Skip to main content

marvel - How does Ant-Man shrink?


Do the comics or the film specify if Ant-Man's suit works by:



  • Shrinking the volume of all of his atoms (including subatomic particles) proportionately - possibly shrinking their mass as well, or

  • Shrinking the space between the atoms while the atoms themselves retain the same size, or

  • Shrinking the space inside the atoms while the subatomic particles retain the same size, or


  • A combination of the above?


The first option departs most from the known laws of physics and also could prevent Ant Man interacting with atoms and particles of normal size (i.e., breathing, eating, seeing, etc.).



Answer



The Cinematic Universe appears to be using a slightly different technique than the mainstream comics universe, so it depends which Ant-Man you're talking about.


Earth-616


In the comics, Hank Pym's Pym Particles work by interfacing with a parallel dimension (the Kosmos dimension) and shifting mass back and forth between the two dimensions. When an object shrinks here, it's extra mass is shunted off to Kosmos, and when it grows here, the extra mass is pull in from Kosmos.


Earth-199999 (MCU)


Fairly early on in Ant-Man, Hank explains that his Pym Particles work by "changing the distance between atoms" in the affected substance, basically your bullet point #2. Since there is no loss of mass, the object in question also becomes more dense as a result of the shrinking.




On a side-note, there's a bit of a problem with MCU explanation. According to the movie, it's possible for Pym Particles to shrink a subject down to the level where quantum effects become significantly meaningful. This would require getting down to around the size of a single atom, or possibly smaller, depending on how "quantum" you wanted to get. Obviously, it's impossible to move two separate atoms closer together than the size of one atom, as this would violate the Pauli exclusion principle. (When this kind of thing happens in the real world, e.g. due to extreme gravity, it's called "degenerate matter" and all kinds of major nuclear changes happen to the matter, and it no longer looks or acts like it's original form.)


It's likely that this is just your typical "close enough for the masses" movie physics, but it's also possible, based on some hints from Marvel about the upcoming Doctor Strange movie, that Pym Particles are more involved than even Hank knows about.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...
Post a Comment
Read more

What is the etymology of Doctor Who?

I recently decided to watch Doctor Who, and started viewing the 2005 version. I have the first two episodes from the first season, and I can't help but wonder what is the etymology of the name "Doctor Who"? And why does the protagonist call himself "the Doctor" (or is it "the doctor")? Answer In the very first episode of Doctor Who (way back in 1963), the Doctor has a granddaughter going by the name "Susan Foreman", and the junkyard where the TARDIS is has the sign "I.M. Foreman". Barbara, who becomes one of the Doctor's companions, calls him "Doctor Foreman" (probably assuming that is his name given his relationship to Susan), and Ian (another early companion) does the same in the second episode, to which the Doctor says: Eh? Doctor who? What's he talking about? "Foreman" is most likely selected as a convenient surname for Susan to use because it happened to be on display near where the TARDIS landed....
Post a Comment
Read more

story identification - Animation: floating island, flying pests

At least 20 years ago I watched a short animated film which stuck in my mind. The whole thing was wordless, possibly European, and I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it... It featured a flying island which was inhabited by some creatures who (in my memory) reminded me of the Moomins. The island was frequently bothered by large winged animals who swooped around, although I don't think they did any actual damage. At the end one of the moomin creatures suddenly gets a weird feeling, feels forced to climb to the top of the island and then plunges down a shaft right through the centre - only to emerge at the bottom as one of the flyers. Answer Skywhales from 1983. The story begins with a man warning the tribe of approaching skywhales. The drummers then warn everybody of the hunt as everyone get prepared to set "sail". Except one man is found in his home sleeping as the noise wake him up. He then gets ready and is about to take his weapon as he hesitates then decides ...
Post a Comment
Read more