On July 3, one of the summer's hottest blockbusters – The Amazing Spider-man – will hit theaters across the country. There's a lot more to the film than A-listers and special effects, however. Physics and quantitative biology are apparently "at the center of a few major plot points in the film," according to the University of Minnesota. University of Minnesota physics professor Jim Kakalios instilled some physics in the film by adapting a special equation for the filmmakers to use. Called the "decay rate algorithm," the equation referenced several times in the movie "relates to cell regeneration and human mortality," Kakalios said in a video released today. But the decay rate algorithm isn't simply a figment of Kakalios' imagination. In fact, it has been adapted from a frequently cited equation connecting the likelihood of death with age: the Gompertz Law.
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