If you truly were as fast as The Flash, you’d be arguably the most powerful superhero, period. You’d be able to think at lightspeed, make your punches infinitely massive, and launch rockets simply by running out of them. You could do just about anything. But, because millennials are apparently ruining everything, is the speedster fast enough to take a truly hands-free selfie?
By hands-free I mean no remote, no selfie stick, no hands (duh). Is the Flash fast enough to hold up a camera, hit the button, and before the shutter closes, run around to the other side to ensure that some of the photons hitting the camera’s sensor came from him. It may streak, it may blur, but if Barry was fast enough, it would be awesome. (The CW version of the hero claims this is possible, so let’s get into it.)
In my latest Because Science, we looking to the laws of physics and the speed of light to determine just how fast the fast would need to be to take an undeniably epic selfie. But we can go one red-booted step further. If the Flash can take a selfie without holding the camera, what is the maximum distance the Flash could take a photo of himself from? Inches? Feet? Miles? You’ll have to check out my latest video about to find out.
Then check out my last video on the physics of Bruce Lee’s famous “one-inch punch,” subscribe to this playlist to stay current with the show, buy a Because Science shirt, mug, hat, or collectible pin (the SURPRISE LIGHTSABER! shirts are in!), and follow me on Twitter to give me a suggestion for the next episode or on Instagram where I’m now posting extra mini-episodes!
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Want Even More Flash Science?
- The physics behind the hero’s famous “infinite mass punch.”
- Is the Flash fast enough to launch a rocket?
- Is Nightcrawler actually faster than the speedster?
