MythBusters (season 3)

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The cast/crew of the television series MythBusters performs experiments to verify or debunk urban legends, old wives' tales, and the like. This is a list of the various myths tested on the show as well as the results of the experiments (the myth is Busted, Plausible, or Confirmed).

The myths the show has tested for accuracy in Season 3 include:

Contents

[edit] Episode 25 — "Brown Note, Water Torture"

[edit] Blown Away

Someone who is shot and thrown backward a significant distance is a staple Hollywood visual effect.

  • Revisited in MythBusters Revisited, Season 3, episode 38
Myth statement Status Notes
A person will be propelled violently backwards if hit by a bullet. Busted A bullet fired by a gun cannot hold enough momentum. According to Newton's third law, if the bullet were to knock the target 20 feet (6 metres) back, an equal amount of force would be applied in the direction of the gun -- effectively knocking the shooter back about the same distance.

[edit] Brown Note

Myth statement Status Notes
There is an infrasonic "brown note" that can cause a human to lose control of their bowels. Busted Even after testing a wide range of sub-audible and near-sub-audible noises on him, not once did Adam lose control of his bowels. Some discomfort was reported however, due to the effects of low-frequency sound on the lungs.

[edit] Chinese Water Torture

Myth statement Status Notes
Chinese water torture can cause one to become insane. Confirmed The required torture equipment (and involuntary movement restrictions) is highly effective even without adding the discomfort of the water drip. The water drip itself, without the equipment, is almost negligible.

[edit] Episode 26 — "Salsa Escape, Cement Removal"

[edit] Salsa Escape

Myth statement Status Notes
Salsa was used by a Mexican prisoner to corrode the window bars of his cell and escape. Plausible Given several years, it would be possible, due to the corrosive elements of the salsa. The use of electrolysis via a direct current source (a radio power supply) in conjunction with the salsa greatly accelerated the effect, as it drew the electrons out of the bars and into the wires. Adam's alternating current setup had no success whatsoever, since the electrolysis worked to both add and subtract metal from the bars, and caused a good deal of the "cooked" salsa to cake onto the bars.
A urine-soaked silk shirt is strong enough to bend the bars of a prison cell when wrapped around them and twisted, as depicted in the film Shanghai Noon. Busted Adam tested this myth after he gave up on his salsa/alternating current escape plan. The bars proved too strong for the wet silk, tearing the fabric apart instead of bending the bars.

[edit] Cement Mix-Up

Myth statement Status Notes
A stick of dynamite can clean the leftover scraps of concrete from the inside of a cement truck. Plausible A powder charge equivalent to 1½ sticks of dynamite worked well and loosened or dislodged a lot of the dried excess concrete without noticeably damaging the barrel.
A stick of dynamite can remove a slab of concrete from the inside of a cement truck. Busted A solid slab of concrete is too hard to remove practically, and is tougher than the barrel itself. The MythBusters enlisted the aid of FBI explosive experts to load the truck and barrel with 850 pounds of commercial blasting agent. The resulting explosion reduced the truck to numerous very small fragments, and a few larger pieces; the observers had to stand a mile away from the explosion. Billed as the biggest-ever explosion on the show, Jamie admitted that "This has got nothing to do with the myth; it's just a big boom". In the "Shop Till You Drop" special, a large chunk of the barrel containing most of the concrete slab was shown in a junkyard.

[edit] Episode 27 — "Exploding Port-a-Potty, Car Pole-Vault"

[edit] Exploding Port-a-Potty

Myth statement Status Notes
Lighting a cigarette in a port-a-potty filled with methane gas will cause an explosion. Busted Not enough gas is produced by the decomposing waste in the port-a-potty for it to possibly be flammable. A person would need to be in a tightly sealed port-a-potty filled with thick methane gas in order for it to be flammable. By the time the gas was thick enough in the air to become flammable the person would have long-since passed out from asphyxiation. Larger amounts of decomposing waste can produce more gas, and sewer gas explosions are a known safety hazard.

