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.

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?).