Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

The Science of Superheroes

A semester of real physics and biology tested on superpowers: Newton's laws and landings, strength and the square-cube law, speed, drag and flight, energy and momentum in rescues, real animal senses, and the materials and batteries a hero's gear would need. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

Start the courseSee the modules
$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Middle school course library, $79 for 28 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 12 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Thinking like a science detective

    Apply a method for testing a superpower: convert units, make Fermi estimates and use Newton's laws to compute forces in landings.

    • Testing a superpower
    • Units and estimation
    • Newton's laws and superhero landings
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Super strength and the square-cube law

    Compute weight, work, power and stress, and explain with the square-cube law why strength does not scale with size.

    • Force, weight and lifting
    • The square-cube law
    • Bones, stress and limits
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Super speed and flight

    Analyze super speed and flight with acceleration, g-forces, drag, the sound barrier and wing loading.

    • Speed, velocity and acceleration
    • Air resistance, friction and heat
    • Flight
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Energy, momentum and impossible rescues

    Compute kinetic and potential energy, momentum and impulse, and evaluate rescues and safety gear by stopping time and energy source.

    • Kinetic and potential energy
    • Momentum and the falling rescue
    • Where would the energy come from?
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Super senses and real animal powers

    Explain real senses and animal abilities, compute echolocation distances and evaluate claims about x-ray vision and mutations.

    • Seeing beyond visible light
    • Echolocation and sound
    • Real animals with real powers
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Gear, materials and designing a hero

    Design a realistic hero using specific strength, energy density and an engineering design process with its limits stated.

    • Super materials
    • Powering a suit
    • Designing a realistic hero
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 4 · Momentum and the falling rescue

Worked example: catching a falling person

  1. A 60 kg person falls 20 m and is moving at about 19.8 m/s.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · Middle SchoolAlso for Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of physics and biology through superpowers: you can test any power with units, estimates and Newton's laws, explain with the square-cube law why giants and giant ants fail, compute g-forces, drag, wing loading, kinetic energy, momentum and stopping forces, find distances from echoes, and design a hero whose gear respects energy density and material strength. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 who like comics, films or games and want to see the real science behind them, students previewing physical science, physics or biology, and anyone who learns formulas best with a story attached; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. The math is algebra with formulas, worked step by step. All heroes are original characters.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 12 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Middle school course library ($79) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Middle School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the High School space in Caveat Academics (the same course serves the high school Science of Superheroes title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. OpenStax, College Physics 2e and Physics (high school), chapters on motion, forces, energy and momentum (free, openly licensed): openstax.org
  2. NASA Glenn Research Center, Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics: the four forces of flight and drag: grc.nasa.gov
  3. National Institute of Standards and Technology, SI units: nist.gov
  4. U.S. Department of Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office, batteries and energy storage: energy.gov
  5. Smithsonian Ocean, mantis shrimp and other ocean animals: ocean.si.edu

The Science of Superheroes is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester science elective but does not replace a school course or award credit. Every hero in the course is an original character; no publisher's characters are used. Example figures in worked examples are labeled as examples or approximate. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.