See also Exploding Toilet (Season 1)

[edit] Driveshaft Pole Vault

Myth statement Status Notes
A broken driveshaft dragging on the ground can cause a car to pole vault end-over-end if it strikes a pothole. Plausible A car cannot be made to go end-over-end by striking a pothole with the driveshaft. The back end of the car can be lifted, but the likelihood of an event like this happening is extremely improbable. More likely is that the driveshaft would be forced into the trunk.

[edit] Episode 28 — "Is Yawning Contagious?"

[edit] Toy Car Race

Myth statement Status Notes
Over a ¼ mile long down-hill course, a toy car can beat a full-sized Dodge Viper powered only by gravity. Partly Busted A typical toy car, when tested on a real car tire, managed to stay on until the tire reached about 70 miles per hour. After experimenting with various die-cast model cars, the two MythBusters each made their own toy car to experiment with. Adam's toy car proved too unstable to stay on the full course. Jamie's toy car was able to beat the Dodge Viper (the real car) over 100 feet (30 metres), but over the full length of the course the Viper won by an extremely wide margin.

[edit] Is Yawning Contagious?

Myth statement Status Notes
A person can be subconsciously influenced into yawning if another nearby person yawns. Confirmed In a test pool of 50 people those who were influenced into yawning by the MythBusters yawned 29% of the time. However, those who were not influenced yawned only 25% of the time. It seems that the Mythbusters also found the average time to yawn for those who did yawn was 9 minutes for those who had been influenced and 9.6 minutes for those who had not, but the only token of this information is a written note in their calculation results and there was no verbal discussion regarding it during the show. Despite this supportive evidence, the 4% difference between the experimental and control groups was not large enough to constitute a statistically significant difference (at alpha = 0.05), and therefore no definitive conclusion could be reached based on these results. (Even so the myth was Confirmed, however).

[edit] Toast - Butter Side Up or Down?

Myth statement Status Notes
Toast is more likely to land buttered side-down when dropped. Busted In an extensive and highly objective test the toast showed no statistical preference for landing buttered side-down or up when dropped. It was an even 50-50 split when the final results were compared. However, when pushed off the side of a table, toast showed a tendency to flip once and land buttered side down, which is likely the source of the myth.

[edit] Episode 29 — "Cooling a Six pack"

Also featured in this episode is the first test of Buster 2.0, built during the Buster special, as well as the final test of "Earl the MythBusters Caddy".

[edit] Cooling a Six pack

Myth statement Status Notes
A six pack of beer can be rapidly cooled by burying it in sand, pouring gasoline on top of it, and lighting the gasoline. Busted The fire did not significantly alter the temperature of the beer; in fact, the fire actually raised the temperature slightly (not to mention that burying the beer made the cans sandy, and the gasoline is harmful to the environment.)
  • With this myth quickly busted, Adam and Jamie each tried to build devices which could rapidly cool a six pack, but neither device was effective enough. A carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, however, was able to cool a six pack to a satisfactory temperature in approximately three minutes. In terms of practicality, though, one's best bet is to use icy salt water, which cooled the beer to an ideal temperature in 5 minutes. Barring that, normal ice water was next fastest at 15 minutes. The other methods tested (the freezer, ice only, and the refrigerator) did not cool the beer rapidly enough to warrant their use in a spur-of-the-moment event.


Initial measurements:
Ice Ice + water Ice + water + salt
33°F 24°F
Results (after 5 minutes):
Ice Ice + water Ice + water + salt Freezer Fridge
57°F 44°F 35.9°F 55°F 60°F
Final results:
Ice + water + salt Ice + water Freezer Ice Fridge
5 minutes 15 minutes 25 minutes 30 minutes 40+ minutes

Reference:[1]

[edit] Baghdad Battery

The Build Team created several copies of the Baghdad Battery, an archaeological find which seems to suggest that ancient Babylonians were the first to use batteries.

The ancient people of Babylon created a crude battery for use in…

Myth statement Status Notes
…electroplating. Plausible An overnight plating of zinc over copper seemed to work very well.
…acupuncture therapy. Plausible The electricity from the batteries was felt through the acupuncture needles, though the needles eventually grew hot, causing the Build Team to theorize this technique also being used as a form of torture.
…testing spiritual resolve. Plausible While the ancient batteries were not used on the recreation Ark of the Covenant due to their weak charge (approximately a third of a volt each, or almost 4 volts for a set of ten), Adam theorized that, if any charge was felt with the batteries, the ancient people would believe it to be of divine origin due to their lack of knowledge about electricity. Instead of the batteries, the Build Team wired the ark to the electric source used in the Peeing on the Electric Fence myth, surprising Adam with a nasty shock (They later apologized to him, seeing how painful and potentially dangerous it was).

