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The cast of the television series MythBusters perform 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 MythBusters tested these myths for accuracy in season 6:
[edit] Episode 83 - Baseball Myths
This episode featured Roger Clemens as a guest star in a short segment explaining the physics behind different pitches.
[edit] Corked Bat
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A baseball bat filled with cork can hit a baseball farther than a normal bat. |
Busted |
This myth operates under the assumption that cork-filled bats can be swung faster because of their lighter weight, and that the springiness of the cork could propel the ball farther. To eliminate the human factor of the myth, Adam and Jamie constructed a special batting rig and used a pressurized air cannon to launch the baseball at it. Tests showed that the cannon could launch the ball 80 miles per hour, which is the average speed of most MLB pitches. Regulation bats could propel the ball away at 80 mph (130 km/h) while corked bats could only propel the ball 40 mph (64 km/h), half the speed of regulation bats. The reason was that cork bats have less mass to transfer force into the ball, and the cork actually absorbs some of the ball's impact. The Mythbusters concluded that using a cork filled bat will not improve your performance (it will in fact hurt it), and the major league batters who were caught using cork-filled bats risked their careers for absolutely nothing. |
[edit] Humid Balls
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A dry baseball can be hit farther than a ball stored in a humid environment, which is why baseball teams that store their balls in humid environments suffer from lower home run averages. |
Plausible |
The Build Team started off with a small scale test by dropping dry and humid balls from a certain height. The results showed that the dry balls tended to bounce higher than the humid balls. For the full scale test, Grant built his own rig (dubbed "The Mad Batter") that could both swing the bat and pitch the ball at the same time. They then tested the rig at a baseball field using humid balls, dry balls, and control balls stored in a normal environment. The results showed definitively that the dry balls were hit the farthest distance and the humid balls being hit the least distance. The Build Team agreed that outside forces may be at work, but the data supported the myth enough to be considered plausible. |
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A fastball (pitched overhand) can lift itself higher into the air. |
Busted |
Despite the testimony of some pitchers, the myth would defy the laws of physics because in order for a fast ball to actually rise, it must exert more force upward than its own weight. However, the maximum force a fast ball can exert is only half of its weight, making a rising fast ball impossible. When compared to a "non-rising" fast ball, the baseball does not drop as much as it normally would, giving it the optical illusion of appearing to have risen. |
[edit] The Slide
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| On bases that you can't overrun, it is faster to slide into them. |
Confirmed |
While a popular tactic used by baseball players, some speculate that sliding will actually slow a person down due to the friction being exerted between their bodies and the ground. With some coaching, the Build Team learned how to slide like baseball players. They then timed how long it would take to run to a base and slide to a base. The results showed that the entire Team - Tory, Jamie, and Grant - reached the base faster by sliding than by running, by a fraction of a second, supporting the explanation that as they ran, Tory, Jamie, and Grant had to slow down at the last second so that their momentum wouldn't carry them past the base. With such definitive results, the Mythbusters agreed that sliding to a base is faster than running. |
[edit] Hitting the Hide off a Ball
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A baseball's stitches can tear and the hide of the baseball will fall off if the baseball is thrown fast enough and hit hard enough. |
Busted |
The Mythbusters modified their cork bat rig to fire the baseball at much higher speeds. It fired the ball at a static bat with speeds over 200 mph (320 km/h), which is twice as fast as the fastest pitch ever recorded, which broke the bat. However, the ball remained intact. The Mythbusters then fired the cannon at maximum power. The hide of the ball did come off, but the ball was fired at a metal pole at 437 mph (703 km/h), four times faster than, and with 17 times the energy, any human could pitch. |
[edit] Episode 84 — "Viewers Pick Special"
Viewers will pick myths they think need to be tested and the Mythbusters will pick the best to test.
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| If you sneeze with your eyes open, your eyes will fly out from the force. |
Busted |
It was hard for Adam and Jamie to sneeze with their eyes open, but Adam eventually did the trick by forcing his eyelids open with his fingers. His eyes were fully intact. It would be impossible for your eyes to pop out because of the number of natural attachments that keep the eye inside the socket. |
| You can stop a runaway car by shifting the gears into reverse. |
Busted |
Using both an automatic and a manual car, both cars were given the full force of the brake and stopped after 65 and 80 feet (24 m), respectively. Shifting into reverse did just about nothing, and both cars stopped after over 1,000 feet (300 m). It was noted that the automatic car had a failsafe to prevent going into reverse while going forward. They also tested if park on the automatic stopped it, and didn't. Additionally, shifting into reverse or park at high speeds can damage the transmission of the car. |
| Firing cigarette butts out of a gun can hit with lethal force. |
Confirmed |
The Mythbusters first fired cut-off cigarette ends, but none of them penetrated the ballistics gel mold, let alone into the heart. It was only after they fired at point-blank range and fired cigarette butts from used cigarettes, full of cigarette waste material, thus adding mass, that the heart was damaged. |
| By cutting a hole in a tennis ball, one can squeeze the ball and the resulting air pressure can unlock a car door. |
Busted |
The Build Team replicated an online viral video with two different tennis balls with two sized holes, but the car door didn't unlock. They blasted the lock with full air pressure, but it still didn't do anything. They finally recreated the events in video by having Tory unlocking the door remotely in the background, and were quick to point out that clever editing can make things look real. |
In the American Civil War, you can prevent an opponent's sword from piercing your chest with...
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| ...a hardcover Bible. |
Confirmed |
Since the Mythbusters could not use a real Bible, a hardcover book (the pocket reference of the Mythbusters) was used, and was able to prevent a sword being thrust at human strength and speed from piercing the pig's flesh. |
| ...a bunch of coins. |
Busted |
The coins merely deflected the blow to another part of the body. |
The Mythbusters also demonstrated the difference between a 'Hollywood' explosion, using gasoline; and an explosion using actual explosives, on a donated car.
