Cinematic or Scientific: Defying Impact

Authors

  • Aimee Thomas-Lane

Keywords:

Musical, Physics, Mechanics, Biomechanics, Wicked, Elphaba

Abstract

In Wicked, Elphaba claims that no one in all of Oz can “bring her down”. This paper investigates if this claim can be physically justified by modelling all residents of Oz as a single point mass tackling Elphaba simultaneously. Using classical mechanics, the total mass and momentum of Ozites are calculated and the minimum velocity Elphaba would need to achieve to withstand this tackle is estimated. The results show that such a velocity is far more than what is achievable with modern technology and if it were to be achievable the g-force experienced would be fatal.

References

Schwartz, S. (2003) Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz. [Musical]. Gershwin Theatre. First performed 30th October 2003.

Halliday, D., Resnick, R. & Walker, J. (2018) Fundamentals of Physics. 11th edn. Wiley.

Maguire, G. (1995) Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Regan Books.

Walpole, S.C., Prieto-Merino, D., Edwards, P., Cleland, J., Stevens, G. & Roberts, I. (2012) The weight of nations: an estimation of adult human biomass, BMC Public Health, 12, pp. 439. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-439.

Browning, R.C., Baker, E.A., Herron, J.A. & Kram, R. (2006) Effects of obesity and sex on the energetic cost and preferred speed of walking, Journal of Applied Physiology, 100(2), pp. 390–398. DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00960.2005.

Young, H.D. & Freedman, R.A. (2016) University Physics with Modern Physics. 14th edn. Pearson.

Williams, D.R. (2023) Earth Fact Sheet. Available at: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov [Accessed: 27 January 2026].

Tipler, P.A. & Mosca, G. (2008) Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 6th edn. W.H. Freeman.

Stapp, J.P. (1955) Human exposure to linear deceleration, Journal of Aviation Medicine, 26(5), pp. 367–375.

Downloads

Published

24.03.2026

How to Cite

Thomas-Lane, A. (2026). Cinematic or Scientific: Defying Impact. Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Topics, 13(1). Retrieved from https://journals.le.ac.uk/index.php/jist/article/view/5210

Issue

Vol. 13 (2026)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Aimee Thomas-Lane

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.  All content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC-BY 4.0).