[edit] Episode 30 — "Son of a Gun"

[edit] Son of a Gun

Myth statement Status Notes
A bullet that struck the groin of a soldier in the American Civil War led to the impregnation of a woman who was struck by the same bullet after it exited the soldier's body. Busted A Civil War era bullet was fired through a pouch containing spermatozoa and into ballistic gel representing the woman's abdomen; no living spermatozoa were subsequently found in the gel. In addition, it was well documented that anyone suffering an abdominal gunshot wound was unlikely to survive.

[edit] Phone in a Thunderstorm

Myth statement Status Notes
A person can be electrocuted by talking on the phone during a lightning storm. Confirmed Adam and Jamie placed a ballistic gel dummy on a chair and put a telephone receiver on its ear. They activated a machine that was able to shoot 200,000 volts of electricity towards a mock-up hut. The electricity shot from the mouthpiece of the phone into the mouth of the dummy, and it set off the gunpowder charge that Jamie taped to the phone receiver as a signal. A voltmeter wired up to the test rig blew a fuse.
A person can be electrocuted by using the shower during a lightning storm. Plausible The dummy was not hit. A small fire did occur, however, and the voltmeter again blew a fuse.

[edit] Trailer Troubles

Myth statement Status Notes
A boat can be driven with its trailer still attached. Confirmed The boat can still be driven, but there is a great loss in maximum speed. A trailer shop owner said on the show that he once had to deliver a boat and trailer to a customer in such a manner, as the only access to the customer's boat ramp was from the water.

[edit] Episode 31 — "Breaking Glass"

[edit] Breaking Glass

Adam and Jamie investigate whether a human voice could shatter glass, as perpetuated in stories of opera singers and demonstrated by Ella Fitzgerald in a commercial for Memorex.

Myth statement Status Notes
A wine glass shatters if a person sings at the right pitch. Confirmed Using lead crystal glasses, Adam proved the Memorex part of the myth by breaking a glass with his amplified voice. Rock singer Jaime Vendera was then able to break a glass using his unaided voice, confirming the entire myth.

[edit] Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

The Build Team takes on another old adage, and sees if it remains relevant in modern use. This became the longest MythBusters experiment on record—over six months long.

Myth statement Status Notes
A rolling stone can truly gather no moss. Confirmed While a rolling stone can pick up or gather moss when rolled down a hill, the point of the myth is that moss cannot grow onto the rock while it is rolling.

[edit] Jet Engine Vacuum

Myth statement Status Notes
A shop vacuum can act similar to a jet engine if it is used to suck up gasoline. Busted Newer model vacuums have the air flow isolated from the motor; even if this were not the case, the only results would be a small fire.

[edit] Episode 32 — "Jet Pack"

[edit] Jet Pack

Myth statement Status Notes
A Jet pack can be built from plans purchased off the Internet and limited funds. Busted The jetpack produced by the Mythbusters was not powerful enough even to lift itself off the ground, and they had to cheat by going beyond their assigned budget, in order to create it. The sum of its parts cost too much to allow the average person to build it on a budget and the plans did not have enough details to give builders a clear example of what to build.

[edit] Pyramid Power

Myth statement Status Notes
Pyramid power can be harnessed for a variety of purposes around the home. Busted The build team constructed a series of pyramid frames using the precise measurements and dimensions required to "harness" pyramid power. Four tests were performed: keeping razor blades sharp, preventing food from spoiling (one test for milk, another for an apple), and preventing the decay of a flower. The apple test at first seemed to be working, however it was later discovered that a contaminated saw blade (used to halve the apple) may have given one half a higher microbial load than the other. A repeated test using sterile equipment yielded approximately the same decay rate for each half. Strangely, a similar test with 'cube power' showed the fruit rotting at a faster rate than the other two tests. Following the verdict, Adam requested "No more oogie boogie myths." Despite this, Mythbusters later featured the myth that plants have feelings in season 4.

