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Written by river95
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Friday, 04 April 2008 |
Viewer Special 2
Episode #99
Original Air Date: February 13, 2008
Viewer Special 2
Ancient Arrows
The Myth: Why did ancient people go to all the trouble of making arrowheads?
The Expert: Dr. Todd Surovell is an Assistant Professor of Archeology at the University of Wyoming. He is the one who posed this question to the guys.
Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Adam, unrolling the target which has Jamie dressed as Conan the Barbarian and introducing it as “J-man the Barbarian”!
The Action/Results:
First, the guys have a race to see which is faster – flint-knapping arrowheads, or sharpening sticks. Adam makes a sharpened stick in about three and a half minutes, while it takes Jamie an hour to make an arrowhead. So, speed of manufacture is not the reason they made the arrowheads.
Next, they shoot some sharpened sticks and some sticks with arrowheads on them into a ballistics gel torso. The arrowheads do penetrate about an inch farther in. Jamie points out that the hide covering an animal might make a difference, so they drape the torso in a hide and try it again. Adam points out that the arrowhead does make a larger entry hole, so that the prey would bleed out faster, but Jamie is not convinced.
The guys then head to Pacifica Archery, so that they can test the accuracy of the arrows. Adam unveils “J-man”, and they start shooting. All of the shooting of the arrows has been done with the “automatic archer” that they made for the Ninja myths. However, both sets of arrows fly through the air with the same degree of accuracy.
So, back at the blueprint table, the guys sum up their findings. Neither set of arrows were more accurate than the other, and both sets went into the target about the same amount. Adam reminds us of his “bleeding out” theory again, and Jamie adds that sharpened sticks would have rotted away by now, so they may have been used, but they aren’t around to be found any more. Adam also notes that this was technology at the time, and that it could even be called “caveman bling”. So, why did ancient people go to all the trouble of making arrowheads? Even the Mythbusters don’t know the answer to this one.
Tree Machine Gun
The Myth: Can you cut a tree down with a machine gun?
The Expert: Mark Anthony Mall is a Tree Demolition Expert and he brings the team four trees to shoot at, including a mesquite tree.
Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Kari: (after looking at the remains of the tree) Smells like destruction!
The Action/Results:
The team travel to the “secret location” in Arizona to shoot at some trees with some machine guns. First, Grant shoots at a pine tree with the Thompson Submachine Gun. He hits it multiple times, but doesn’t quite manage to mow it down. Next, Tory blazes away at a pine with the SAW, or Squad Automatic Weapon. He also scores multiple hits on the tree, but doesn’t manage to cut it in half. Then it is Kari’s turn. She fires the Dillon Minigun, which expels 3000 30 caliber rounds in one minute. After 45 seconds of this onslaught, the tree is on fire, and then it topples over. Just to make sure that you can cut through a tougher tree this way, Tory fires the minigun at the mesquite tree. It takes a minute and eight seconds this time, but the tree does fall, and the myth is CONFIRMED. You can cut down a tree with a machine gun.
Eye Black
The Myth: Eye black helps baseball players to cut the glare and see better.
The Experts: Jamie and Adam and Jess
Memorable/Quotable Moments: Jess telling Jamie that the eye black really goes well with the beret!
The Action/Results:
First, Jess puts eye black on Adam and regular makeup on Jamie. Then they go outside and take an eye test. Then they come back inside, and Jess puts the eye black on Jamie and the regular makeup on Adam. The guys do not know which shade they have on their faces until the end of the test. However, they both think that it was easier to read the eye chart without the eye black.
To continue with this experiment, Adam gets a mold of a face and puts a light meter in it. Then he shines a strong light at the face, and notes how many lux the light meter is reading with the eye black on, and without the eye black. The results show negligible differences. Finally, the guys put a baseball cap on the face, and try again. This time, there is a difference of about 10 lux between the readings with and without eye black. So this myth is ruled PLAUSIBLE.
Jeans High Wire Escape
The Myth (as explained by Kari): OK, here’s the myth. Guy’s on a ski lift. The chair stops. He panics! So, what does he do? He pulls of his jeans, he flips it over the top of the wire, and he sails to safety as if he’s on a zipline.
The Experts: Chief Rigger Lawrence and his crew at Sierra at Tahoe help Tory and Grant stay safe. Also, the staff at Trapeze Arts help with the first test of the myth.
Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Tory: These guys are here to make sure I don’t fall to my death!
The Action/Results:
First the team heads off to Trapeze Arts, so that they can test this myth with an adjustable wire that can be raised to different angles. At 10 degrees, Tory doesn’t slide at all. At 20 degrees, Tory can jerk and pull on the pants enough that he can go down the wire, but it is not the effortless slide stated in the myth. However, Grant notes that there is oil or grease on ski lift wires, so they add a coating of castor oil to the cable, and then Tory is able to slide right down!
At Sierra at Tahoe, they find a 25 degree slope in part of the ski lift, and that is where they choose to test this myth. First, they take the new Buster and hook him to the line, while holding on to a pair of jeans. They push him out on the wire and nothing happens – he doesn’t move at all. Then it is Tory’s turn. However, even though they have a steeper slope, Tory does not go sliding down the wire. The jeans start to roll up as Tory puts all his weight on them. He is able to jerk and tug his way down the wire for a short time, but his arms and hands start to cramp, and he is not sliding at all. This myth is BUSTED!
Leaking Powder Keg
The Myth: In the cartoons, we have often seen a leaking powder keg, with black powder spilling from it. The bad guy runs up, lights the powder, and the flame follows the trail, goes up the trail inside the keg, and blows up the unsuspecting person carrying the keg. Is this possible?
The Experts: Jamie and Adam
Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Jamie and Adam, riding off into the sunset – Jamie sitting on Sparky, while Adam rides his Segway!
The Action/Results:
Jamie first builds a robot named Sparky, who will be carrying the powder keg. Then they do some small-scale tests, to see if a spark really can climb up a falling trail of gunpowder. It actually does work, so they go out to the bomb range for the full-scale test.
At the bomb range, they try several different things to make this work, but their first few attempts are unsuccessful. However, Adam refused to give up. Jamie has the idea that a shaker might make the gunpowder come out of the hole at a more uniform rate, and so he attaches his drill as an impromptu shaker to the side of the keg. Everyone watches intently as Sparky goes down the plywood, with a flame following behind. The flame climbs up the powder trail and KABOOM – the keg explodes! This myth is CONFIRMED!
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Episode Descriptions 
