HW13: Stereoscopic 3D images

For all 3 of my images I did "Red/Cyan".... The first picture is of the SJSU Student Union, the 2nd picture is of me and my chocolate molten cake from Chili's, and the 3rd image is of my parent's backyard.

Have a good summer!!!

HW11: Maya Scene

My name is Cynthia Yee, so my initials are obviously CY. This was one of the most difficult assignments I have had to do for this class so far.

I chose to use a lot of circles in the "C" because circle starts with C as well. I liked how I used the cones to complete my "Y" I think it makes it look futuristic.

Physics of Waves in Films

Physics of Waves in Films

Movies are a major mass medium to everyone in this world. It is a form of entertainment that has kept a large audience and fan base consistently. Hollywood is the center of the entertainment world, and has kept viewers satisfied with the films it has released in the past decades. It is disappointing when a film maker does not go through all the necessary steps before releasing a Hollywood hit. The three films that will be discussed in this paper all have something in common. What do Independence Day (1996), Titanic (1953), and The Little Mermaid (1989), all have in common? They were all victims of not accurately presenting the physics law of waves. All of the waves discussed portray different types of waves, for example: waves that would happen from a huge mass moving in Independence Day, the size of waves in the ocean next to the Titanic, and the direction of waves in the ocean in the Little Mermaid. The waves shown in these films happen, but the outcome isn’t portrayed accurately in the movies.


Independence Day was a widely successful science-fiction film that brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Independence Day is about aliens who attempt to invade Earth; but these aliens have large scale attacks up their sleeves. These aliens sent to Earth one huge mother ship that was supposedly a fourth of the size of the Moon, and several dozen saucers that were each 15-miles in width that were sent to major cities around the world. Independence Day was the highest grossing film in 1996, and even won an Academy Award for Special Effects. It is a shame that the film failed to follow the laws of physics.


The mammoth mother ship that was hovering over the world that was being controlled by aliens was supposedly a quarter the size of the Moon. It would have created huge amounts of wind that would cause huge impacts: volcanoes should have been erupting, and massive tidal waves should have occurred. But instead the Earth stood still not fazed by the gravitational pull that was caused by the huge mother ship. While the mother ship was floating a top of the cities, people were able to stand at the bottom and watch in shock. Will Smith is the star of Independence Day; he stands at 6 feet 2 inches and usually weighs around 180 pounds. He is above average and height and weighs a considerable amount. The huge mother ship or one of its smaller saucers should have knocked him down with all the wind the saucers would have created.


Instead he was able to run away and avoid the attacks from the saucers.
This example of the film makes Independence Day an inaccurate physics law portrayed by Hollywood. Tidal waves usually occur when there is a huge movement in nature, for example an earthquake, volcanic activity or a landslide underneath water. Imagine a wind force the size of the moon, or a saucer that is 15 miles wide rush by you. Would you fall or see your surroundings sway a bit? Of course, and that is why this movie is inaccurate. The Empire State building for example, stood still, instead of swaying in the wind or collapsing.


The Titanic at the time of its maiden voyage was the largest passenger steam ship of its time. The Titanic was almost 900 feet long, and over 175 feet tall, and because the Titanic was so grand in size the waves surrounding the ship should be very minuscule compared to the ship itself. This movie is 97 minutes long; and the actual sinking of the ship didn’t occur until 70 minutes into the film. Perhaps the film makers chose not to show much of the actual ship because they didn’t have their fair share of understanding the laws of physics. In the 1953 version of Titanic you can tell the waves and ship ratio was very off. During the film, it was even mentioned that the waters were calm with low winds. So we cannot calculate high winds and high waves to help dismiss the irregularly big waves surrounding the ocean liner. In the 1953 version of Titanic, for transition scenes the film showcased the ocean liner cruising steadily in the Atlantic Ocean. The waves were so large next to the ship, it was very obvious that the filmmakers used a model ship in a small pool of water to film those shots. With waves so big, the ocean alone should have been the cause of the sinking of “The Ship of Dreams” back in 1912 rather than an iceberg.


