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Using the Force: Star Wars in the Classroom

2007; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 17; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/10511970601126860

1935-4053

Timothy P. Chartier,

Art, Technology, and Culture

Abstract When the character Yoda first appeared on the silver screen, his movements were due to the efforts of famed muppeteer Frank Oz. In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Yoda returned to the movies but this time the character was not a puppet but a digital image within a computer. This paper discusses the role, or, more aptly, the force, of mathematics behind a few aspects of movie special effects. Armed with topics from calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, mathematical modeling, and numerical analysis, animators can create a believable flow to Yoda's robe or convincing digital smoke.