Which Type of Kryptonite Affects Superman the Most? · 2018. 10. 15. · Kryptonian’s cellular...
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Which Type of Kryptonite Affects Superman the Most?
Transcript of Which Type of Kryptonite Affects Superman the Most? · 2018. 10. 15. · Kryptonian’s cellular...
Which Type of Kryptonite Affects Superman the Most?
Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................1 Purpose Statement ...............................................................................................................2 Investigative Question ........................................................................................................2 Background Research .........................................................................................................3 Hypothesis ...........................................................................................................................5 Experimental Design ...........................................................................................................5 Materials .............................................................................................................................6 Procedure ............................................................................................................................7 Data Analysis ......................................................................................................................9 Graphs and Data
Figure 1 .................................................................................................................10 Figure 2 .................................................................................................................11
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................12 Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................13 Bibliography .....................................................................................................................14 Appendix
Research Plan
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Abstract
The purpose of this project is to determine which type of kryptonite energy affects
Superman the most. It was hypothesized that hen exposing Superman to equal
samples of red, green, gold, blue and black kryptonite, he will absorb more energy
from the red kryptonite, because the energy of red kryptonite will affect his cells
more.
A total of five kryptonite samples, plus a control sample (a generic meteorite),
each 15 cm in height, width, and length, were exposed to Superman. Superman
did not know which type of sample would be used. Each exposure was for 5
minutes in length. After exposure, the researcher used a Krypton Geiger counter
to record the absorption rate in KRads every hour for five hours total. Superman
was exposed like this one day each week for a total of 6 weeks.
In this experiment, green kryptonite energy was absorbed more, on average, than
the other colors tested. Green kryptonite had an absorption rate of 73%, while the
other colors had a absorption rate, on average, of only 30% for gold, 15% for red,
30% for black, and 23% for blue. The data does not support the hypothesis.
Instead, the data suggests the hypothesis that green kryptonite affects Superman’s
cells more.
The research indicates that Superman should be more careful around green
kryptonite, possibly building a containment suit whenever he is up against his
archenemies. This research could also be used in case Superman ever turns
against humanity, and thus we would know how to protect ourselves.
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Purpose Statement
The purpose of this project is to determine which type of kryptonite energy affects
Superman the most. The experiment will help to quantify the different effects of
Kryptonite on Superman so that our scientists will know which type of Kryptonite
was used. This information is critical to help keep Superman in good health so
that he can continue to protect the citizens of Metropolis.
Investigative Question
Which type of Kryptonite will affect Superman the most?
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Background Research
Superman is one of the most popular superheroes of all time. He is known for his super
human strength, his ability to fly and his ability to see through things. But Superman is
not invulnerable; a substance called kryptonite can affect him.
So what exactly is kryptonite? Where does it come from, and why is it here? What are the
effects on Superman and other Kryptonians?
In order to understand how kryptonite works, it's helpful to know a few things about
Superman. Superman's home planet, Krypton, orbited a red giant star called Rao, about
50 light-years from Earth. The planet was considerably larger than the Earth, so it had a
much greater gravitational pull. Superman is only super because of the Earth's weaker
gravitational pull and its yellow sun.
A nuclear chain-reaction in its core caused a massive explosion, destroying the planet
Krypton. Just before the explosion that destroyed Krypton, Superman’s biological father
and mother, Jor-El and Lara, outfitted their son Kal-El's (Superman’s real name)
spacecraft for space travel. They sent Kal-El to Earth, where Kansas farmers Martha and
Jonathan Kent found and adopted him. The Kent’s named the baby Clark, and he grew up
to be Superman. As Kal-El's craft traveled through space, it pulled fragments of the
destroyed planet, made energized in the explosion, along in its wake.
Dr. Emil Hamilton theorizes that kryptonite radiation is a form of electromagnetic
energy, like gamma or X-rays, rather than particles of matter. This radiation is measured
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by Kryptonite Geiger counters in units called KRads. Depending on the type of
kryptonite, KRads have been observed to fluctuate from 5 to 190.