[edit] Episode 85 - Red Flag to a Bull
[edit] Hot Bullets
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| An oven door can stop bullets. |
Busted |
The oven door failed to stop .38 caliber rounds, .357 magnum rounds, and shotgun shells. The only exception was that the .22 caliber pistol rounds were unable to pierce the steel part of the oven door. |
| Bullets can explode with lethal force if they are stored inside a hot oven. |
Busted |
The Mythbusters placed a .22 caliber, .44 caliber, and .50 caliber bullet inside an oven. All of the bullets exploded once the oven was hot enough, but none of them were able to penetrate the oven. Without a gun barrel to contain and direct the propellant gases, the bullets did not develop enough speed to pierce the glass or steel portions of the oven. The cartridge casings actually caused more damage than the bullets. |
| A gun can fire a bullet with lethal force if stored inside a hot oven. |
Confirmed |
The Mythbusters placed a loaded .38 caliber revolver inside a hot oven pointing towards the oven door. Once the temperature was high enough, the gun automatically discharged and sent the bullet out of the oven, which could possibly kill anybody who happened to be standing in front of the oven. |
| Bullets thrown into an open fire can explode with lethal force. |
Busted |
The Mythbusters dropped a box of bullets with varying calibers directly into an open fire. While many of the bullets immediately discharged, it appeared that none of the bullets could be lethal. Like the oven test, most of the damage was being dealt by the cartridge casings, which could not travel fast enough to be lethal. However, they determined that the bullets could cause many non-lethal injuries. |
| Aerosol cans placed in an open fire can explode with lethal force. |
Busted |
While the aerosol cans exploded rather violently, the worst damage they could do was cause burns. |
| A beer keg can explode with lethal force if placed in an open fire. |
Plausible |
While the beer keg exploded violently, there was no shrapnel from the explosion. However, the Mythbusters pointed out that any shrapnel thrown from such a powerful blast could kill a person. Jamie also joked that it would be a waste of beer. |
| A fire extinguisher will explode with lethal force if placed in a fire. |
Busted |
Even though fire extinguishers are capable of killing a person if the cylinder is punctured, they won't explode when put in a fire due to a built in safety feature. Newer extinguishers have a release valve which blows out if the cylinder's pressure limit is exceeded. After a while in the fire the release valve was triggered by increased pressure and the carbon dioxide was released safely. |
[edit] Red Flag to a Bull
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| The color red can infuriate a bull and make them charge. |
Busted |
To test this myth without putting themselves in danger, the Build Team constructed three fake matadors that would carry differently colored flags. First, they placed stationary flags of different colors near a bull. The bull charged the red, white, and blue flags with equal ferocity, even when all three flags were out at once. Using a remote controlled clothes line, the Build Team managed to prove that the bulls were angered by movement rather than color. They then placed the matador dummies in the ring, each one dressed in a different color. The bull charged the white dummy first, the blue dummy second, and the red dummy last. Finally, Tory went into the ring dressed in a red jumpsuit and had to stay still while two professional cowboys moved around the ring to try to draw the bull's attention. The bull chased the cowboys for a short time, but ignored Tory, which proved the theory that bulls concentrated on movement more than color. |
[edit] Bull in a China Shop
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| The idiom "bull in a china shop" is accurate. |
Busted |
The Build Team placed shelves full of china inside a bull pen and released bulls inside it. Surprisingly, the bulls went out of their way to avoid the shelves, even when there were multiple bulls inside the pen at the same time. A single shelf was knocked over by accident by the first bull released in the pen, and a few dishes were knocked to the ground when as many as four bulls were running around, but overall the bulls proved surprisingly nimble. |
[edit] Episode 86 - Superhero Hour
[edit] Grappling Hook
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| Superheroes can use grappling hooks to quickly scale walls. |
Grappling gun Busted, Handheld winch Plausible |
To begin, Adam used a plain grappling hook and rope while Jamie had a special cannon that could shoot the hook 100 feet (30 m) in the air. While it took several tries for Adam to throw the grappling hook over a 20-foot (6.1 m) wall and gain purchase, Jamie managed to accomplish this task in one shot. They then attempted to scale the wall, but found that scaling a wall with just a grappling hook and rope was too difficult and time consuming. Adam and Jamie then began working on different parts of the popular grappling hook gadgets. Adam would build the gun that would deliver the grappling hook into the wall, while Jamie would build the winch that would allow the superhero to actually scale the wall. Jamie tested his handheld winch, which managed to pull him up 27 feet (8.2 m) in just 20 seconds. However he had to cut the line since he did not make a way to get down. Adam then tested his gun, which took numerous tries to find purchase in the wall. When Adam attempted to swing from the line, it instantly failed. Even with such mixed results, the Mythbusters agreed that a handheld grappling hook device was too implausible. |
[edit] Ring Punch
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A superhero can punch a person so hard, he can leave a scar that matches the imprint on his ring. This myth was based on the comic book superhero The Phantom. |
Busted |
First, the Build Team measured the force of their punches, and compared them to the punching strength of professional fighters. Grant then constructed a punching robot that could replicate these forces. Meanwhile, Tory constructed a ballistics gel fist while Kari designed the rings out of sterling silver. For the target, the Build Team obtained a human skull and stretched pig skin over it to simulate human skin. Punching the head with Tory's level of strength caused some damage, but did not produce a ring-shaped scar. The professional fighter's level of strength produced similar results. The Build Team then used superhero level strength which crushed the skull. The Build Team concluded that a punch powerful enough to leave an imprint of their ring would most likely crush the victim's skull, and kill him. |
[edit] Phone Booth Quick Change
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A superhero can change into his or her costume while inside a phone booth. |
Confirmed |
The Build Team took turns removing their street clothes to reveal their superhero costumes while inside a phone booth. Kari was the fastest, changing in just 33 seconds while Tory was the slowest, taking over 1 and 1/2 minutes to change. |
[edit] Vehicle Grappling Hook
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A car can fire a grappling hook and use it to make sharp turns at high speeds. |
Busted |
The Build Team converted the vehicle used in the earlier Knight Rider myth into a mock Batmobile dubbed the "Mythmobile". They then built a nitrogen powered cannon portable enough to fit in the car and powerful enough to launch the steel grappling hook. They then tested how fast a car would need to go to make a manual turn impossible, which was about 30 miles per hour. While they were able to hook the grappling hook around the target, the cable always snapped when the car attempted to make the turn. They concluded that, while the other aspects of the myth are plausible, no rope or cable currently exists that is strong enough to withstand the force. |
[edit] Episode 87 - Myth Evolution
The Mythbusters revisit several past myths with a special twist. This time, they are exploring several side myths that they had missed while testing the main myths.
[edit] Swatting a Bullet
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A modern ninja can slap a bullet out of the air. (From Catching an Arrow) |
Busted |
The Build Team first set up a small scale test by firing paintballs at Tory and seeing if he could slap the paintballs away. During the test, Tory proved that human reflexes were fast enough to flap away a paintball. They then constructed a rig that would mimic a human hand making a slapping motion and used it to try and slap bullets fired from a 9 mm handgun. The Build Team quickly discovered that human speed was nowhere near fast enough to slap the bullet so they powered up the rig to slap at superhuman speed. The hand managed to slap the bullet, but it wasn't powerful enough to significantly change the bullet's trajectory (it just cut the hand). |
[edit] Thumbs over the Airbag
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| Drivers who hold the steering wheel in the 10-2 position can have their thumbs ripped off by a deploying airbag. (From Lockpick of Death |
Busted |
The Build Team obtained steering wheels with working airbags and created a pair of ballistics gel hands that would simulate a driver holding the steering wheel at the 10-2 position. When the airbag deployed, it knocked the arms off of the steering wheel, but did not cause any visible damage to the thumbs. Then, based on a report of an actual thumb injury, the Build Team tested the myth with the driver's hands positioned in a fashion similar to the Vulcan Salute with the thumbs directly over the airbag. The deploying airbag caused serious damage to the thumbs, including breaks in the simulated bones. However, because the myth was based around the commonly used 10-2 position, the myth was busted. |
[edit] Exploding RFID Tags
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| An RFID tag will explode if placed inside an MRI. (From Exploding Tattoos) |
Busted |
The Build Team inserted an RFID tag into pig flesh and placed inside the MRI but failed to get any results. Kari then had an RFID tag placed inside her arm and was placed inside the MRI. The RFID tag remained unaffected and left Kari unharmed. |
[edit] Breathing Through A Tire
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person can stay underwater for an extended period of time by breathing the air from a car tire. (From Underwater Car) |
Busted |
Once again, Adam volunteered to sit inside a sinking car. Once the car sank, Adam exited the vehicle and cut a hole in the tire and attempted to breathe the air leaking from it. However, he could not breathe in enough air from the tire and was forced to breathe from an emergency air tank. |
[edit] Beating the Speed Camera
Fans complained that the fact the speed camera in the previous speed camera test was mounted at 5 feet (1.5 m) instead of 10 feet (3.0 m) meant that it could get a better picture of the license plate. For this test, the Mythbusters remounted the camera so that if a speed camera was 10 feet (3.0 m) from the ground, it can be beaten by...
