↗️ Is There Real Science in "Stranger Things"?
↗️ Is There Real Science in "Stranger Things"?
"Stranger Things" isn't just a nostalgic sci-fi show about the 1980s. Its mythology is actually based on real scientific ideas—though they're heavily reimagined. Now that we know how the story ends, it's a good time to figure out which physics theories really form the basis of the show, and what was invented by the writers.
🧲 The most "down-to-earth" elements of the story are connected to electromagnetism. Compasses spinning wildly, flickering lights, magnets falling off fridges—all of this could actually happen in a strong electromagnetic field. In the show, these effects mean there's contact with the Upside Down. Physically, this idea makes sense, although the scale of these effects is, of course, exaggerated for dramatic effect.
🔭 In season three, a much more unexpected element appears—Planck's constant. The characters literally use its value to close a portal to another world.
It's a cool idea: Planck's constant really is at the heart of quantum physics and defines the scale of quantum effects. But there's a mistake in the show—they use the modern value for the constant, which wasn't officially accepted in the 1980s.
🔘 The main scientific concept in the show is Hugh Everett's Many-Worlds Theory. The idea that multiple universes coexist, each developing according to its own laws, is a real scientific hypothesis and is actively discussed by physicists.
But everything that happens in the show—portals, people traveling between worlds, monsters and invasions—is impossible. In Everett's real interpretation, such worlds don't interact with each other at all.
The writers of "Stranger Things" use scientific theories not as a manual, but as a source of inspiration. That's why the show is so popular: it makes viewers Google quantum mechanics, even if the story goes way beyond its limits.
Did you like the ending of "Stranger Things"?
😎 — Yes, those 9 years were worth it!
🎃 — No, the ending was pointless...
🔥 — Haven't watched it yet
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