Other scientists who have previously studied kryptonite include Lex Luthor. In the 1984
issue of Popular Science, he reported that Kryptonite has varying effects depending on
the color. Lex Luthor tested samples of the red, blue, black and gold kryptonite.
However, in that article he did not report on the effects of green kryptonite even though
in Vril Dox, another scientist doing kryptonite research as reported in the webpage,
“Kryptonite Energy”, speculated that green kryptonite would be beneficial to Superman.
This is counter to the statements of reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane in the 2013 issue
of “Science and the Man of Steel”.
According to Kent and Lane, when exposed to different types of kryptonite, super-
powered Kryptonians begin to exhibit symptoms such as weakness with green kryptonite,
power loss with gold kryptonite, temporary but unpredictable changes throughout a
Kryptonian’s cellular system with red kryptonite, creating a Bizzaro clone of Superman
with blue kryptonite, and personality effects with black kryptonite.
This experiment will focus on the above-mentioned types of kryptonite. Since red
kryptonite affects Superman’s entire cellular system, it is proposed that this sample will
be absorbed more and linger in Superman’s system longer.
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Hypothesis
When exposing Superman to equal samples of red, green, gold, blue and black
kryptonite, he will absorb more energy from the red kryptonite, because the
energy of red kryptonite will affect his cells more.
Experimental Design
In this experiment, the following key elements will be listed and identified:
• Independent variable: The type of kryptonite used on Superman
• Dependent variable: The amount of energy absorbed by Superman
• Constants: The size of the kryptonite sample, the room temperature, the
type of room used, Superman’s heart & breathing rate, time of exposure,
the distance between Superman and the sample of kryptonite.
• Control group: A generic meteorite
• Experimental Group: In this experiment, there are 5 colors of kryptonite
being tested: green, red, gold, black, and blue.
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Materials
1. Four 15 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm cubes of red, green, gold, black, and blue
kryptonite.
2. Kryptonite Geiger counter, model # Krypto-Radometer GCA-07W
3. Superman
4. A lead-lined room, 5 m x 5 m x 4 m
5. Exam treatment table, model 3B Scientific W15074B Black Hardwood
Classic, 1.9 m x 0.62 m x 0.85 m
6. A rolling table to hold the container box and the sample of kryptonite, 76
cm x 50 cm x 92 cm
7. A rolling stool for the researcher, 61 cm x 61 cm x 66.1 cm
8. A lead-lined aluminum container box to contain the sample of kryptonite
being used, 25 cm x 25 cm x 25 cm
9. Tape measure, 3.5 m
10. Energy protection suit and gloves, model # LeadSuit 100Gy
11. Stethoscope
12. Notebook and pencil
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Procedure
1. Escort Superman to the closed lead-lined room.
2. Ask Superman to recline on the exam table.
3. Have the researcher put on an energy protection suit.
4. While outside of the lead-lined room, the researcher will place a type of
kryptonite in the aluminum box.
5. The researcher will enter the lead-lined room and place the aluminum box
on the table.
6. The researcher will record Superman’s breathing and heart rate prior to
exposure.
7. The researcher will take the sample of kryptonite out of the box and out of
sight of Superman and place it on the table.
8. The researcher will ask Superman not to use his x-ray vision to figure out
which kryptonite sample is being used.
9. The researcher will measure the distance from the kryptonite sample to
Superman’s right arm. This distance must be exactly 1 meter.
10. The researcher will then expose Superman’s arm to the sample of kryptonite
for five minutes.
11. After five minutes, the researcher will return the sample of kryptonite to the
box and remove the box from the room.
12. The researcher will record Superman’s breathing and heart rate after
exposure.
13. Over the next five hours, at 60-minute intervals, the researcher will use the
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Geiger counter to measure the kryptonite energy absorption rate in
Superman’s body.
14. At the end of each 60-minute interval, the researcher will record the
kryptonite energy absorption rate in the logbook.