You can compare and contrast the 1953 film with the more recent 1997 Titanic film created by James Cameron. Cameron was a perfectionist when creating Titanic, so you can see the details of waves next to the ocean liner, you should not see any discrepancies in physics. Perhaps, we can blame the lack of technology for the breaking of the laws of physics in 1953. But nonetheless, Titanic circa 1953 was a victim of inaccurately portraying the laws of physics in waves.


The Little Mermaid is a Disney film made in 1989. It is one of the most beloved full-feature films from Disney. Ariel is the daughter of the King of the Sea, making her a princess of the sea. Ariel has always wanted to live on land, have feet, and fall in love. One day Prince Eric’s ship catches on fire, and if Ariel didn’t save Eric he could have drowned in the shipwreck. The scene in this film that represented the laws of physics wrongly was right after Ariel saves Eric. Ariel is watching Eric walk away; she is leaning on a rock in the ocean. This scene mistakenly got the wind and waves sequence wrong.


Ocean waves happen by strong currents of wind pushing towards the water. The wind is obviously blowing towards her because Ariel’s hair is flying back, except the wind is also blowing towards her back because all the ocean waves are hitting her back. This scene was artistically beautiful to watch: a mermaid longing to be human for the ability to fall in love. However, it’s not beautiful in the world of physics. Walt Disney should have had a physics expert on staff to fact check the film. It is very rare for winds to blow simultaneously at each other. At the rare occasion when it does, it is what causes tornadoes and hurricanes. The film did not represent Ariel in a struggle battling with the weather conditions, but perching happily on a rock, so yes, this Disney film is another victim of being represented wrongly according to the laws of physics.


Hollywood, although just a small town in Los Angeles county, is world renowned for all the forms of entertainment it has released. Independence Day is a prime example of a science fiction film that did very well in the box-office. Aliens trying to take over Earth has always been a prominent staple in the science fiction genre. Titanic is a film that was made after a horrendous real life disaster. Audiences seem to always enjoy movies that were based off of true events. The Little Mermaid is a household owned Disney movie. Every little girl must have watched this film hundred times at least before reaching ten years old. However, all three films discussed were victims of being inaccurately portrayed by Hollywood. Although these problems did not affect the plot or the level of success of the films, it is disappointing to know these films could have been better.


The scene in The Little Mermaid where physics was inaccurately portrayed made the scene a bit more artsy. The scene in Titanic where the size of the waves was portrayed wrong was probably because of the lack of technology available at the time. The stationary buildings and great balance of humans in Independence Day was caused by the lack of fact checkers on staff. If the movie medium wants to survive in the long haul as a respected medium, movie makers should hire a staff member that is an expert in physics to make sure these inaccuracies are not as common and noticeable as they are in these three films. Independence Day, The Little Mermaid and Titanic are respected and successful films created in Hollywood; it is a shame that the inaccuracies will become immortalized in all of our DVD and VHS collections. Next time you watch a new movie, will you be keeping an eye out of the discrepancies a film maker can let slip through the cracks?

Outline for Second Term Paper

Independence Day (1996), Titanic (1953) & The Little Mermaid (1989)







I. Thesis: What does Independence Day (1996), Titanic (1953), and The Little Mermaid (1989), all have in common? They were all victims of not accurately presenting physics law of waves.

II. Independence Day
A) Science Fiction-Movie Description
B) Scene: When the mammoth mother-ship invades Earth it is described as a fourth of the size of the moon.
C) What should have happend was monsoons, tidal waves, volcanic eruptions should have happend with this huge force of wind hovering over Earth. Instead, the Earth stood still.

III. Titanic
A) Drama-Movie Description
B) Scene: A between scene where you see the ocean liner sailing through the ocean.
C) The waves in this scene are too large compared to the size of the ship. It is inaccurate based on the ratio of the ship size and wave size.

