Elizabeth's Blog: September 2009

Physics in Terry Pratchett’s "Hogfather"

I. Introduction – The Universe of the Discworld

a. Laws of Physics in on our world vs. the Discworld
b. The Tooth fairy’s dimension
c. The Laws of Physics are usually always compromised by the supernatural beings
d. Thesis statement

II. Laws of Physics on our world vs. the Discworld

a. The world is a flat land mass on top of four elephants on top of a sea turtle floating through space
b. The water that falls off the rim of the disc doesn’t seem to go any where
i. The sun and moon rise just like earth even though they have no reasonable orbit
c. Gravity is the same as Earth’s for normal people
i. Banjo getting hit in the face
ii. Baleous hits the wall that Susan walks through

III. The Tooth fairy’s dimension

a. People that die in the Tooth fairy’s world fall out of the sky into the “real” world
b. Teeth fall in slow motion for dramatic effect
c. Shadow of scissors following wizard looked as though they were faraway and at a different angle than when they appear and start attacking the wizard
Mr. Teatime falls about 50 stories faster than gravity should allow and lands “lightly” on a table

IV. The Laws of Physics are usually always compromised by the supernatural beings

a. Susan and Death
i. walk through walls
ii. Stop time
iii. Sand in hourglasses seems to last longer than it should for dramatic pause
iv. Rides horse in the sky
v. Superhuman strength
vi. Death cast a pack of wolves over a cliff with a flick of his wrist
b. Hogfather
i. Flies boars across the sky
c. Wizards
i. Build and run a particle accelerator on a steam engine and magic
ii. Wizard reappears next to an object seconds after being blasted away by an explosion
d. Mr. Teatime- He is not technically magical but his assassin skills seem supernatural
i. moves from place to place in the blink of an eye
ii. Survives a 50 story fall

V. Conclusion

a. Summary
b. Restate thesis