15. In one week, the researcher will ask Superman to return and will repeat
steps 1 – 14 with another type of kryptonite sample.
16. Note: In order to conduct a fair experiment, the researcher will randomly
place the control meteorite in the sequence of kryptonite samples to be
tested and follow steps 1-14 as usual.
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Data Analysis According to the data recorded during the measurement stage in the experiment, the
green kryptonite sample produced the highest energy absorption rate in Superman
overall. The green sample had an average absorption rate of 73%, while the next closest
rates were only 30% for both the black and gold kryptonite samples, 23% for the blue
kryptonite sample and 15% for the red kryptonite sample (Figure 2). As expected, the
control sample offered no energy absorption.
Comparing the change in absorption rates provided some interesting observations. The
green kryptonite sample maintained the most energy throughout the measurement cycle,
as compared to the other four samples. Additionally, all of the kryptonite samples had its
higher absorption rates during the first few measurements, except for the blue kryptonite
(Figure 2). This sample had lower absorption rates initially while gradually gaining
energy throughout the experiment. This will be an important follow-up experiment, as
scientists will need to research this anomaly further.
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Figure 1: Absorption Rate Data and Graph for each Trial
0 20 40 60 80
Red Kryptonite
Gold Kryptonite
Green Kryptonite
Blue Kryptonite
Black Kryptonite
Control
Percentage (KRad)
Types of Kryptonite
& Measurements
Red Kryptonite
Gold Kryptonite
Green Kryptonite
Blue Kryptonite
Black Kryptonite Control
Measure 1 17 33 75 20 45 0 Measure 2 16 32 75 20 40 0 Measure 3 15 32 75 22 33 0 Measure 4 14 27 73 25 20 0 Measure 5 13 26 67 28 12 0 Average 15 30 73 23 30 0
Absorbtion Rate of Kryptonite Energy in KRad Percentage
Measure 1
Measure 2
Measure 3
Measure 4
Measure 5
Average
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Figure 2: Average Absorption Rate
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Red Kryptonite
Gold Kryptonite
Green Kryptonite
Blue Kryptonite
Black Kryptonite
Control
15
30
73
23
30
0
Percentage (KRad)
Types of Kryptonite
Average Absorption Kryptonite Energy Rates in Percentage (KRad)
Average
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Conclusion
This research was done to determine which color of kryptonite affects Superman
the most. It was hypothesized that red kryptonite will affect Superman the most,
thus Superman will absorb more of its energy because red kryptonite is believed
to affect his cells more.
In this experiment, green kryptonite energy was absorbed more, on average, than
the other colors tested. Green kryptonite had an absorption rate of 73%, while the
other colors had a absorption rate, on average, of only 30% for gold, 15% for red,
30% for black, and 23% for blue. The data does not support the hypothesis.
Instead, the data suggests the hypothesis that green kryptonite affects Superman’s
cells more.
In this experiment, only five colors of kryptonite were tested. For further
experiments, other types of kryptonite such as pink, silver, or jewel kryptonite
should be used. Further, other Kryptonians aside from Superman could be tested,
including General Zod, Krypto, and Supergirl.
Further experimentation should be done on the effect of blue kryptonite. As
discovered during the experiment, the blue sample absorbed more energy as time
went on, instead of losing energy like the other 4 samples.
There are two problems the researcher would avoid in the future while repeating
the project. An updated Kryptonite Geiger counter would provide better
measurements, as the current one used only provided rounded results to the ones
place. Updated Geiger counters now provide more accurate readings to the
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thousandth decimal place. Also, red kryptonite wouldn’t be used, as it gave
Superman an ant head and agitated him considerably.
The research indicates that Superman should be more careful around green
kryptonite, possibly building a containment suit whenever he is up against his
archenemies. This research could also be used in case Superman ever turns
against humanity, and thus we would know how to protect ourselves.
