Caveat Academy course · Grades 7 to 12

The Science of Science Fiction

Real physics, astronomy and biology behind the stories: which predictions came true, how rockets and orbits work, why nothing outruns light and how time stretches near it, where to look for alien life, what Mars would do to a crew, and how lasers and invisibility really work, ending with a world of your own design. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

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$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 High school electives library, $119 for 66 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: Science fiction and real science

    Evaluate the science in a story using the one big what-if, compare hard and soft science fiction, and compute distances and travel times in astronomical units and light-years.

    • Stories that saw the future
    • Hard and soft science fiction
    • The scale of space
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Rockets, orbits and space stations

    Explain how rockets, orbits and free fall work, and compute orbit counts and the spin needed for artificial gravity.

    • How rockets work
    • Orbits
    • Artificial gravity
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Light speed, time and warp drives

    Apply the light-speed limit and time dilation to travel and communication, and evaluate warp drives, wormholes and generation ships.

    • The cosmic speed limit
    • Time dilation
    • Warp drives and wormholes
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Alien worlds and the search for life

    Explain how exoplanets are found and what makes a world habitable, and analyze the search for life with the Drake equation.

    • Planets around other stars
    • Life as we know it, and as we might not
    • Are we alone?
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Surviving in space and on Mars

    Analyze the dangers of long spaceflight and the conditions on Mars, and compute weights and supplies for a crew.

    • The human body in space
    • Mars as it really is
    • Building a home on another world
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Gadgets, physics and your own world

    Explain the physics of lasers, invisibility and force fields, and design a plausible science fiction world that follows from one big what-if.

    • Lasers and ray guns
    • Invisibility and force fields
    • Building a plausible world
    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 3 · Time dilation

Worked example: the traveling twin

  1. One twin flies to a distant star and back at 0.8 times light speed while the other stays home.

A lesson check from each module

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

What you get

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

What you finish with
A finished course in the science behind science fiction: you can judge a story's science with the one big what-if, estimate distances and travel times in light-years, explain rockets, orbits and free fall and design the spin of an artificial-gravity ring, apply the light-speed limit and time dilation, explain how exoplanets are found and how scientists search for life, plan the air and supplies a Mars crew needs, explain how lasers and cloaks actually work, and build a world whose problems come from real physics. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 7 to 12 who love science fiction books, films or games and want to know what is real, students preparing for physics, astronomy or earth and space science, and homeschool families who want a complete enrichment unit. The math is arithmetic, powers of ten and a few square roots with a calculator.
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 High school electives library ($119) 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 High School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the Middle School space in Caveat Academics (the same course serves the middle school record of this 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.

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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. NASA Science, exoplanets, Mars facts and the human body in space: science.nasa.gov/exoplanets and science.nasa.gov/mars
  2. NASA, MOXIE oxygen experiment on the Perseverance rover: science.nasa.gov
  3. GPS.gov and physics references on relativity corrections to satellite clocks: gps.gov
  4. OpenStax, University Physics Volume 3, chapter on relativity, a free textbook: openstax.org
  5. Arthur C. Clarke, Extra-Terrestrial Relays, Wireless World, October 1945

The Science of Science Fiction is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It discusses stories only by their ideas, with no long quotations, and requires no particular books or films. It does not replace a school science course and awards no credit. Distances, speeds and other figures are rounded, well-established values, and speculative ideas such as warp drives are labeled as speculative. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.