Barrel of Bricks, Third Rail, Eelskin Wallet Demagnetize

This episode is part of Collection 1, disc 1, episode 3. It is ALSO the fourth episode of Season 2.


Myths tested:
The story of a man being hit multiple times by the same barrel of bricks.
Can a person be electrocuted by urinating on the third rail?
Can an eel skin wallet erase a credit card?

The Science behind Barrel of Bricks
The main ideas here gravity and pulleys. The key questions:
• (MORE HERE)

Students can explore using pulleys to lift different objects.

The Science behind Third Rail
The ability of electricity to travel through fluids is the main idea here. The key questions:
• What are the ingredients of urine?
• How likely is “laminar flow”?
• How does electricity travel in solutions?
Students can explore the behavior of electricity in different fluids, and the behavior of fluids as they flow or are poured from different heights. The chemistry of urine is another option. I’m not going to get into the anatomy of men urinating…



The Science behind Electric Eel Wallet
The properties of leather made from the skin of electric eels and the durability of magnetized credit card information strips are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• What is an electric eel anyway?
• How is information stored on credit cards? (You can get a neat science gizmo that indicates magnetic fields…)
Students can explore how animals generate electric fields, how information is stored on magnetic media, and how leather is made.

Cell Phone Destruction, Silicone Implants, CD Shatter

This episode is part of Collection 1, disc 1, episode 3. It is ALSO the third episode of Season 2.


Myths tested:
Will using a cell phone near a gas pump cause an explosion?
Will silicone breast implants explode or expand in low pressure?
Can a standard CD-ROM drive shatter a CD?

The Science behind Cell Phone Destruction
The main ideas here involve cell phone power, static electricity and gasoline combustion. The key questions:
• How much of a spark can a cell phone generate?
• How much of a spark is required to ignite gas fumes?
• Can static electricity sparks ignite gas fumes?
Students can explore creating sparks with static electricity, how cell phones are powered/insulated, and the fire triangle in the context of gasoline combustion. (See Episode 14 for a followup.)

The Science behind Blow Up Boobs
The effects of air pressure on contained fluids are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• What are the ingredients/components of breast implants?
• How does air pressure change in flight?
• How do changes in air pressure affect contained liquids?
Students can explore the behavior of silicone, contained fluids under various air pressures, and learn more about
pressurization on airplanes. (See Episode 14 for a followup.)

The Science behind CD Shatter
The speed of CD-ROM drives and the durability of CD-ROM discs are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• How fast do CD-ROM drives move? What forces are generated?
• What does it take to shatter a CD-ROM disc? What are they made of?

Students can explore how CD-ROM drives work, and what CD-ROM discs are made of. (How are CDs different from DVDs? How is computer data stored?).

Exploding Toilet, Ice Bullet, Who Gets Wetter (in the rain)?

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

Myths tested:
Can a person be propelled off a toilet seat by dropping a lit cigarette into a toilet bowl when filled with various combustible materials?
Is running better than walking to keep dry in the rain?
Is it possible to make a "magic bullet" out of ice?

The Science behind Ice Bullet
The main ideas here involve materials, the physics of how bullets are fired, and the amazing strength of human skin. The key questions:
• How does a gun fire a bullet? How hot does it get inside a gun?
• How strong is water ice? Can a usable bullet be made of frozen water, meat or gelatin?
• What does it take to penetrate human skin with a projectile?
Students can explore the properties of frozen water/meat/gelatin, how guns work, and human skin analogs. (This myth is revisited in Episode 14.)

The Science behind Umbrella Gun
The disguising of firearms and poisoning of bullets are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• Is it possible to disguise a gun as an umbrella?
• How can a bullet carry poison?
• Is it possible to kill someone using such a weapon?
Students can explore spy technologies, hidden weapons, poisons, and the history of the Cold War.

The Science behind Outrunning the Rain
The speed of falling rain and measuring accurately are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• Is it possible to outrun raindrops?
• How fast does rain fall?
• How fast can a human run?
Students can explore the speed of falling drops of water, and how fast humans can run. (This myth is revisited in Episode 38.)

The Science behind Gasoline Toilet
The flammability/combustion of gasoline and the strength of porcelain are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• Under what conditions is gasoline flammable/combustible?
• What does it take to make a toilet explode?
Students can explore the fire triangle (fuel/air/heat), and the durability of porcelain fixtures.

Poppyseed Drug Test, Larry's Lawn Chair, Goldfinger Body Paint

This episode is part of Collection 3, disc 1, episode 3. It is ALSO the third episode of Season 1.


Myths tested:
Can a person take to the skies using only a lawn chair and weather balloons?
Can someone test positive for heroin by eating a large amount of poppy seeds?
Can being painted with gold paint actually be deadly?


The Science behind Lawnchair Balloons
Lift and buoyancy are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• How much lift is necessary to leave the ground?
• How much mass does one balloon lift?
• Can a stable flying lawnchair rig be engineered?