Acknowledgements
This researcher would like to thank the staff at LexCorp Industries for providing
the kryptonite used, including Lex Luthor, LexCorp CEO; Otis; and Kitty
Kowlaski. Additionally, a note of thanks goes out to the Meteorite Center at
Johnson Space Center for the meteorite sample.
The researcher is also grateful for Dr. Emil Hamilton for giving suggestions on
the safe handling of kryptonite.
Thanks should also be given to the staff of the Daily Planet for proofreading and
writing assistance, including Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen.
Additional thanks go out to Mr. Bressler, also known as Superintendent Man, for
his help and support during this experiment.
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Bibliography
Beatty, Scott. "Superman: The Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel." DK Books. 2002.
Dox, V. & Luthor, L. (2007) Kryptonite Energy!. Retrieved June 24th, 2009 from
http://www.supermanfacts.com
Hamilton, E. (2005, March) Kryptonian Anatomy. National Geographic, 6.137
140,142
Kord, T (1986) Serious Heroes, New York, Adams Books
Kryptonite Energy. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary (11th ed.).
Retrieved from http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/planets
Lane, L. & Kent, C. (2013) Science and the Man of Steel. New York, Daily
Planet Publishing
Luthor, L. (1984, May) Kryptonite and Kryptonians. Popular Science, 5.56-‐59.
Moore, A. (1986, March) The Super-‐Hero Anatomy Lesson. Exobiology, 6.137-‐140
Myers, P (2004) Alien Evolution, New York, Alan Smithee Books
Parker, P (1961) Superheroes & Radiation. New York, Timely Publishing
Rozakis, Bob and John Wells. Kryptonite. http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/
Siegel, J. (1939). History of Krypton. Smallville, Daily Planet Publishing
Stark, T. (1961). Cosmic Radiation. In Galaxy Book Encyclopedia (Vol. 4,
p.898). Cincinnati: Babson Press.
Wayne, B. (2007) Creating Kryptonite on a Budget. Retrieved June 24, 2009 from
http://www.howtomakekryptonite.com
Appendix
Research Plan
Purpose of Experiment: The purpose of this project is to determine which type
of kryptonite energy affects Superman the most.
Hypothesis: When exposing Superman to equal samples of red, green, gold, blue
and black kryptonite, he will absorb more energy from the red kryptonite, because
the energy of red kryptonite will affect his cells more.
Procedures: Superman will be placed in a lead-lined room. One day per week he
will be exposed to a different type of kryptonite for 5 minutes. Every hour for a
total of 5 hours on the experiment day, the researcher will measure the absorption
rate using a Krypton Geiger counter. The experiment will continue until all
samples of kryptonite and the control sample have been exposed to Superman.
Risk and Safety: There is little risk to Earth humans during this experiment, however,
Superman will face some risk. He will be given a week to recuperate as much as possible
between exposures. This downtime will help reduce the long-term risk to Superman.
Data Analysis: The researcher will record all data observed visually and through the use
of the Krypton Geiger counter. This data will then be placed in a table and a bar graph
will be created to display the results of each trial for the different types of kryptonite. The
researcher will then analyze the data to see which kryptonite sample leaves more energy
in Superman’s body.
Bibliography
Dox, V. & Luthor, L. (2007) Kryptonite Energy!. Retrieved June 24th, 2009 from
http://www.supermanfacts.com
Kord, T (1986) Serious Heroes, New York, Adams Books
Lane, L. & Kent, C. (2013) Science and the Man of Steel. New York, Daily
Planet Publishing
Moore, A. (1986, March) The Super-Hero Anatomy Lesson. Exobiology,
6.137-140, 142.
Myers, P (2004) Alien Evolution, New York, Alan Smithee Books
Parker, P (1961) Superheroes & Radiation. New York, Timely Publishing
The following sites were used to create the science fair sample: http://voices.yahoo.com/superhero-science-fair-projects-3099695.html http://seminolemiddle.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Expanded-Science-Fair-Packet.pdf http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/comic-books/kryptonite.htm