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| ...a magnified cover. |
Re-Busted |
The magnified cover partially obscured the license plate from the higher-angle camera, but not enough to deter a ticket; only one character was obfuscated. The ticket for this would have been higher then just the speeding ticket. |
| ...a reflective cover. |
Re-Busted |
The reflective cover failed to obscure the license plate. |
| ...commercial spray. |
Re-Busted |
The commercial spray failed to obscure the license plate. |
| ...pure, raw, unadulterated speed |
Confirmed |
The Mythbusters obtained a race car dubbed "The Beast", which used a jet engine that could propel it speeds of up to 300 miles per hour. In the first run, The Beast hit 245 miles per hour and managed to pass the camera so fast that it never took a picture. In the second run, the speed camera was slightly modified to account for the increased speed, but still failed to take a picture of The Beast, which traveled faster than the first run. Even though the speed camera was beaten, the Mythbusters pointed out that only specialized cars like The Beast could achieve those kinds of speeds and would therefore be very easy to find by the authorities. Also the Beast has very limited fuel, so it would not get to far. |
[edit] Snow Rescue
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A trained dog can rescue a person trapped in an avalanche. (From Snow Special) |
Confirmed |
This is only seen on the Discovery Channel's website. Adam was buried in a snow cave with 15 minutes of air and an emergency beacon. A trained dog was able to locate Adam with time to spare. |
[edit] Episode 88 - Trail Blazers
Original air date: October 31, 2007
Adam and Jamie get on the trail of some flammable Hollywood fables while Kari, Grant and Tory break out the defibrillator for some electrifying action.
[edit] Vapor Trail
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| If the trail of gas from the leaking gas tank of a moving vehicle is lit, the fire can catch up to the tank and blow up the car. |
Busted |
Through small scale tests, the MythBusters discovered that gas burns at just over 3 miles per hour, which is as fast as a brisk walk. They then burned leaking gas indoors using both a remote control car and a regular pickup, and the flame did not catch up to the gas tank. A car going at the low speed of 20 miles per hour could easily outrun the stream of fire. Finally, they let the gas catch up to the tank, and it did not explode. In order to ensure an explosion, the Mythbusters filled the tank with enough gasoline to get the fuel/air mixture into the "butter zone", where the right mix of air and gasoline vapor will cause an explosion. However, not even the fuel/air mix could make the tank explode, completely busting the myth. |
[edit] Gunpowder Keg
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| One can outrun a trail of burning gunpowder and kick the trail out before the burning powder reaches its explosive destination. |
Confirmed/
Plausible |
In large scale testing, an even trail of gunpowder was laid out on a plywood floor. Adam outran the fire and kicked out the trail with plenty of time to spare. Jamie gave it a shot, but Adam hindered his attempt and the powder reached the end. The tests showed that the igniting gunpowder did not move very fast, with Adam showing that a brisk walk is enough to overtake the flame. The team finished by blowing up a keg of gunpowder. Adam called this explosion "the best we've ever done". (US narrator Robert Lee called the myth "Confirmed," but Adam and Jamie's verdict was "Plausible.") |
In these two myths, the Build team tests whether a defibrillator can burn someone if the electricity arcs with...
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| ...an underwire bra. |
Plausible |
Though the bra did cause a burn, it was only when the wire was exposed and the paddles were placed very close to the exposed wire. This would not be likely in normal circumstances as the paddles would never be placed so close together and medical staff are trained to remove possible obstructions before using a defibrillator. |
| ...a nipple piercing. |
Plausible |
Though the nipple piercing did cause a severe burn (and caused cratering in the ballistics gel dummy), it was only when the paddles were placed very close to the piercing. This would also not be likely in normal circumstances; see above. |
[edit] Episode 89 - Exploding Water Heater
Original air date: November 7, 2007
[edit] Exploding Water Heater
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A water heater can explode like a rocket and shoot through the roof of a house. |
Confirmed |
In small scale testing, the Mythbusters started with a small six gallon water heater and disabled all of its safety features under the theory of poor installation or neglect. While the water heater eventually ruptured, it did not explode like a rocket. The Mythbusters then upgraded to larger thirty gallon water heater which exploded with significantly greater force, sending the water heater several hundred feet into the air. In order to confirm the stated myth, the Mythbusters obtained a full size fifty two gallon water heater and built a shack around it with a roof that followed standard California building codes. The water heater eventually exploded, shooting through the roof five hundred feet into the air and disintegrating the shack. In light of these results, and the fact that there is documented evidence corroborating the myth, the Mythbusters deemed it was confirmed. |
[edit] Blue Jean Myths
The Build team tested two myths that revolved around denim jeans.
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| If a person is being dragged by a horse, the friction caused by the movement will make their jeans catch fire. |
Busted |
Wearing full body padding and a denim shirt and jeans, Tory allowed himself to be pulled along the ground by a horse. While the movement and friction did increase the surface temperature of the jeans, it wasn't enough to cause the jeans to combust. The Build Team then moved the experiment into the lab, where they simulated the friction caused by being dragged by a horse with a power sander. However, when they applied the jeans to the power sander, the jeans were torn apart before they could combust. The Build Team then agreed that friction alone cannot make jeans catch fire. |
| Shrinking jeans while wearing them in a hot bath for six hours can kill you. |
Busted |
The theory behind this myth is that if a person wore a pair of jeans and sat in a hot bath intending to shrink them to fit, the shrinking jeans can cut off blood circulation to the legs which can cause a lethal clot or require the legs to be amputated. The Build Team experimented with a pair of ballistic gel legs with tubes running through it simulating blood vessels. They then covered the legs in jeans and put it in a hot bath for six hours, but found no change in blood flow. They then had Grant wear a pair of blue jeans and had him sit in a hot bath for six hours. During the experiment, Grant was continually monitored by a medical expert and by the end of the six hours, he was declared healthy and in no risk of death. The Build Team decided that the myth was busted, but reminded the audience that blood clots and cutting off blood circulation are very real dangers and should not be taken lightly. |
[edit] Episode 90 - Supersized Myths
Original air date: November 14, 2007
[edit] Supersize Shark
The Mythbusters tested the following myths involving Great White Sharks.