[edit] Episode 33 — "Killer Brace Position"

[edit] Killer Brace Position

The MythBusters take on an airline conspiracy theory. Notable for the introduction of Grant Imahara and the Simulaid family. .

Myth statement Status Notes
The brace position was actually designed by the airline industry to kill people, rather than save them, during an airplane crash (in order to save money by paying off wrongful death suits rather than continuous injury compensations). Busted The brace position protected the test subject (Buster) from serious and possibly fatal injuries. When the test subject was not braced he received far more serious injuries. At the end of the test the MythBusters-team risked their lives; everyone survived the drop. There is a greater chance of dying due to smoke inhalation or immolation from burning debris — due to being immobilized by injury or being pinned down by debris. There is a grain of truth to this myth: it was learned through research that the amount of money paid by airlines in wrongful death suits is lower than the amount of money paid for injury compensation.

[edit] Cell Phones vs. Drunk Driving

Adam and Kari take on a contemporary issue in driving, one that has given conflicting scientific data. To do so, Adam and Kari perform a general-purpose road safety test three times (initially sober without a cellphone, then while talking to Jamie on a cell phone, and finally while slightly intoxicated but under the legal blood-alcohol content limit of 0.08%) and compare the three results.

Myth statement Status Notes
Driving while talking on a cell phone is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Confirmed Both Adam and Kari failed a general-purpose road safety test both while talking on a cell phone and while driving after drinking alcoholic beverages (though with a blood-alcohol content just below 0.08% and not legally drunk). Cell phone driving failed by a wider margin. Adam commented that one can put away a cell phone if necessary, but not simply become sober as needed.

[edit] Episode 34 — "Bulletproof Water"

[edit] Bulletproof Water

The MythBusters take on a Hollywood action staple, where a hero dives into water to avoid being hit by bullets.

Myth statement Status Notes
Hiding underwater can stop a person from being hit by bullets. Partly Confirmed All supersonic bullets tested (up to .50-caliber) disintegrated in less than 3 feet (90 cm) of water, but slower velocity bullets, like pistol rounds, need up to 8 feet (2.4 metres) of water to slow to non-lethal speeds. Shotgun slugs require even more depth; the exact depth could not be determined because one of their tests broke the rig. However, as most water-bound shots are fired from an angle, less actual depth is needed to create the necessary separation.

[edit] Chain-Straight 360

Myth statement Status Notes
It is possible to do a chain-straight 360° loop on a swingset. Busted Under one's own power it is impossible to do a chain-straight 360° loop on a school yard swingset. With help of other pushers, it is possible, although highly difficult, to do a full circle without the chain being straight. A person would need a rocket strapped to himself to do it. A dummy was set up in such a manner; the rocket was able to propel it in a chain-straight 360° loop, but the setup would be too dangerous with a real person.
It is possible to do a 360° loop on a rigid-arm swingset. Partly Confirmed A seventh generation circus performer confirmed the myth by doing a 360° loop while Tory, Kari and Grant observed. The others were not able to do the loop, as it consumes a lot of energy (and can cause nausea to some).

[edit] Episode 35 — "Border Slingshot"

This was the first episode in which the entire hour was devoted to testing a single myth.

Myth statement Status Notes
Illegal immigrants are being launched over the United States border by the means of a giant slingshot. Busted In addition to being unable to achieve the distance and accuracy reported, the device could not be constructed in such a way as to allow the quick assembly and disassembly required for the myth. In addition, the person being thrown would likely be killed on impact.

[edit] Episode 36 — "Killer Tissue Box"

[edit] Killer Tissue Box

Myth statement Status Notes
A simple tissue box stored on the backboard of a car can move with sufficient force to kill a person during a crash. Busted Sharp objects or those with masses over 3 lb. (1.2 kg), like a bowling ball, can be deadly if they fly forward during a crash. Lighter objects like tissue boxes may cause injury but cannot kill.
A tissue box can stay intact during a crash. Confirmed This was revealed when they crashed the real car and Adam pointed out that the box was intact.

