Stinky Car, Raccoon Rocket

This episode is not part of any Collection. It is the seventh episode of Season 2.

Myths tested:
Is it possible to de-stink a car after being sealed up with a dead pig, and then sell it?
If gasoline is poured down a drain pipe and lit while a person is inside of it, will that person be launched as if from a cannon?

The Science behind Stinky Car
The main idea here is the power of biological smells. The key questions:
• What chemicals are released as pigs decompose?
• Is there ANYTHING that can remove those chemicals from the inside of the car?

Students can learn more about organic chemistry and about how humans are evolutionarily sensitized to detect rotten flesh (thiols). It can be helpful to talk about cleaning products and what they can and can’t do, and how different odors can be remedied (stinky shoes, underarms, bacon grease, spoiled eggs…). (My students love this myth, but I’m not sure it’s all that science-y) This myth is sort of related to the skunk myths (FIND EPISODE NAME).

The Science behind Raccoon Rocket
Controlled explosions and gasoline combustion are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• How do cannons work? What are the necessary parts?
• What is a sabot?
• How are gasoline and gunpowder different?

Students can explore the construction of cannons and the importance of a seal around the projectile. Also interesting: again the fire triangle for gasoline combustion, and the differences between gasoline and gunpowder. Possible research: what is a hillbilly?

Buried Alive, Cola Myths, and Hammer Drop

This episode is part of Collection 1, disc 2, episode 1. It is ALSO the fifth episode of Season 2.

NOTE: This episode contains two scary myths (if you have sensitive students, like I do). One is about falling into water and another is about being buried alive. DON’T TRY THESE AT HOME. And one of the cola myths is about sperm.

Myths tested:
Is it possible to survive for days inside a coffin?
Does Cola have special properties?
Will throwing a hammer off a bridge to break the surface tension of the water save a person who jumped off the bridge?

The Science behind Buried Alive
The main ideas here are human respiration and the weight of dirt. The key questions:
• How much does dirt weight? How strong does the coffin need to be?
• How much air does a man need?

Students can explore the materials that coffins are made of (wood, aluminum…), respiration rates at rest/under stress, the volume of a coffin (and the displacement of the man inside the coffin….how much air is there room for?). Related would be a study of burial rituals (I think Japanese are traditionally buried sitting down not lying down).

The Science behind Cola Chemistry
The chemistry and potential uses of cola (and realizing that the familiar may be more than meets the eye) are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• What is cola made of?
• What are acids able to do?
• What conditions are best/worst for sperm?

Students can explore the chemistry of colas. This episode is connected to others about the chemistry of familiar fluids: Pirate Special, Vodka… (MORE HERE). It is also connected to the famous Diet Coke & Mentos episode.

The Science behind Hammer Drop
Gravity of falling, surface tension and viscosity are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• What is surface tension and how does breaking it change the energy of impact with water?
• How viscous is water?

Students can explore the properties of water, and examine the impact of different object profiles as they hit the surface (diving, for example).