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| Sharks can hunt by feeling low frequency sound waves transmitted through water. |
Busted |
The Mythbusters traveled to the waters of South Africa where great white sharks are abundant and placed underwater speakers in the water. After transmitting sounds at various frequencies ranging from 40-100 Hz and even resorting to high frequency sound, the Mythbusters failed to attract any sharks. |
| The presence of dolphins can deter sharks from attacking their prey. |
Plausible |
This myth was born from the stories of dolphins protecting shipwrecked sailors from sharks. The Mythbusters built an animatronic replica of a dolphin and took it to the shark infested waters of South Africa. They tested the waters by throwing in a seal-shaped lure only to have it attacked by a great white shark just barely five seconds after it hit the water. They then placed the fake dolphin in the water with the lure. The sharks approached the lure, but when they saw the dolphin, opted not to attack. The Mythbusters replaced the lure with actual bait, but the results were the same, and the sharks appeared reluctant to attack. However, once they removed the dolphin, the sharks immediately began attacking the lures and bait again. With these results and with plenty of anecdotal evidence, the Mythbusters decided that the myth was plausible. |
[edit] Supersize Jet Taxi
This is a retest of the old Jet Taxi myth, because the Mythbusters were unable to obtain a full size plane. This time, the Build Team tests if the engines of a full size Boeing 747 can flip the following:
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| ...taxi. |
Confirmed |
The Build Team obtained a taxi and towed it across the rear of the 747 as it was powering up for takeoff. The moment the taxi crossed the engine exhaust, it was lifted into the air and flipped several times, completely demolishing the vehicle. |
| ...school bus. |
Confirmed |
Like the taxi, the build team towed the school bus across the path of the 747 engine exhaust. Also like the taxi, the school bus was lifted off from the ground, rolled several times, and was completely demolished. |
| ...small airplane. |
Confirmed |
Like the taxi and school bus before it, the airplane was thrown into the air and suffered significant damage when it crossed the path of the 747 engine exhaust. |
[edit] Supersize Rocket Car
This is a spinoff from a previous myth, the JATO Rocket Car. This time, the Mythbusters are testing for the results, not the circumstances.
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A Chevy Impala with rockets can move fast enough to achieve flight. |
Appropriately Supersized |
The Mythbusters started with small scale tests, and determined that their old JATO configuration was not suitable for the myth, because the top mounted rockets caused the car to veer off course. Instead, they opted to mount the rocket tubes inside the trunk of the car to achieve a more stable trajectory. They then obtained a Chevy Impala (named "Holly" by its previous owner) and made the necessary modifications to accommodate the rockets. To ensure that the car would get into the air, the Mythbusters set up a ramp built from two shipping containers. However, when they started the actual test, the car and the rockets exploded, completely destroying the car before it could even leave the ramp. Because none of the central questions of the myth were answered despite the care and expertise that had gone into the test, the Mythbusters had trouble deciding what to call the myth. In the end, they agreed that the myth was "Appropriately Supersized". |
[edit] Supersize Cruise Ship Waterskiing
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person can waterski behind a full size cruise ship. |
Confirmed |
The Build Team first started by having Tory practice waterskiing. However, instead of waterskis, Tory instead opted to use a wakeboard. After some practice wakeboarding and swapping tow lines between two different boats, the Build Team then tested the myth on a full size cruise ship, the Regal Empress. While his first try failed, Tory managed to successfully transfer to the tow line attached to the cruise ship and managed to waterski behind it, proving that the myth is possible. |
[edit] Episode 91 - Shooting Fish in a Barrel
Original air date: November 21, 2007
[edit] Shooting Fish in a Barrel
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person can easily shoot a fish in a barrel. |
Confirmed |
Because they couldn't realistically use a live fish to test for the myth, the Mythbusters obtained a dead fish and inserted a motor inside of it to simulate swimming. They then placed the fish in a wooden barrel filled with water and fired at the fish with a 9 mm pistol. However, their first shot missed, so Adam painted the interior of the barrel white and added transparent windows to improve visibility. With these improvements, both Adam and Jamie were easily able to hit the fish. They then decided to use a multitude of smaller fish and upgraded their weapon to a shotgun. The buckshot managed to hit some of the fish, but only three out of the total of thirty fish.
To put the myth to bed, the Mythbusters decamped to a firing range owned by weapons manufacturer Dillon Aero[1]. On location, the Mythbusters placed a dead 3-foot (0.91 m) sea bass in a water filled barrel. They then used a Dillon Aero M134 minigun--and several thousand rounds of ammunition--to destroy the barrel and fish. The Dillon Aero site was referred to on-screen as a 'secret location', due to the fact that the rounds are illegal in California, where MythBusters is based.
Because of the vagueness of the conditions of the myth, the Mythbusters declared that shooting fish in a barrel is easy.
|
| The pressure shockwave of a bullet hitting the water is enough to kill a fish. |
Confirmed |
The Mythbusters calculated that the lethal amount of force required to kill a fish is 8.15 pounds per square inch. However, the instrument that measured PSI was not fast enough to register the impact of the bullet, so the Mythbusters instead opted to use stickers that measured G force. After firing a single 9 mm bullet, the Mythbusters saw that the shockwave of the bullet was enough to trip all three stickers (50G, 75G and 100G). This means that the shooter does not necessarily have to hit the fish in order to kill it. |
[edit] Hot Chili Cures
The Build Team wolfs down various spicy peppers to test whether a hot chili mouth can be cured by...
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| ...milk. |
Confirmed |
The milk was used as a control, because it is already proven to reduce discomfort due to the fats it contains. Grant and Tory used the milk as a measuring stick for the rest of the supposed cures. |
| ...water. |
Busted |
The water did not perform as well as the milk, because the discomfort immediately returned once the water left the mouth. |
| ...beer. |
Busted |
The beer helped slightly, but was still not very effective. |
| ...tequila. |
Busted |
The tequila initially intensified the discomfort, but when the alcohol kicked in, the numbness induced by it slightly lessened the pain. However, it still was not very effective. |
| ...toothpaste. |
Busted |
The toothpaste had no effect at all. |
| ...petroleum jelly. |
Busted |
The petroleum jelly failed to work, which made the Mythbusters rather disgusted. |
| ...wasabi. |
Busted |
Grant reacted violently to the wasabi, stating that it only made his discomfort worse, but Tory stated that he actually felt some relief. However, it still wasn't effective as milk. (Side note: the discrepancy may be partly because Grant was eating crushed jalapeños, while Tory was eating far spicier habaneros.) |
[edit] Elephants Scared of Mice
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| Elephants are scared of mice. |
Plausible |
The Mythbusters travel to a wildlife preserve in Africa to find wild elephants to test the myth on. The Mythbusters then hid a mouse under a ball of elephant dung, planning to flip the dung over and reveal the mouse when the elephants approach it. When they flipped the dung and revealed the mouse, the approaching elephant was startled and quickly moved away from the mouse. The Mythbusters then flipped dung without the mouse under it, but the elephants did not react at all. They then retried their first experiment to confirm their results, and the elephant noticed the mouse and actively avoided it. Even though the elephants didn't panic at the sight of the mouse, the fact that they acted cautiously around them was enough to have the myth be considered plausible. |
[edit] Episode 92 - Pirates 2
Original air date: November 28, 2007
In this episode, the Mythbusters test several myths based on scenes from the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and other pirate movies.