[edit] Splitting an Arrow

The Build Team take on a myth stemming from the film The Adventures of Robin Hood, where the most famous stunt is one where an arrow was split in half, from nock to tip. The Build Team explores whether this was at all possible, and also challenges fans at a medieval fair to duplicate this feat.

Myth statement Status Notes
It is possible to split an arrow perfectly down the middle with a second arrow like in the film The Adventures of Robin Hood. Partly Busted While it is certainly possible to rear-end an arrow with another, only a fiberglass arrow can be split down the middle (known as telescoping in archery circles). With a wooden arrow, even under the most ideal conditions, the best one can do is a partial split along the grain of the wood, and even that is improbable. They clearly showed that the film's circumstances can be recreated using a hollow shaft, such as bamboo.

[edit] Episode 37 — "Escape Slide Parachute"

[edit] Escape Slide Parachute

Myth statement Status Notes
It is possible to jump from an airplane and use an inflatable life raft to safely return to earth (as in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) Busted Any attempt to use the raft failed due to the instability of the raft in freefall. It was possible to rig the raft as a parachute and land with minimal injuries, but this would not be possible to perform while jumping from a disabled aircraft.
…Using an escape slide instead of the raft. Busted While it was shown that the slide could safely land Buster with no injuries, he had to be strapped in and there is no possible way to perform this from a disabled aircraft.
A person strapped into the rear flight attendant seat could survive the destruction of the aircraft in flight by having the surviving tail section slow her fall and absorb impact. Plausible While Adam and Jamie's attempt to recreate the incident resulted in Buster once again being heavily damaged, this event actually happened in real life. The flight attendant was severely injured in the incident, but did survive. It was agreed that it was very improbable, but could happen if circumstances were just right.

[edit] Exploding Hair Cream

Myth statement Status Notes
A number of Canadian Air Force pilots were explosively decapitated when their hair gel exploded in the oxygen-rich environment of the cockpit. Busted After recreating the environment in an F-104 Starfighter cockpit, it took some effort to ignite the hair product. Even with extreme amounts of product, the best result was a fire and/or small explosion, which came nowhere near decapitating the test head. It was confirmed that there have been a number of incidents in which small fires have occurred, but there are no recorded fatal injuries. It was noted that a fire in a pure oxygen environment killed the astronauts of Apollo 1.

[edit] Episode 38 — "MythBusters Revisited"

This episode is the second episode where the MythBusters team focus on retesting earlier myths, based on fan reaction (the first is Myths Revisited).

[edit] Blown Away

Myth statement Status Notes
A body struck by a bullet will be propelled violently backwards. (From Blown Away) Re-Busted Even a .50 Caliber bullet does not have the momentum to knock a person backwards. If it were possible, the shooter would be knocked backwards as well - as per Newton's Third Law.

[edit] Explosive Decompression

Myth statement Status Notes
Explosive decompression can occur when a bullet is fired through the fuselage of a pressurized airplane (From Explosive Decompression) Re-Busted The Build Team tested the effect of air rushing past an open bullet hole, and surmised that the extra internal pressure caused by this would still not be enough to cause an explosive decompression.

[edit] Who Gets Wetter?

Myth statement Status Notes
A person will end up drier running in the rain than walking. (From Who Gets Wetter?) Confirmed When retrying the test in actual rain it was conclusively proven that the running test subject got less wet than the walking test subject. The use of artificial rain in the original test led to a false negative.

[edit] Plywood Builder

Myth statement Status Notes
Holding a large sheet of plywood will slow a fall from a building enough to make it survivable. (From Plywood Builder) Re-Busted After testing the speed of updrafts with a special rig on Tory's truck it was proven that you could not hold on to the piece of plywood if you were in free fall. A mere 45mph gust knocked it out of Tory's hands; updrafts from skyscrapers reach upwards of 90mph.

[edit] Biscuit Bazooka Spinoff

Myth statement Status Notes
A black car heats up faster than an identical white car. (Spinoff of Biscuit Bazooka) Confirmed A fan wrote in and asked a follow up question: "Does the color of a car affect the way it heats up?". The MythBusters used two identical cars, one black the other white and left them both out in the summer heat with thermometers in both. By mid-afternoon the white car had a temperature of 126 °F (52.22 °C), while the black car had heated up to a temperature of 135 °F (57.22 °C), about 9 degrees hotter in the Farenheit scale. The explanation was that black paint absorbs the heat while white paint deflects it.