Students can explore the relationship between mass and lift, density of gasses, and the issue of feasibility (things that are possible but not realistic). Budgeting this myth is a good applied math activity. Stability is another relevant topic for exploration.


The Science behind Poppyseed Pee
The chemistry of opiods in human urine and drug testing are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• How do drug tests work?
• How are poppy seeds and opiods (morphine, heroin, etc.) related?
• What is the physiology of ingesting poppy seeds and taking opium-based drugs related?


Students can explore the chemistry of different urine tests (pregnancy, drugs, protein, pH...), the physiological effects of opiods, research the history of many uses of the poppy plant. Another interesting issue to discuss: the ethics of drug testing.


The Science behind Goldfinger's Body Paint
The role of skin in human respiration and the risks of blocking all of someone's pores are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• Can latex body paint affect body temperature?
• What functions does the skin perform that are necessary for life?
• What percentage of respiration/thermoregulation is skin-dependent?


Students can explore the physiological effects of sealing skin (maybe paint a 1 cm square of skin with a latex body paint and leave it on overnight?).

Biscuit Bazooka, Vacuum Toilet, Leaping Lawyer

This episode is part of Collection 3, disc 1, episode 2. It is ALSO the second episode of Season 1.

Myths tested:
Can an airplane toilet create enough suction to cause a person to become stuck on it?
Can a can of biscuit dough explode in a hot car?
Can a person throw himself through a skyscraper window?

The Science behind Stuck on an Airplane ToiletSuction/vaccuum, seals and air pressure are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• How much suction is generated by an airplane toilet flush?
• Can a human butt seal the opening of an airplane toilet seat?
• How much suction can human flesh take without damage?
Students can explore the relationship between suction and air pressure, and the amazing tensile strength of human flesh.

The Science behind Exploding Biscuit Dough The chemistry of canned biscuits and the hardness of the human skull are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• What is the chemistry of canned self-rising biscuits?
• How much pressure is generated by a can of self-rising biscuits rupturing?
• How much heat is required to rupture a can of self-rising biscuits?
• What is required to rupture someone's skull?

Students can explore the chemistry of canned and self-rising foods, and the amazing hardness of the human skull.

The Science behind Leaping Lawyer
The hardness of skyscraper glass, the speed of the runner, and the speed of a bullet are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• What is the speed of the runner? is it sufficient to break skyscraper window glass?
• How fast does a bullet travel? is it sufficient to break skyscraper window glass?
• What is required to build a rig to test this myth?

Students can explore the different qualities of different kinds of window glass, the different speeds of different bullets shot from different guns, and terminal velocity (how fast someone would fall from a window).

Jet-Assisted Chevy & Pop Rocks + Soda = Exploding Stomach

This episode is part of Collection 3, disc 1, episode 1. It is ALSO the first episode of Season 1.

Myths tested:
Can a 1967 Chevy take off with JATO rockets?
Can Pop Rocks & soda, when eaten simultaneously, cause the eater's stomach to rupture?

The Science behind the JATO-powered Chevy
Speed and power are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• How much power is necessary to propel a Chevy?
• How much power to JATO rockets provide?
• Can a stable configuration be engineered?

Students can explore the relationship between speed and propulsion, and the acceleration required to get lift. Stability is another relevant topic for exploration. (See Episode 87 for a revisit of this myth.)

The Science behind Pop Rocks & Soda = Exploding Stomach
The chemistry of carbonation in solids and liquids vs. the elasticity of the stomach are the main ideas here. The key questions:
• How much gas can a stomach handle?
• How much gas is given off in when soda and pop rocks are combined?
• What is the physiology of ingesting large amounts of candy and soda?

Students can explore the chemistry of different food combinations, and the amazing expandability of the stomach.

Using Mythbusters in the Classroom

I've been using episodes of the Mythbusters in my class for a couple of years now. I thought I'd share what I've learned, and open up the floor to hear about what other folks are doing...

My first goal is to create a table that shows which episodes are on which "Collection" DVD. I've been using Netflix to show them in class, but find that it takes a lot of cross referencing to figure out which episode is included in which "collection". Mostly these days I have them downloaded via amazon on demand, but I'd like to make it easier for other teachers to use the content I've already tracked down.

My next goal will be to tag each episode with relevant curriculum ideas/standards. For example, Penny Drop I use to teach several different things: gravity, inertia, experiment design... but I would like to have a way to look for things like "using ballistics gel" and "Adam gets hurt" and "modified gun". Maybe I'll make a database...

Finally, I plan to post lesson plans and/or worksheets that can be used for each episode.

Part of the fun of using Mythbusters in the classroom lies in having students "bust" the science used on the show. How did Adam and/or Jaime and/or Kari/Tori/Grant get it wrong? Are there better tests for the myth being tested?

I am not sure what I'm going to do about drug/alcohol/sex-related episodes. I avoid them in class, but realize that they are rather appealing for some content areas... I'll just have to see how it goes.