[edit] Rowboat Submarine
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| Two pirates can use a rowboat as a makeshift submarine by walking along the ocean bottom and using the rowboat to hold a pocket of breathable air. |
Busted |
On their first test, the Mythbusters tried walking into a pool with a rowboat over their heads, but their bodies were too buoyant and were unable to pull the rowboat to the bottom of the pool. To solve their buoyancy problem, the Mythbuster loaded themselves down with over sixty pounds of pirate gear and attempted the myth again, but met similar results. They then weighed the boat down with five hundred pounds of weights, but not even that was enough to keep the rowboat under the surface. The Mythbusters then calculated that it would take more than two thousand pounds of force to keep the rowboat and the air pocket underwater, making the myth impractical if not impossible. To explain the scene in the movie, the Mythbusters demonstrated that it was achieved through special effects and clever editing. |
[edit] Buried in Sand
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person buried up to their neck in wet sand (dubbed a "sand necktie") cannot escape their inevitable demise. |
Confirmed |
Tory was the lucky Build Team member to get buried in sand to test the myth. He was buried in dry sand up to his neck to see if the weight of sand would cause him to pass out, and if not, whether he could escape on his own. Within five minutes, Tory was able to free one of his arms. From there, it took him eighty six minutes to dig himself out of the sand. However, the Build Team decided to use more accurate conditions, and buried Grant in wet sand, continually adding water to simulate the rising tide. While Grant tried to escape, the water kept pushing the sand back into the cavities he was digging out, immoblizing him. Grant was eventually forced to rely on outside help to escape, confirming the myth that the sand necktie is a lethal and dastardly way to get rid of a person. |
[edit] Cannonball Chaos
The Mythbusters test several cannonball myths involving improvised cannon ammunition and whether they are lethal or not. Using a period cannon (dubbed "Old Moses"), the Mythbusters fired various improvised materials that would be found on a period pirate ship at dead pigs to test their lethality. Some of these improvised cannonballs include...
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| ...grapeshot. |
Confirmed |
The grapeshot is actual period ammunition that pirates used and was used as a control test. The grapeshot destroyed the target. |
| ...bottles of rum. |
Busted |
The glass shattered and the rum vaporized during the firing, leaving only small bits of glass to hit the target. Aside from minor superficial damage and the smell of rum, glass rum bottles are harmless. |
| ...cutlery. |
Busted |
The cutlery did not cause any noticeable damage. All of the projectiles were spread too far out and lacked the force to cause any lethal damage. |
| ...steak knives. |
Plausible |
Because they were placed in a container, the steak knives were all pointing forward and had their direction set. This allowed them to hit the target, causing serious cuts and lacerations. |
| ...a peg leg. |
Busted |
When fired, the peg leg was completely destroyed, leaving no visible trace except for wood chips. |
| ...nails. |
Plausible |
The sharp, heavy nails caused almost as much damage as the grapeshot, tearing through the target with relative ease. Adam likened the effect to that of a needlegun.
The nail load was an accurate representation of improvised period canister shot. This was not noted on-air.
|
| ...chains. |
Confirmed |
The large, heavy chains were practically a cannonball in themselves, almost ripping the target in half.
Similar heavy chain was used as period ammunition against ship's rigging. See chain shot. This was not noted on-air.
|
[edit] MacGyver Mini Myth
During the commercial break, the Mythbusters tested this myth as a promo for their upcoming MacGyver special.
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person can break a light bulb using drain cleaner shot out of a spray bottle. |
Confirmed |
The drain cleaner caused a thermal shock in the hot glass of the light bulb, causing it to shatter. This concept was also demonstrated during the Lethal Lava Lamp myth, when Grant successfully caused a lava lamp to explode by spraying it with water. |
[edit] Episode 93 - Confederate Steam Gun
Original air date: December 5, 2007
[edit] Steam Powered Machine Gun
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| The Confederates successfully created a working steam powered machine gun that could fire bullets using centrifugal force. |
Busted |
The Mythbusters first tried to confirm whether a steam powered machine gun in fact existed. A Civil War weapons expert confirmed that the weapon actually existed and has the blueprints to prove it. However, the gun's lethality and effectiveness were unconfirmed. They then constructed a steam gun based on the blueprints they received, with a pair of water heaters providing the steam to spin the barrel. On their test run, they fired a single round which struck the gun's steel safety shield, creating a deep dent which could potentially cause lethal damage to a person. Satisfied with the test run, the Mythbusters took the gun for full scale testing. They tested the gun based on three major factors: a range of 500 yards (460 m), a rate of fire of 400 round per minute, and the fact that the weapon had to be lethal. The gun performed well on the first two criteria, firing five rounds per second at a range of 700 yards (640 m). However, the weapon lacked any lethal force at ranges beyond point blank, and was not very reliable in terms of delivering the bullets to the targets in an effective manner. The Mythbusters concluded that as a concept and a machine, the steam gun performed perfectly, but as a weapon, was too unreliable and impractical. |
[edit] Beating the Lie Detector
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| Through mental or physical means, a person can fool a lie detector test from a polygraph machine. |
Plausible |
In order to make the test results genuine, Tory and Grant were instructed to steal money from a safe while the innocent Kari was used as a control. Also, they were promised a reward (first class seats on the next Mythbusters trip) for beating the test and a punishment (cleaning and waxing the entire crew's cars) for failing. During the test, Tory attempted to use pain to hide his lying while Grant tried to focus his mind. However, neither of them could beat the polygraph. While they both failed the test, the Build Team decided not to rule out the possibility that there are people out there capable of fooling a polygraph. |
| A person can fool a lie detector test from an fMRI, which measures brain activity. |
Plausible |
Like the first test, all three Build Team members had to steal something to fulfill the conditions of the myth. Each member had the choice of stealing either a ring or a watch and then underwent a lie detector test while being scanned by the fMRI. Like before, there was a reward ($1000) and a punishment (a trip back to San Francisco via bus; a 3,077-mile (4,952 km) trip) if they passed or failed the test. Both Tory and Kari tried to think happy and fearful thoughts while Grant tried to keep his brain active for the entire test. In the end, Tory and Kari both failed the test while Grant managed to fool the fMRI, making the myth possible. Resident Frank Kozel under the direction of MUSC provided the equipment for this test. |
[edit] MacGyver Mini Myth
During the commercial break, the Mythbusters tested this myth as a promo for their upcoming MacGyver special.
