AI Search Summary
This movie-science video uses physics to analyze how Elphaba appears to fly on a broom in the Wicked movie. The creator argues that if the broom alone were providing lift while Elphaba merely held onto it, the torque on her wrist would be far beyond normal human strength, suggesting a more interesting interpretation of how the magic works.
- Main question: How does Elphaba fly in the Wicked movie, and what does physics reveal about it?
- Short answer / core takeaway: A broom-only lift model would require impossible wrist torque, so the scene may be better interpreted as magic acting through Elphaba rather than only through the broom.
- Evidence type: Movie physics calculation and interpretive analysis.
- Search topics: Wicked movie physics, Elphaba broom flight, torque calculation, radial deviation wrist strength, center of mass, Defying Gravity, movie science.
Common Search Questions
How does Elphaba fly in the Wicked movie?
The video says the surface-level explanation is that Elphaba casts a spell on the broom and rides it, but physics makes that version difficult because her wrist would have to counter extreme torque while she poses away from the broom.
What does torque reveal about the broom scene?
Using a rough 50 kilogram body mass, gravity, and a 48 centimeter lever arm, the video estimates about 235 Newton-meters of torque. That is far above the wrist strength cited for radial deviation in the transcript.
Why does the creator connect physics to the meaning of the movie?
The creator says the physics is not meant to tear down the magic, but to give more meaning to Elphaba’s journey. The detailed interpretation is teased as a longer video.
Key Takeaways
- This is a movie-science interpretation, not a formal biomechanics paper.
- The calculation is intentionally rough and based on assumptions about body mass and pose geometry.
- If the broom alone provides lift, Elphaba would need impossible wrist strength to hold the pose.
- The caption notes omitted complexities such as center of mass, broom weight, clothing, multiple muscle groups, and core strength.
- The transcript references a wrist-strength study, but no direct source URL was provided in the workbook row.
Transcript
The strange broom flight
Did you catch what was strange about how Elphaba flies in the new Wicked movie?
This is not a normal witch’s broom. Not that it looks like one.
Let’s use physics to understand something incredible about how the magic actually works, which is tied to the soul of what makes this show and movie so amazing.
Yes, I just used physics and magic in the same sentence, like a true nerd.
Warning, there will be spoilers. Let’s dive in.
The surface-level explanation
On the surface, the movie would have us believe that Elphaba casts a spell from the Grimmerie that causes the broom to fly, which she can then ride in a classic witchy fashion.
But during this epic “Defying Gravity” scene, she manages to strike poses such as this, which looks super cool and dramatic.
Rough torque calculation
But if we put our science hats on, Cynthia Erivo is 5’1”. Let’s assume 110 pounds or 50 kilograms, but do not quote me on that.
The distance from her arm to the broom is roughly 19 inches, or 48 centimeters.
Now let’s do some very rough calculations. If the magic is in the broom, i.e. it is flying and she is just riding or holding onto it, then all the force fighting gravity is coming from it, producing some crazy torque on her.
Fifty kilograms times 9.81 meters per second squared for gravity times the length of the lever arm equals 235.44 Newton-meters.
Wrist-strength problem
She would have to counteract this with the weakest type of wrist motion, what us nerds call radial deviation.
This study measured a bunch of healthy females and found that the maximum force they could exert in this direction was roughly 1.3 Newton-meters.
Some simple division tells us that this would make Elphaba a whopping 181 times the strength of a normal human female when she is angry.
A different interpretation
But there is another option, which ties into the soul of what makes this movie so amazing.
But it takes me five minutes to go into it, so check out the tubes.
Additional Notes
Caption context
The caption says the goal is to use science to explain the magic of the Wicked movie, not tear it down. It notes that a fuller calculation would need better center-of-mass modeling, broom weight, arm/body/clothing effects, separate muscle-group lever arms, and core strength.
Keywords and topics
- Wicked movie science
- Elphaba broom physics
- Defying Gravity scene
- Torque and lever arm
- Radial deviation wrist strength
- Movie magic explained
References
- No DOI, PMID, or direct source link was listed in the spreadsheet caption.
- The transcript references a wrist/radial-deviation strength study, but the workbook row does not include a direct source URL.