Madoka Magica and Science

This page is dedicated to the scientific references that was made throughout the series.

Thermodynamics and Entropy

This BBC special is an excellent refresher course on Entropy.

Assume Incubators are trying to sustain the entire universe using the misery of little girls. According to data gathered by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotrophy Probe (WMAP), energy density of the universe comes down to roughly 9.9 x 10^-30 g/cm3, or 0,889767627 joules/km^3. The expansion rate of the universe, again as determined by WMAP observations is roughly 71.9 (km/s)/Mpc, ignoring other studies. The minimum radius of the universe, as determined by cosmic microwave background radiation data, is 12 gigaparsecs. Consequently, the universe gains at least 862800 kilometers of radius per second, which comes down to a volume gain of 1.48656647 × 10^54 kilometers cubed per second.

Thus, in order to maintain the energy density of the universe (admittedly, though, there are better ways to preserve life) 1.32269872 × 10^54 joules is required every second. Let us use high estimates and say that there is one magical girl for every 1,000 people. As of now, there are roughly 6,9 billion living people, so there are 6,900,000 magical girls across the world. Assume that every magical girl defeats a witch every two days, and hands over her Grief Seed to an Incubator for its energy to be collected. This comes down to roughly 40 witches being defeated every second. Therefore, if the energy density of the universe is to be maintained, every Grief Seed needs to have an energy output of at least 3.31249766 × 10^52 joules. What can you do with this sort of energy?

A. Supply the Earth’s energy needs for roughly 8,6 octillion years, a timespan 6,2802117 × 10^17 times the current age of the universe.

B. Create 3,68565071 × 10^35 kilograms of any matter (except cheese.) This comes down to about 184027 sun-sized stars, 61 billion Earth-sized planets or a single supermassive black hole with a radius of 547298,036 kilometers, roughly 1,4 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.

C. In a single year, enough energy is collected to create roughly 10 galaxies the size of our Milky Way.

D. Create a single explosion a few hundred thousand times stronger than any gamma ray burst we’ve observed so far. This would end most, if not all life (at least carbon-based life as we know it) pretty much everywhere from Earth to Andromeda galaxy.”

Personally, the only reason I can muster for this bizzare turn is that the writers want to change the setting. In the previous episodes, QB has become a bit too obviously antagonistic, making him a villain of sorts. But this development changes things, making QB not a villain but an act of god. Something outside human power. So the objective here becomes not “winning,” but rather “surviving”

Biology and the Food Chain

Kyouko: "You know about the food chain, right? I'm sure you learned about it in school. The witches eat the weak humans. And we eat those witches. That's the way stuff works, right?"

Astronomy

Anonymous observes that almost all the Witches are named after Astronomical objects within the Solar System:

Gertrud

710 Gertrud - minor planet orbiting the sun

Anthony

272 Antonia - asteroid

Adelbert

719 Albert - Amor asteroid

Suleika

563 Suleika - minor planet orbiting the sun

Ulla

375 Ursula - large main-belt asteroid

Charlotte

Charles - a lunar crater (?)

Pyotr

2720 Pyotr Pervyj - main belt asteroid

Elly

2650 Elinor - an asteroid

Daniyyel

Daniell - a lunar crater

Albertine

719 Albert - Amor asteroid

Anja

Elsa Maria

182 Elsa and 170 Maria, both asteroids

Sebastians

Gisela

Dora

668 Dora - main belt asteroid

Uhrmann

Bartels

17823 Bartels - a main belt asteroid

Oktavia

598 Octavia - an asteroid

Holger

9266 Holger - main-belt asteroid