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person can "repair" a fuse box by wrapping a burnt out fuse with a metal foil gum wrapper. |
Confirmed |
The metal in the shiny part of the gum wrapper acts as a replacement conduit for the burned out fuse, allowing the circuit to be reestablished when replaced. |
[edit] Episode 94 - Air Plane Hour
Original air date: December 12, 2007
[edit] Talked Into Landing
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| An untrained civilian can be instructed how to successfully land a plane over the radio. This is based on the movie Airplane |
Plausible |
Based on multiple airplane movies, this myth posed a challenge to the Mythbusters because they could not afford to test it using real aircraft. Instead, they used a NASA simulator. For their first test, both Adam and Jamie decided to see if they could land a plane unaided. However, since both Mythbusters had no flight experience and had no idea what most of the instruments and controls did, they both were forced to crash land their planes. In their second runs, Adam and Jamie had Terry, a licensed pilot, give them instructions via radio. With Terry's help, both Adam and Jamie were able to land their planes safely. However, even though the test was a success, Terry pointed out that most modern planes are so advanced that their autopilot systems can land the plane by themselves, negating the need for a civilian pilot. This information, coupled with the lack of any recorded incidents, led the Mythbusters to declare the myth plausible. |
[edit] Point Break Trilogy
The Mythbusters test three skydiving myths based on a scene in the film Point Break.
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person can free fall for over ninety seconds from a height of 4,000 feet (1,200 m). |
Busted |
The Build Team dropped a simulaid from a plane at a height of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) and measured the amount of time it took for it to hit the ground. They timed the total free fall time at just 31 seconds, which would make the ninety second free fall scene in the movie impossible. |
| Two people can have a conversation with each other while in free fall. |
Busted |
To test this myth, Grant skydived out of a plane. A skydiving instructor was to approach Grant while he was freefalling and then attempt to say a certain phrase to Grant. During the freefall, the instructor yelled the phrase multiple times, but Grant could not hear him because the sound of the air rushing past drowned out his voice. The Build Team concluded that it was impossible to have a conversation in freefall. |
| By streamlining their body, a person can catch up to another person freefalling at terminal velocity in the skydiving position with a fifteen second head-start from 15,000 feet (4,600 m). |
Confirmed |
The Build Team first performed several small scale tests using wind tunnels, and demonstrated that objects with a greater surface area do in fact have a slower terminal velocity than objects with equal mass but smaller surface area. For the full scale test, Tory jumped out of a plane and assumed the skydiving position. Nick, a professional skydiver, gave Tory a fifteen second head-start and jumped out of the plane after him and assumed a streamlined posture. Twenty seconds after leaving the plane, Nick closed the distance between himself and Tory and passed Tory just as he was deploying his parachute. With such definitive results, the Build Team declared the myth confirmed. |
[edit] MacGyver Mini Myth
During the commercial break, the Mythbusters tested this myth as a promo for their upcoming MacGyver special.
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person can stop a sulfuric acid leak with chocolate and hot water. |
Confirmed |
Grant and Kari demonstrated that the myth was possible, showing that the sugars in the chocolate reacted with the acid to form a plastic mass that plugged up the leak. |
[edit] Episode 95 - James Bond Special 1
Original air date: January 16, 2008
The Mythbusters test various myths inspired by scenes in several James Bond movies.
[edit] Electromagnetic Watch
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| An electromagnet hidden in a wristwatch can deflect bullets. Based on Bond's wristwatch in Live and Let Die. |
Busted |
Jamie built an electromagnet that could fit inside a wristwatch and mounted it near a target. They then fired bullets at the target, making sure that the bullets passed close by the electromagnet. However, the wristwatch sized electromagnet was not powerful enough to change the bullet's trajectory. The Mythbusters then upgraded to a larger and more powerful electromagnet, but it still couldn't deflect the bullet. Finally, the Mythbusters resorted to using a series of thirteen super powerful permanent rare earth magnets, which only deflected the bullet enough to bounce off the magnets before hitting the target. The Mythbusters explained that a magnet's energy decreased "exponentially" the farther away you are from the magnet. (Actually the force follows an inverse square law.) Plus, in order to be powerful enough to stop a bullet, an electromagnet would need an enormous amount of energy that couldn't possibly be contained within a wristwatch, which would make most of the magnet scenes in Bond films impossible. |
[edit] Propane Tank Peril
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person can shoot a propane tank with a 9mm pistol and make it explode. Based on a scene in Casino Royale. |
Busted |
First, the Build Team decided to test whether it was possible to breach a propane tank with Bond's 9mm handgun. They found that 9mm rounds were not powerful enough to breach the tank, but shotgun shells and .30 caliber rifle rounds were more than enough to pierce the tank. They then fired armor piercing rifle rounds at a tank filled with propane, but could not get the tank to explode. Not even tracer rounds were successful. Finally, the Build Team resorted to extreme measures in the form of high explosives and an 7.62mm Dillon Aero M134 minigun firing a mix of tracer and incendiary rounds at the same undisclosed location as "Shooting Fish in a Barrel". Both high explosives and the M134 were able to cause the propane tank to explode. The Build Team concluded the myth was busted as small arms were unable to explode a propane tank as depicted in Casino Royale. |
[edit] Speed Boat Survival
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A speedboat jumping off a ramp and flying through the air can survive the landing and continue driving. Based on a scene in Live and Let Die. |
Plausible |
The Mythbusters obtained a boat which was identical to the model Bond used in the movie. They then converted it so that it could be remote controlled and built a makeshift ramp in Yosemite Lake. They even put a barge with a car under the ramp to simulate the exact scene from the movie. Adam drove the boat at the ramp at a speed of 45 miles per hour, but lost control of the boat at the last second. As a result, the boat managed to clear the car, but flipped in the process. However, seeing that there was no visible damage to the boat, the Mythbusters decided that the myth was plausible. |
[edit] Episode 96 - Lead Balloon
Original air date: January 23, 2008
[edit] Lead Balloon
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A lead balloon cannot fly (As per the idiom, "going down like a lead balloon"). |
Busted |
Using lead foil, Adam and Jamie constructed a cube-shaped balloon with 10 foot (3.048 meters) edges out of lead. Even without pure helium inside it (a mixture containing air was used to limit buoyancy), the balloon was buoyant enough to support a basket. |
[edit] Explosive Surfing
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| You can surf on a wave generated by a few pounds of explosives as shown in an internet viral video. |
Busted |
The Build Team visited a quarry lake and detonated TNT at several depths. They found that the best waves are formed from an explosion at a depth of 12 feet. They then used two hundred pounds of TNT and a mechanical surfer (built by Grant) to see if it's possible to generate a wave large enough to surf. Even with two hundred pounds of high explosives, the wave wasn't large enough for surfing. In addition, the consultant (Dr. Van Romero) stated that an explosion of that magnitude would likely cause death by internal bleeding within 24 hours if you were submerged in the water at the time. |
[edit] Episode 97 - Airplane on a Conveyor Belt
Original air date: January 30, 2008
[edit] Airplane on a Conveyor Belt
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A plane cannot take off while sitting on a conveyor belt moving in the opposite direction. |
Busted |
The Mythbusters first performed a small scale test with a model airplane and a small conveyor belt and were able to get the model plane to take off from the belt. They then upgraded to full scale using an actual manned plane and a runway-sized tarp as a makeshift conveyor belt. Like the small scale test, the plane was able to take off from the conveyor belt. The Mythbusters explained that this was possible because unlike cars, the plane's main source of propulsion is through its propeller, not its wheels; a car's engine mechanically moves its wheels, which use their contact with the road and the traction it provides to generate forward movement, while the plane's wheels are free-moving, and independent of the propeller, which uses air displacement for forward thrust. Therefore, the conveyor belt has no bearing on the forward momentum of the plane. |
[edit] Shaving Cream in a Car
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| Freezing a can of shaving cream, cutting it out of the can, and then leaving it to thaw inside a car will cause the shaving cream to expand and fill the car interior. |
Busted |
The Build Team obtained some shaving cream, froze it, and then placed the contents into a car, but the results were disappointing as the shaving cream did not expand very much. They then put over fifty cans of frozen shaving cream inside, but that strategy failed to produce any results as well. Finally, the Build Team decided to fill the car with industrial strength foam, which would expand much more than shaving cream. The industrial strength foam expanded significantly and was able to fill the entire car. However, the myth was busted since the subject of the myth was shaving cream, which does not expand very much. |
[edit] Cockroaches and Radiation
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| Cockroaches can survive the radiation of a nuclear holocaust and then inherit the Earth. |
Busted |
To thoroughly test the myth, the Build Team obtained three different kinds of bugs: cockroaches, flour beetles, and fruit flies, and exposed them to varying amounts of Cobalt-60 radiation. They then observed the bugs for the next thirty days to see how many would survive after exposure. Surprisingly, the flies and beetles performed much better than the cockroaches, with the beetles being the only bug able to survive the most lethal dose of radiation the Build Team used.
