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Grenades and Guts/Self-Hypnosis |
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Written by Falling Sideways
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Sunday, 22 July 2007 |
Grenades and Guts/Self-Hypnosis
Episode 81
Air Date: June 13, 2007
The Myth: Can jumping on a grenade save your friends' lives, like in the movies?
The Experts: Frank Doyle, Jr. and Sgt. J.D. Nelson
Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Grant: Power’s on – run for your lives!!
The Action/Results: To test this explosive myth, Adam and Jamie began by making a ballistics gel mold of a person, the "hero", to recreate the effect of a person on top of a live grenade. They also constructed several sets of human-size plywood figures to be set up around the grenade blast. These figures would help calculate how much damage would be inflicted on potential victims near the blast area. Adam and Jamie now head off to the Alameda County Bomb Range, where they meet up with two Mythbusters veterans: Frank Doyle and Sgt. J. D. Nelson. They are on hand to safely set up and detonate the grenades used in the team's tests. In both tests, eight plywood figures are arranged around the grenade at five foot intervals, starting at five feet away from the grenade. The grenade would be triggered remotely and the damage caused to each plywood figure would be compared in order to develop a final result. In test #1, the grenade was set off without the ballistics gel "hero" on top. Without anything to block the shrapnel of the grenade, the plywood figures at five, ten, and fifteen feet away were "killed." The grenade also destroyed a camera, as well as damaging the plexiglass shielding another camera. For test two, Adam and Jamie lay the "hero" onto the grenade. The grenade is set off, and the "hero" is blown apart, but #1 (five feet away) is far less injured and #2 (ten feet away) is left unscathed.
With the two standard tests completed, Adam and Jamie want to test other potential methods of reducing the damage caused by a grenade blast. The first method is to place the grenade in a bucket of water before it explodes. The Mythbusters position eight plywood figures in the same positions as before and detonate the grenade. The bucket was shattered and #2 was hit in the head, leading Adam to believe that this solution was less effective. Jamie, however, points out that while #2 was "killed," the "hero" didn't have to die to prevent damage to others and that the total damage inflicted is still far less than the control.
The final method is putting a grenade in a refrigerator to contain the blast. A grenade is placed in an old fridge and is detonated. It splits the door and body of he fridge apart and sends them flying in opposite directions. They each crush a plywood figure and send shrapnel flying at others, making this by far the least effective method of preventing injuries form a grenade.
Jumping On a Grenade: CONFIRMED
The Myth: Can self-help CDs from the Internet trigger drastic changes through hypnosis?
The Experts: Professor Stephen McLeod, Cornea Specialist
Memorable/Quotable Moments: none
The Action/Results: Three Mythbusters test whether or not different changes to the body can occur by listening to self-hypnosis CDs. Adam wants to get rid of his fear of bees, while Grant wants to become immune to seasickness, and Kari wants to test whether or not she can change her eye color. Before starting self-hypnosis treatments, each Mythbusters sets baseline marks to determine if any changes occur. Grant, using the dreaded Chuck Chair, lasts 17.5 minutes before losing his lunch, while Kari has high-resolution pictures taken of her eyes, so that they can be compared to her eyes after the CD treatments. Finally, Adam is forced to place his arm in a box full of bees, while being monitored for pulse and skin responses, so that his stress levels can be measured. After each has undergone preliminary tests, they are given self-help CDs found on the internet, claiming to solve their problems. After two weeks of listening, they return the M5 to run the tests again. Kari's eye color did not change, and Adam's stress levels didn't improve. While Grant was able to stay in the Chuck chair for over half an hour, he still got seasick, leaving him very disappointed.
Self-Hypnosis: BUSTED
The Myth: Could drinking Diet Coke and eating Mentos cause your stomach to explode?
The Experts: none
Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Tory: It’s my flesh bagpipe!
The Action/Results: This myth originated from an Internet video of a man eating Diet Coke and Mentos, then falling ill and reportedly being hospitalized for a ruptured stomach. To test this myth Grant and Tory mount a pig's stomach in a fake skeleton, while Kari prepares stomach acid with a similar pH to be added to the stomach. To add the Diet Coke and Mentos, a system of tubes is assembled and attached to the stomach. The first test is conducted and, while each ingredient is added, no reaction takes place. The team doesn't know what the problem is, so they discuss what differences there are between their test and a typical Diet Coke and Mentos reaction. They find that: - The presence of acid may be inhibiting the reaction - The pouring of Diet Coke into the stomach is releasing carbon dioxide in the Diet Coke, which could cause problems. They perform tests to determine which possible problem is to blame. They find that the reaction still occurs when acid is included, but that the carbon dioxide is required for the reaction to take place. Their findings are verified by a second test using a clear balloon instead of the stomach. The carbon dioxide is observed escaping the liquid when it is poured into the stomach (in other words, consumed). Next, they test an unrealistic situation. The bottle of Diet coke is attached to one end of the stomach and Mentos are dropped in the bottle. The reaction occurs rapidly, but the stomach still doesn't explode. Dissatisfied, Grant and Tory use 30 p.s.i. compressed air to blow up he stomach. It inflates quickly and bursts, leaving a one inch hole in the side of the stomach. Exploding Stomach: BUSTED
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Episode Descriptions 