The Physics of "Gravity" and "Interstellar"

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrating a miracle whereby oil sufficient for just one day burned for eight.  Over this past week, an entirely different miracle took place: I, a father of two young girls watched two movies, none of which contained a single princess.

I really got my nerd on: I rented "Gravity" and then went to the theater to see "Interstellar".  Both films feature a lot of physics, but they could not be more different.  "Gravity" is a ninety minute expedition featuring orbital mechanics, while general relativity weaves its way through the three hours of "Interstellar".

You are probably expecting me to dissect these two films and expose all of their scientific inaccuracies.  In truth, I enjoyed both of them immensely, but would like to address one major problem with each one.

Deep Breaths During Exam Time

Over the past weeks and months, I have witnessed some distraught students.  Young adults who walked into the semester cool as a cucumber are hitting the finish line exasperated - not all of them, but many.  A few have asked me for advice, and all I can seem to muster is "Breath".

I thought that I would strive here for something deeper and perhaps more helpful than this.  At the same time, I'll toss in a science metaphor, cause that is sort of my thing.

We are all aware of the need to manage our stress level.  Everyone has their own coping mechanisms for this, so I won't say "Go to the gym" or "Get more sleep" - it's good advice, but I want to focus instead on the bigger picture.

One thing that has been important for me is setting reasonable expectations.  I was not always good at this.