Zombies are only in horror movies. Or are they? An article in a university physics journal predicts that zombies could kill most of us in 100 days. Students said there would only be 273 survivors of a zombie apocalypse. The students pretended zombies were a deadly virus. The virus infected someone. The person had a 90 per cent chance of giving the virus to another person. That person spread the virus around the world.
A professor explained why students wrote about zombies. He said: "We ask students to write short papers for the 'Journal of Physics Special Topics'. It lets the students show off their creative side and [use] some of the physics they know." It also gives students writing practice. The professor added that it tested how students use their understanding of physics in imaginary situations. This could help us in the future to prepare for disasters.