- This experiment was the second myth that caused harm to insects. The first was the vodka and bees myth.
|
[edit] Episode 98 - James Bond Special 2
Original air date: February 6, 2008
[edit] Exploding Pen
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A Ballpoint pen bomb can be used to completely destroy the top of a mannequin. Based on the gadget from GoldenEye. |
Busted |
Using the most powerful explosives they could and a normal sized pen, the Mythbusters demonstrated that a pen bomb could be fatal. However they needed an unrealistically large pen to completely destroy the top half of the foam dummy they used. |
[edit] Killer Hat
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A metal brimmed Bowler hat can be thrown hard enough to knock the head off of a stone statue. Based on a scene in Goldfinger. |
Busted |
The Build team made two duplicates of the hat worn by Oddjob, built a hat throwing robot, and acquired a few statues as test targets. The difference between the two hats was that one had a dull steel edge while the other had a sharp steel edge. The bonded marble statue they first tested was decapitated by the robot, but as it wasn't actually solid stone it wasn't considered a valid test. They next tested a concrete statue on the premise that it would be a good match for the hardness of natural stone, even though it was weaker than solid marble. It was chipped several times but not badly damaged, meaning that there is no way for a thrown hat to decapitate a solid stone statue. The Build Team did however prove that it was possible to decapitate a plaster statue with a bowler hat, since plaster is significantly more fragile than stone. |
[edit] Jaws Of Steel
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person can use a set of metal teeth to bite through a cable car's cable. Based on a scene in Moonraker. |
Busted |
Adam and Jamie created two versions of the teeth shown in the movies. One was a set of steel teeth set in a normal bone jaw, and the other set was a jaw and teeth made out of hardened steel. However, neither jaw was able to cut through the one inch cable they used with normal human bite strength. Not even 10 tons worth of force was able to force the teeth through the cable, with the hydraulic press applying the pressure actually bending itself out of shape. In order to replicate the results seen in the film, Jamie had to use a hydraulic cutter to sever the cable. |
[edit] Episode 99 - Viewer Special 2
Original air date: February 13, 2008
[edit] Ancient Arrows
| Question |
Notes |
| A professor of paleontology wanted to know why there are so many arrowheads found, when cavemen could have easily used sharpened sticks. |
There was no myth to test here, the task was to find if arrowheads were overall more effective than sharpened sticks. Adam and Jamie created sharpened sticks and arrowheads from scratch, noting that it took much longer to make the arrowheads. When fired into ballistics gel, the arrowheads went in farther than the sticks. After putting some fur over the gel, the results were the same, and it was noted that the arrowheads made bigger wounds in the target, which would mean faster bleeding to death for the animal. Adam pointed out that arrowheads would have been akin to caveman technology, and would be widely used. He also pointed out that sharpened wooden sticks would have rotted away after so long and therefore would have not been found. |
[edit] Tree Machine Gun
| Myth Statement |
Status |
Notes |
| It is possible to chop down a tree with a machine gun. |
Confirmed |
The build team obtained large pine tree trunks and set them up in the Mojave Desert. Using a Thompson submachine gun and a M249 SAW, the trees were shot at, but they managed to remain standing. The .45 bullets were too slow and inaccurate being shot out of the Thompson, and the small caliber of the 5.56mm NATO rounds meant that it didn't cause enough damage to fell the tree. However, when Kari used a Dillon Aero M134D minigun that fired 7.62mm NATO at 50 rounds per second, the pine trunk combusted and fell down within a minute. Even firing at a mesquite tree (which is four times as dense as pine), it took just over a minute to fell it. |
[edit] Eye Black
| Myth Statement |
Status |
Notes |
| The reason baseball players wear black markings under their eyes is to help reduce glare from the sun. |
Plausible |
Adam and Jamie put black eye paint under their eyes and took an eye exam, then repeated with lighter, peach colored eye paint. Their scores were the same each time. Adam then set up a light meter in a dummy's eye and recorded the lux reading in the eye with and without the paint, but the results weren't very different. Adam then put a baseball cap on the dummy and repeated it again, and noticed that with the black eye paint on, the lux reading significantly dropped. |
[edit] Jeans: Sliding Down a Ski Lift
| Myth Statement |
Status |
Notes |
| It is possible to escape a ski lift by sliding down the cable using one's pants as a zip line. |
Busted |
The build team went to a circus training center and tried to slide down a wire similar to the ones used in ski lifts while hanging onto pants. Tory barely moved, and the pants were more likely to rip apart. After lubricating the wire, though, it became a little easier. Once the build team tried it on a real ski lift, however, the friction was too great, the pants kept bunching up, and Tory wasn't able to move easily. Buster had no momentum at all, and the pants eventually ripped. |
[edit] Leaking Powder Keg
| Myth Statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A flame can follow a trail of powder from a leaking barrel and travel up into the barrel, much like a cartoon. |
Plausible |
Adam and Jamie set up a trail of black powder which burned down the line as predicted. They set up another trail from a funnel and kept the leaking funnel at the end, and the ignited trail carried up into the funnel. Later, a robot carrying a leaking barrel was set up and started to move. But when the ignited trail reached the robot, it didn't follow up the falling powder and into the barrel. It was only when they increased the size of the hole and had the barrel shaking that the ignition followed into the barrel. |
On the Mythbusters fansite, the build team tested another short myth.