[edit] AC vs. Windows Down

Myth statement Status Notes
Running a car with air conditioning on is more fuel efficient than running with the windows down. (From AC vs. Windows Down) Partly Re-Busted/Partly Confirmed The fundamental flaw in the MythBusters' test was that the point where the drag becomes powerful enough to inhibit a car's performance with windows down was inside their 45–55mph margin at 50mph. Going less than 50mph it is more efficient to leave your windows down, but going greater than 50mph it is more efficient to use your A/C. Since then, this particular bit of knowledge has been used frequently on Car Talk.[citation needed]

[edit] Car Capers - Exploding Gas Tank

Myth statement Status Notes
A gas tank will explode when shot by a bullet. (From Car Capers - Shooting Cars) Partly Confirmed It has already been proven that when shot by a normal bullet a gasoline tank will not explode. However, if a gasoline tank is shot by a tracer round from a great enough distance so that the round can ignite with air friction, it will cause the gasoline to catch fire. By the time this happened the tank was so riddled with bullets (from previous tracers that were fired too close to ignite) that there was no contained pressure, but the MythBusters surmised that had the tank been properly enclosed, it may have exploded.

[edit] Episode 39 — "Chinese Invasion Alarm"

[edit] Chinese Invasion Alarm

Myth statement Status Notes
The ancient Chinese were able to detect an invading army tunneling beneath the ground by using a drum submerged in a shaft. Plausible Kari was able to hear Jamie and Tory's digging in an underground mine shaft in two of the three tests. She actually detected them better by listening to the drum compared to Grant's use of modern geophone equipment.

[edit] Five-second Rule

Myth statement Status Notes
The "Five-second rule" is valid when it comes to food dropped on the floor. Busted This myth yielded a varied number of results, but in the definitive test where the only variable was time, the myth was definitively busted. There was no real difference in the number of bacteria collected from 2 seconds exposure as there was from 6 seconds exposure.
The toilet seat is the cleanest place in the house. Confirmed Adam tested this myth just out of curiosity. When the results were compared to the bacteria samples from the "Five Second Rule" tests, the toilet seat actually proved cleaner than all other surfaces tested.
A dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's. Plausible The sample collected from Adam's mouth had much more bacterial growth than the sample collected from Lulu the dog. Jamie suggested, however, that the bacteria from the dog may be more potent.

[edit] Episode 40 — "Confederate Rocket"

This was the second episode in which the entire hour was devoted to testing a single myth. Because the myth dealt with the making of explosive and or dangerous materials, the ingredients used to make nitrous oxide and gun cotton were censored by substituting animal sounds for the actual chemicals.

Myth statement Status Notes
During the American Civil War, the Confederacy built and launched a two stage rocket 120 miles from Richmond, Virginia to Washington D.C. Busted While the MythBusters were able to construct and launch a hybrid rocket in under two days using only properties available to Civil War-era engineers, the rocket was not two stage, as per the myth and only travelled an estimated 500 yards. Adam and Jamie agreed that the myth would be impossible with the technology available during the Civil War.

[edit] Episode 41 — "Compact Compact, Vodka Myths"

[edit] Compact Compact

Myth statement Status Notes
Two semi trucks that collided head-on welded together due to the accident. After being towed as a whole to the junkyard, workers were shocked to discover that the semis trapped a European compact car and its doomed driver between each other. Busted After obtaining two free semi trucks, their trailers, and a sports car (a Fiat X1/9) from a fan, the Mythbusters rigged up the two semis to crash. After several mishaps and numerous technical problems, they failed to crash both semis and car because one tow line connected to a semi broke, so only the other semi crashed into the car, sending the car ricocheting to the side. The crash never fused together, instead resulting in a horrific mess of glass, metal, and fiberglass.

[edit] Vodka Myths I

Vodka…

Myth statement Status Notes
…can clean the odor off feet. Confirmed Comparison of a commercial foot powder wash vs. a Vodka wash showed that the odor was eliminated on both feet.
…can kill bad breath. Confirmed After a mixture of 1 cup Vodka and 9 tbsp of cinnamon powder was left to sit for two weeks in a sealed flask and then strained, it managed to eliminate most odors on par with an over-the-counter mouthwash. The only bad breath smell not eliminated (by either the vodka or mouthwash) was from smoking cigarettes.