IV. The Little Mermaid
A) Family-Movie Description
B) Scene: When Ariel is watching Eric leave the beach, she is stooped onto a rock in the middle of the ocean. The wind is blowing.
C) It is clear that the wind is blowing towards Ariel because her hair is flying neatly behind her. But waves are attacking her from the back, and coming forward. The wind cannot move from two different directions.

V. Conclusion

HW9: Stop Motion Animation

Barbie & Jackson: And the Lovely Pup

For my animation I didn't have any objects around this house, so I met up with an adorable 6 year old, who was kind enough to let me dig in her Barbie toy chest with her. She even offered to help me make my "movie". Unfortunately it was 8:30pm and it was bedtime. These dolls were harder to let them stay steady than I thought would be, Jackson looked like he was doing a dance sequence while getting up. I did that on purpose, because he is going to be trying out to be part of "America's Next Dance Crew" this upcoming season. Growing up, I always picture Barbie napping in the park with her pet puppy. So this is what it is!

Here is a link to my youtube video of this, incase the video embedded doesn't work.
http://www.youtube.com/user/thisiscynth#p/a/u/0/-3BgO1-tKic

HW8: Reverse Video Reference of Walking

Video A:




Video B:




Video C:




Video D:




Video E:

Mid Semester Survey

"This is to certify that I completed the anonymous mid-semester survey for Art/Physics 123 and am requesting the five points of extra credit.

As a student at San Jose State, I understand the university's Academic Integrity Policy (http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/narr/catalog/rec-2083.html)."

The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe

Kung Fu Panda is an animated feature length film made my Dreamworks in 2008. Kung Fu Panda is a comical animated film with its own universal details that is rather different from what we humans are used to. The main character is Po, an overweight panda bear. Po helps his father, who is a goose, run the family noodle restaurant. It is expected of him to continue to the family business since it has been passed down from generation to generation. However, Po is not interested in noodles, he much rather practice Kung Fu! He dreams about being a Kung Fu extraordinaire all the time. The universe where Po resides is nothing like we are used to.

The film takes place in China, where there are no humans, so animals take the places and characteristics of human beings. There are five warriors in China at the time to keep peace, a tiger, a mantis, a snake, and a crane; all five warriors are highly trained in kung fu by their master, Shifu, a red panda. It is feared that the ultimate bad seed that their master trained, a snow panther called Tai Lung, will be escaping from prison, so it was up to the tortoise master to select the newest legendary Dragon Warrior. Once you are a Dragon Warrior, it is believed that you will be introduced to unlimited powers. The day of the festival where the Dragon Warrior will be named has come and Po wants to go join the festivities but his dad asks him to sell noodles at the festival instead. Po gets to the festival too late, and the gates are closed. He tries everything to get in, and when he finally does, the tortoise master chooses him as the newest Dragon Warrior.

How Po gets into the festivities would not have worked in our universe. In Po’s universe, gravity doesn’t hold down a panda bear. A male giant panda bear generally weighs about 275 pounds. At the 12 minute mark of the film, Po used a tree branch to catapult what looked like 20 to 30 feet over a brick wall. A tree branch is pretty sturdy, and humans can build tree houses on those branches without having any movement in the tree. For a tree to be able to catapult an object of 275 pounds in unrealistic and only works in Po’s universe.

At the 14 minute mark of the film, Po still desperate to see the crowning of the new Dragon warrior, risked his own safety and sat on about 10 fireworks and flew about 250 feet into the air. He flew over the wall and up in the air, and was dropped down 250 feet. Only in this reality were fireworks able to life 275 pounds of pure mass into the air, and so high! Also, it was pure luck in this universe that Po survived this great fall and woke up momentarily. In our own universe, there have only been several cases where people were able to survive such a hard fall. Po didn’t do any of the precautions necessary to survive the fall. If you want to survive a great fall like that in our universe, you must: 1) stay in an arched position, 2) find the best landing spot, 3) bend your knees, 4) relax, 5) land on your feet, 6) land on the balls of your feet, 7) try to roll, 8) protect your head.