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| One can unlock a car door by having its remote unlocker frequency transmitted though a cell phone call. |
Busted |
When the unlocker was activated near the cell phone, the car door did not open on the other end. In addition, Grant explained that car unlockers and cell phones operate on completely different frequencies. |
[edit] Episode 100 - MacGyver Special
Original air date: February 20, 2008
[edit] Sodium Jailbreak
| Myth Statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person can blow a man-sized hole in a wall with one gram of sodium reacting with water. |
Busted |
The MythBusters placed sodium in a gel capsule, placed it in a bottle full of warm water, placed the bottle against a cinder block wall, and packed it in with sand. However, one gram of sodium was not powerful enough to damage the wall (or even the bottle it was in), and 100 grams of sodium was also not enough. The MythBusters then used 500 grams of more-reactive potassium placed inside a cannon-like contraption to direct all the force onto the wall, but still failed to cause any damage. The MythBusters finally resorted to using C4 high explosive to demolish the wall. |
[edit] Bamboo Ultralight
| Myth Statement |
Status |
Notes |
| A person can make a working two seater ultralight plane out of makeshift materials. |
Busted |
Taking footage from the show, the Build Team built an ultralight plane out of bamboo, duct tape, trash bags, and a cement mixer engine. The show depicted the plane MacGyver built as not being powerful enough to achieve flight on its own, but was able to attain enough lift to sustain powered flight after taxiing off a cliff. With their plane complete, the Build Team added remote controls and took the plane to a quarry that had flat, level ground and a 150 foot cliff. While they demonstrated that the plane's engine had enough power to move the plane, it wasn't enough to achieve flight and the plane plummeted straight to the ground. |
| An ultralight plane can make a safe landing while gliding. (This test is only shown on the website.) |
Confirmed |
Kari demonstrated that even without engine power, an ultralight can stay in the air long enough for the pilot to safely land. |
| An ultralight plane can keep sustained flight with a 9 horsepower engine. (This test is only shown on the website.) |
Busted |
Grant demonstrated that 9 horsepower is not enough power to keep a plane in the air, as the test showed that the plane was dropping 200 feet per minute. |
[edit] MacGyver Challenge
Adam and Jamie were put under a battery of tests to prove that they could match MacGyver's ingenuity. They weren't necessarily testing these myths to bust or confirm them, but whether they had the smarts and the ability to make them work without any preparation. In each test, Adam and Jamie only had a one hour time limit and could only use the materials that they were provided by Tory and Grant.
| Task |
Status |
Notes |
| Picking a lock using light bulb filaments. |
Pass |
While the show had MacGyver picking the lock in just 52 seconds, it took the MythBusters a little over 50 minutes to pick the lock. |
| Developing film with ordinary household chemicals like ammonia and orange juice. |
Fail |
Both Adam and Jamie were placed in a room that had multiple household chemicals that included the necessary ones to develop photos. While Adam did have some experience in developing photos and could remember the necessary ingredients, he could not remember the exact process and the MythBusters were unable to develop the photos within the given time limit. (The proper technique to develop film this way is to soak the film in orange juice for 10 min. and then wash it with ammonia as a fixer, all without exposing the film to light.) |
| Creating a makeshift magnetic compass. |
Pass |
Adam and Jamie built a makeshift electromagnet by wrapping wire around a metal screw and connecting it to some batteries. They then used the electromagnet to magnetize a paper clip, put the paper clip in a cork, and floated the cork in a cup of water to create a compass. While it wasn't perfect, it was good enough to direct the MythBusters to their next objective. |
| Creating a makeshift device that can go 100 feet into the air and attract the attention of a passing helicopter. |
Pass |
Using materials found at an improvised "rebel camp," the MythBusters were left to try and create some kind of signal that would be visible 100ft in the air. Tory and Grant originally intended for Adam and Jamie to build a potato cannon and left the requisite materials, but the MythBusters had different ideas. They used a tarp, PVC pipe, and a rope to create a large kite and were able to get it to fly at a height of 100 feet just as the helicopter passed by. |
[edit] Episode 101 - Alaska Special
Original air date: April 23, 2008
The MythBusters went to Alaska as part of the Discovery Channel's Alaska Week.[2]
[edit] Dynamite Dog
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| If a dog retrieves a stick of dynamite thrown onto a frozen lake and gets underneath an SUV, the dynamite will blow a hole in the ice that will cause the SUV to sink.[3] |
Busted |
To test this myth, Adam and Jamie went to Fischer Pond in Alaska. The dog consistently retrieved and brought back the object thrown onto the frozen lake, at about the same speed each time. However, under the SUV, the dynamite did next to nothing. It took 24 pounds of dynamite (packed into high-density directional cones) to blow a hole large enough to sink the SUV. |
[edit] Cabin Fever
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| Cabin fever is real. |
Plausible |
To test this myth, Adam and Jamie were locked inside separate cabins in Alaska, with no entertainment at all. Both regularly took cognitive tests (to measure mental capacity) and saliva tests (to measure stress.) However, the results of the cognitive tests were too consistent, and the saliva tests were rendered worthless by the fact that Adam and Jamie frequently ate and drank beforehand. However, Adam exhibited all four common symptoms of cabin fever (irritability, forgetfulness, angry eyes, and excessive sleeping) and Jamie exhibited one (excessive sleeping). |
[edit] Running Into a Moose
| Myth statement |
Status |
Notes |
| It is better to run over a moose at high speed than with the brakes. |
Busted |
To test this belief, the Build Team first created a rubber model of a moose with similar weight and consistency after personal study of actual animals. They then ran similar passenger cars into the moose at different speeds and found that while greater speeds did make the moose hit higher, it still did not clear the car and still caused extreme amounts of damage. They repeated the test with a low sports car at the highest test track speed to give the moose the best chance of clearing the roof, but again it was not enough and the moose damaged the car enough that any driver would have been seriously injured. The Build Team surmised that for the moose to actually clear a car would require a vehicle as low as a F1 racing car traveling at 97 miles per hour. |
[edit] Episode 102 - Young Scientist Special
Original air date: April 30, 2008
[edit] Episode 1xx - NASA on the Moon
Air date has not been announced.
Title has not been announced.
- Announced by "This Week at NASA" on NASA TV on February 8, 2008.[4] "The Marshall Space Flight Center hosted the Mythbusters television show. The Mythbusters chose Marshall as one of several NASA locations for an episode to debunk the notion that NASA never landed on the moon. The cast conducted tests involving a feather, a weight, a lunar soil boot print, and a flag in a vacuum. A team of Marshall scientists helped with the tests."
[edit] Episode 1xx - Shark Week 2008
[edit] References
- ^ Dillon Aero News
- ^ Discovery Channel TV listings. Retrieved on March 17, 2008, [1]
- ^ snopes.com: Dynamite Dog
- ^ This Week at NASA audio. May be moved on March 10, 2008. [2]
- ^ "A day with the 'MythBusters' Retrieved February 29, 2008.
[edit] External links
