reaching its target assumed to be the external force, it, therefore, changes its momentum as a result of being slowed down. Reaction time is the time between the shooting of the bullet the start of the response. Studies have revealed that averagely humans use 0.4 to 0.8 seconds as reaction time while the response time is close to 1.96 seconds (prezi.com, 2018). If this was the case in this particular scene involving the Agent and Neo both of them should have bullets in their bodies for the reaction time in real time is way too slow to dodge a bullet. It is quite impossible to react and avoid a shot successfully from an estimated distance of 15.24m away as in the film.
The bullet is estimated to move at a velocity of 1250ft per second;
In meters =1250* 0.3048 = 381m/s, a distance of 50ft away translates to 15.24m. in this situation, how long would it take for the bullet to reach Neo;
Converting feet to meters; that is – 1 ft = 0.3048m, 50ft = 50*0.3048 = 15.24m
= =0.04s
We are also supposed to find the magnitude of air resistance, by considering the objects speed air moves in the opposite direction to that of the object;
Fair =
The bullet travels in a dropping horizontal trajectory, creating an angle between the horizontal line and the bullet’s trajectory;
Hence; sin Ө = ; Fair = K sin Ө = K () = K
Neo’s reaction time of 0.04s is quite unreasonable to say it was possible to achieve. This reaction time sums up the time used in the perception of the bullet in motion, decision making on how to move and eventually managing to dodge (prezi.com, 2018). In case the Agent dodges one bullet we'd explain that as being lucky, but he manages to dodge 20 or more that science is quite unrealistic.
Trinity finally comes to the rescue of Neo. She comes over the agent laying on the ground and takes her time before choosing to shoot him. Considering Trinity's gun size, 0.004 seconds is the time taken for a bullet to emerge at the barrel end which is ten times faster than the Agent's reaction time. Trinity takes almost 2 seconds before pulling the trigger. In 2 seconds with a reaction time of 0.04 seconds the Agent would have been able to dodge quite many bullets;
No. of bullets = = 50 bullets (In the Matrix, 2018). Given that Neo too hardly got hit in the crossfire, this only proves that Neo’s reaction time is just as fast as that of the Agent.
Even after the Agent is left on the ground hurt, Trinity is quoted saying to Neo how she'd never seen anyone move that fast about both Neo and the Agent's reactions. This only proves that Trinity isn't as fast as the two. To our surprise, the Agent lying on the floor is unable to react given Trinity’s human nature in her response time. He surely is capable of striking Trinity, with the fastest human reaction time recorded at 0.1s even half of that isn’t enough to beat the Agent’s time. With this in mind, the ending of the film should have been entirely different with the Agent's capability of turning things around to his advantage. The Agent probably cannot react due to his abilities being exhausted and only able to be sustained for a short period.
The movie is not short of more scenes that defy the laws of physics. Morpheus makes a jump of approximately a kilometer as he teaches Neo how exactly the world is imaginary. His goal is to find how high can jump. This just goes to show how modern technology has been used to indicate the impossibilities of physics.
The limitation of this kind superhuman ability from the observations made on the Agent could be the use of vast amounts of energy leaving one very drained. There seem to be other ways the Agent could have acted. We understand his reaction time is surreal. Logically, he should be able to run fast towards Neo take his gun and exert some force on him. Why he chooses to use this tact if after learning how good Neo was at dodging the bullets. Furthermore, reaction time was not the only time used by both these men to accomplish the dodges they had. There was time to perceive what was going on, time to think out the next course of action, preparation time and time required to ensure the appropriate movement is made.
At the moment not a single human is capable of such extraordinary reflexes and reactions. Everyday people get guns pointed at them with the person behind the trigger likely to win the reaction time race. His help is the gun itself; you cannot outrun it. Since the beginning of time, humans have been known to evolve. With continued research, there is a general belief human could develop to attain this level of reaction time. However, the laws of physics govern our very existence, only time will tell.
Work Cited
Defying Newton's Laws of Physics. (2018). Defying Newton's Laws of Physics. [online] Available at: https://newtonslawsdefied.weebly.com/index.html [Accessed 11 Mar. 2018].
In the Matrix, w. (2018). In the Matrix, why didn't the agent "Dodge This" bullet? [online] Scifi.stackexchange.com. Available at: https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/155211/in-the-matrix-why-didnt-the-agent-dodge-this-bullet [Accessed 11 Mar. 2018].
prezi.com. (2018). Physics Inaccuracies in the Movie The Matrix. [online] Available at: https://prezi.com/d69bz14uki48/physics-inaccuracies-in-the-movie-the-matrix/ [Accessed 11 Mar. 2018].