Po was unable to stay at an arched position, he probably had the worst landing spot-cement, what he should have looked for was water, snow or even sand. Po didn’t bend his knees, and landed on his giant panda belly. That could be why Po blacked out when he landed. Po landed right in front of the tortoise master and he was chosen as the infamous Dragon Warrior! To celebrate he was carried out of the festival by four ducks, and five pigs. The three examples listed above show examples that Po as a panda bear does not weigh as much as he would have here in our own universe. In this universe, gravity is usually on Po’s side. However, the other characters criticize Po for his weight all the time. They say when Po walks he makes tons of noises and he can put cracks on the floor with his weight.
Po, although a hefty panda, has gotten beaten up several times by his smaller counterparts. In this universe, size does not define strength. Po is definitely part of greater weighing specie, but he does not hold a lot of strength. In the film, Kung Fu Panda there have been various examples of Po being defeated by animals/insects that are very much smaller than him. An example comes from the 37 minute mark from the film. A praying mantis, an insect whose weight is comparable to a leaf, was able to beat Po in a battle. It must have been embarrassing for Po; because in our universe praying mantises are usually defeated with the mere strength of our index finger. This was not the only example of the praying mantis being incredibly strong.

At the one hour mark, the tiger, snake, and monkey were battling with the evil snow leopard. The praying mantis was in charge of holding up the bridge that weighed well over a thousand pounds with all the animals plus the bridge itself. While all the animals were battling, it put movement to the self destructing bridge already, causing it to be harder to keep the bridge intact and harder to handle. The praying mantis, although had some difficulty holding up the bridge, nonetheless kept the bridge above the ground. All four of the kung fu warriors were unable to defeat the evil snow leopard, and the snow leopard escapes again. During the vicious battle between tiger, snake and monkey verses the evil snow leopard, Po was somewhere else being trained with their master Shifu. In just one afternoon Po gains so much knowledge, strength and courage from Shifu that he is eventually able to take down the evil snow leopard Tai Lung. It is funny, because the other five kung fu warriors were trained for years for this battle, and they weren’t able to defeat Tai Lung. It must be because it wasn’t a mistake that Po was chosen as the Dragon Warrior.


The film Kung Fu Panda is an example of an anthropomorphic film. An anthropomorphic film means it ascribes human form or attributes to a being or thing not human (dictionary.com). In this universe, there are no humans; so in place of the humans, are all the animals and they all have human like features. Most if not all the animals featured in this film including: pandas, pigs, rabbits, tigers, turtles, rhinos can walk on two feet, rather than all fours. These animals have opposable thumb features even if in their basic anatomy does not include a thumb. This feature is noticeable because Po makes noodles for Tigress, Monkey, Mantis and they eat with chopsticks. Other animals such as rabbits and pigs are shown using chopsticks to eat with chopsticks as well. Po’s dad, the goose can even prepare his food with a knife.

In our universe, we have our stereotypes of what features bad guys and tough guys are portrayed. I think of chained tattoos, extra piercings that are not only at their ears, leather wearing, motorcycle driving, and smokers. In Kung Fu Panda’s universe they portray rhinos as the tough prison guards. It is important to have tough prison guards because they will be working in an environment full of tough lawbreaking people or in Kung Fu Panda’s case a tough, deadly snow leopard by the name of Tai Lung.

The film takes place in historic China. China’s official language is a form of Chinese, however in the film all the animals speak in English. It was not noted that they have translated the film from Chinese to English. A discrepancy is that in the movie the animals would say phrases in Chinese, they would sometimes ay “master” in English, and sometimes say “Shifu” in Chinese. They aren’t exactly bilingual, but can say random phrases in Chinese. So in this universe, all Chinese citizens speak English rather than Chinese.

Kung Fu Panda was an animated film made by Dreamworks that was released in 2008. Kung Fu Panda is an example of an anthropomorphic film, meaning that animal characters are portrayed with human characteristics. Po is the main character in this film and he is a giant panda who has always dreamt of practicing Kung Fu and his destiny was chosen for him when the great tortoise chose him as the next Dragon Warrior. Although he faced accusations of not being fit to be the next great warrior, he followed through the training and succeeded. This universe that is being portrayed is nothing like the universe what we humans we are used to, and that is why the film is so entertaining.

