Uploaded September 2016 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Could a Venetian house really be supported from sinking into the Grand Canal by a few big bags of air? While in Venice, I decided to work out if one of Casino Royale's big scenes was based in any sort of reality.

W: martinarcher.co.uk
T: twitter.com/martinarcher
F: facebook.com/drmartinarcher

00:29 Properties of the Venetian building / palazzo
01:40 Is Venice a floating/sinking city? How was Venice built?
02:22 The forces at play and Archimedes principle of buoyancy
03:25 How quickly should it sink? Equilibrium and Simple Harmonic Motion
04:27 How big are those air bags?
05:17 How would the scene play out in reality?


Links for more information

Casino Royale's Special Effects
mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/bond_21_chris_corbould_interview.php3
awn.com/vfxworld/casino-royale-returning-bonds-roots

Venice sinking
bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17445936
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2120610/Venice-sinking-FIVE-times-faster-previously-thought.html

Buoyancy
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/pbuoy.html

Harmonic Oscillators
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/oscda.html
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/oscdr2.html


Music by Kevin MacLeod and Silent Partner

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Why not watch "What is Doctor Strange's Dark Dimension? Gravity, Dimensions & Hierarchy Problem | Physics vs Film"
youtube.com/watch?v=SgZsvUQWkX4
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