[edit] Episode 42 — "Steel Toe-Cap Amputation, Bottle Rocket Blast-off"

[edit] Steel Toe-Cap Amputation

Myth statement Status Notes
Steel-toe boots are more dangerous to one's toes than normal boots when a heavy weight is dropped on them. Whereas a normal boot would just crush the toes, a steel toe would curl and crumple in, cutting off the toes. Busted Using similar tests to those used to test steel-toe boot certification, Adam and Jamie determine that one's toes are much safer with steel toe boots than without. There was no toe-cutting curling of the steel toe, and even using a blade attachment didn't work, only glancing off the steel toe to cut right above where it ended.

[edit] Bottle Rocket Blast-Off

The Build team attempt to recreate this Water Bottle Jetpack from a Japanese Game Show.

Myth statement Status Notes
According to a Japanese trivia game show, it is possible to use fifteen 3-liter sized water bottle rockets to launch a human 40 meters. Busted While bottle rockets, on their own, could launch 1/15 of Kari's weight a fair distance, their combination into one super-rocket system did not have enough thrust to give the crash test dummy the trajectory or distance stated by the television show, and was considered too dangerous by paramedics to feasibly launch a human being. More bottle rockets proved only to add to the difficulty and complications. The Build Team also found that water cooler jugs, while able to launch higher at the standard air/water ratio for water bottle rockets, were weaker than standard soda bottles (which are designed to hold carbonated liquids), failing at around 60 psi (413 kPa) less than the soda bottles (90psi (600kPa) as opposed to 150psi (1000kPa)).

[edit] Episode 43 — "Sea-sickness - Kill or Cure?"

Original airdate: November 16, 2005

[edit] Seasickness - Kill or Cure?

Because Adam and Grant are very susceptible to motion sickness, they test non-pharmaceutical remedies for seasickness by…

Myth statement Status Notes
…using a cinnamon-flavored tongue spray. Busted The spray took no effect on Adam or Grant.
…taking a ginger pill. Confirmed Both Adam and Grant endured the spin-chair for twenty to thirty minutes without experiencing any symptoms.
…using magnetized arm bands. Busted The arm bands had no effect on Adam or Grant. Some celebrities like Barry Manilow claim they work, but they nonetheless do not operate on any valid scientific principles.
…using an electro-shock wrist band. Busted The shocks mildly discomforted Adam and Grant, who nonetheless became sick.
…using a placebo, like a vitamin or a sugar pill. Plausible While Adam was not affected by the placebo, Grant was successfully tricked into thinking he had taken a store-bought sea-sickness medication and did not throw up. He had taken vitamin B12 and claimed it was the most effective remedy. By falling for the placebo all his test results had to be thrown out on the grounds of psychosomatic influence.

[edit] Tailgate Up vs. Tailgate Down

This was revisited in More Myths Revisited.

Myth statement Status Notes
It is more fuel efficient to drive a pick-up truck with its tailgate down, rather than up. Busted Driving with the tailgate down actually increased drag on the pick-up and caused it to consume fuel faster than the identical truck driven with the tailgate up. It was later revealed that the closed tailgate creates a locked vortex flow that created a smoother flow of air over the truck. With the tailgate down, the trapped vortex was dissipated and the drag increased.

[edit] Finger in a Barrel

The Build Team take on a myth that forms a staple of cartoon physics. This was revisited in Myths Redux.

Myth statement Status Notes
A shotgun plugged by a human finger will backfire and explode injuring or killing the shooter instead of the intended victim. Busted Both test hands (composed of ballistics gel of varying firmness) were completely obliterated by the shotgun blast. Neither had the volume or strength needed to plug the barrel to create enough pressure to cause it to explode. Even under ridiculous circumstances like having the barrel clogged with dirt, being sealed off by a 4 inch spike welded into the barrel and by being blocked by a simulated squib load, the gun still didn't explode. The best results seen were minor deformations in the gun barrel.

[edit] External links

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