The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe, paper Outline

Paper 1-Outline "KUNG FU PANDA"
Hypothesis: Kung Fu Panda is a comical animated film with its own universal details that is rather different from what we humans are used to.
I. Introduction: Kung Fu Panda is a animated feature length film made from Dreamworks in 2008. Kung Fu Panda is a comical animated film with its own universal details that is rather different from what we humans are used to. Po helps his father run the family noodle restaurant and it is expected of him to continue the legacy. However, Po is not interested in noodles, he much rather practice Kung Fu! Po is a panda bear and his father is a rooster. In this universe not much is aligned with what we are used to.
II. In this universe, size does not define strength.
a) At the 37 minute mark of this film, a cricket was able to beat Po in a battle. In our universe crickets are usually defeated with the mere strength of our index finger.
b) At the one hour mark, the tiger, snake, and monkey were battling with the evil panther. The cricket was in charge of holding up the bridge, which held up all of their weight. The cricket, although had some difficulty holding up the bridge, nonetheless kept the bridge above the ground.
--However, eventually Po gains lots of strength and is able to take down the evil Panther.
III. In this universe, gravity doesn’t hold down a panda bear.
a) At the 12 minute mark, Po used a tree to catapult what looked like 20 to 30 feet over a brick wall.
b) At the 14 minute mark, Po sat on about 8 to 10 fireworks and flew about 100 feet into the air.
c) At the 15 minute mark, Po was carried by 5 roosters and 4 pigs out of the festival.
All three of these examples show that Po as a panda bear didn’t weight as much as he would of here in our very own universe.
--Gravity is usually on Po’s side, however the other characters have mentioned that when Po walks he makes tons of noises, and he can put cracks into the floors with his weight.
IV. In this universe, there are no humans; so in place of the humans, all the animals have human like features.
a) Most of the animals can walk on all fours: pandas, pigs, rabbits, tigers, turtles, rhinos
b) The animals in this film have “opposable thumbs” Po, Tiger, Monkey all can use chopsticks to eat noodles.
c) Rhino’s are considered to be part of the bad guys. Rhinos in KFP have piercings, wear studs, and have tattoos.
d) Most of all, all these animals speak in English.
-- However, randomly in the movie the animals would say phrases in Chinese, they would sometimes say “master” in English, and sometimes see “shi fu” in Chinese. They aren’t exactly bilingual, but can say random phrases in Chinese.

V. Conclusion
Kung Fu Panda is a animated film following a huge Panda Bear who always dreamt of following Kung Fu, in his universe, the rules aren't anything like what we humans are used to.

HW 6: Stop Motion Animation of Falling

Dropping of the Lime Green Sharpie



Product placement of "sharpie" and any of their products was not intended****

Before I actually started filming with the Sam Program, I looked around to see what objects would be easier to drop. I watched my HW 4 video with the water bottle, but it was a bit broad in terms of looking the same each time. But when I picked up the Sharpie, it was clear that it always did a flip before finally falling flat. That is why I chose the Sharpie!

HW 5: "Video analysis of path of action".

I couldn't figure out how to open my video after I recorded it. So I wasn't able to add the tracker video.

HW 4 Tracker video analysis of falling

Homework 3: Shooting Reference

I am thinking my camera shoots 15 frames per second.

Mini Portfolio

"My Wallabee and my Monkey"



My name is Cynthia and I am a communication studies major, minoring in radio television and film. I have not taken any art classes since freshman year of high school, and that was back in 2002! I've actually never taken a Physics class before but I am excited for the semester because this will be my official last semester of college! After I finish this semester, I hope to find a "grown-up" job, or get an internship overseas (this will be a long shot). Someday, I hope to work in production for either a broadcasting company or for films.


Here is a video I took from my digital camera when I was in Strasbourg France this summer:



...sorry that it isn't animated.

First Blog

Here we are, Physics 1 2 3!