This is a serious scientific investigation.
Springfield's periodic table is literally out of this world.
In Springfield: Springfield Elementary is so underfunded that their periodic table only has 16 elements, sadly. But their elite rival — Springfield Preparatory — has 250 elements. (And they don't serve horse testicles for lunch either. Looking at you, Lunchlady Doris).
IRL: There's ONLY 118 known elements on the current periodic table. You'd need something like a nuclear reactor to get to 250.
Since it's unlikely CERN scientists are moonlighting at Springfield Prep for some extra cash, it's only logical to conclude that Springfield is located in a parallel universe where elements can easily be created.
FOX / Via lghs.net
Skinner has superhuman powers.
In Springfield: Let's face it: Skinner is a stressed, out-of-shape, middle-aged man who miraculously is able to turn that giant crate all by himself. Lisa's buff true love Nelson doesn't even help him out. Neither does Otto. (But that's because he's too stoned.)
IRL: "[Skinner's] weight and speed are probably not large enough to produce that much motion in the container ... It would take about five persons running that fast," Alejandro Garcia, an animation physicist at San Jose State University and Dreamworks, told BuzzFeed over email.
Apparently, Skinner doesn't even need an extra four people to help him out. Because he's obviously a superhuman.
Fox / Via lghs.net
Is Springfield even in the United States?
In Springfield: Skinner forces Bart to meet him at 4:30 a.m. for an astronomy "lesson." What the hell was Skinner thinking overstepping the boundaries of a student-teacher relationship?
IRL: Orion and the Charioteer (aka the Chariot Race) are constellations that you mostly see in the summer. But the Swan is winter constellation. The ONLY time you can see all three constellations around 4 a.m. is in September, Michael Kaufman, professor of physics and astronomy at San Jose State University, told BuzzFeed over email.
“And this would be roughly accurate throughout the continental U.S., regardless of which Springfield the Simpsons live in,” said Kaufman. Since the scene supposedly takes place in February (when it aired), then all the constellations wouldn't be visible. UNLESS, they live outside of the United States. Like in another dimension or something.
Fox / Via lghs.net
Bart and Homer can survive the vacuum of space.
In Springfield: The Simpsons are forced on a rocket to the sun after Homer accidentally causes the Y2K computer virus to spread. Luckily, Homer and Bart eject themselves just in time and blissfully float away toward mother Earth.
IRL: "You might think that you'd freeze in outer space, but since you're in a vacuum, it's difficult for heat energy to leave your body. On the other hand, being close to the sun you'd warm up very quickly. You know how quickly this occurs just lying on the beach, so imagine how much fast it is when you're close to the sun," said Alejandro Garcia.
"But the most dramatic effect, I believe, is the fact that liquids spontaneously boil at low pressure. So the water in a human body would start to boil. Mercifully, your brain would almost immediately shut down due to these effects so you probably wouldn't suffer for too long," he added.
In Springfield's universe, Sideshow Bob is clearly a much bigger threat than the vacuum of space.
Fox / Via lghs.net
