The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Varanasi recently included a 10-mark question based on the blockbuster Hollywood superhero film 'Avengers: Endgame'. The institute asked the students to apply engineering principles to the scene where Captain America, played by actor Chris Evans, lifts Thor's hammer Mjolnir during a climactic battle against Thanos, played by Josh Brolin.
In a now-viral photo of the question paper, the students were aksed to calculate the stress on the hammer's handle, which has a diameter of 5/8 inch and the strains on both the hammerhead and handle as it transitions from elastic to plastic deformation after hitting Thanos. The students were also asked to compute the recovering strain and remaining plastic strain when Captain America summons the hammer back after the impact.
Social media users were quick to react as the question paper was shared online by a user. "Wish my professors were this cool during my IIT BHU days," an alumni wrote on X. Another user commented, "No way. Captain himself hasn't calculated his throw. Neither thanos for taking the hit. Btw I appreciate the work."
A user wrote, "Who says physics doesn't apply to marvel movies!"
Another user commented, "No way. Captain himself hasn't calculated his throw. Neither thanos for taking the hit. Btw I appreciate the work."
The Captain America vs. Thanos fight scene in *Avengers: Endgame* is one of the most iconic sequences in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It also became the highest-grossing Marvel film of all time, earning $2.797 billion worldwide.