Science of Stupid (2014) s08e03 Episode Script

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DALLAS (off-screen): This
is the Science of Stupid.
Yes, this is the show that
stirs serious science into a
petri dish of stupidity.
Behold the actions of the
misguided as they tangle with
the rules of science and
feel the force of physics.
We'll explain what went wrong
and why with the help of
fascinating principles
such as angular momentum,
traction and those
naughty little playmates,
center of mass and gravity.
Hold on tight, it's
the Science of Stupid.
In this episode we'll use lift
force to pull off incredible
tricks and whatever that
was, learn how kinesthetic
awareness aids balance
and we'll be analyzing the
molecular structure of
rubber but first this.
Since their invention in the
1930s snowmobiles have become
surprisingly versatile, you
can now see them drag racing
across grass, hurtling up near
vertical mountain sides and
even riding over the
surface of lakes,
but there's one thing we haven't
quite got them to do yet.
DALLAS (off-screen):
And that's to fly,
which makes
dropping off a 1,600-foot cliff
a really bad idea and even
if you pack a parachute
like this chap, your snowmobile
will never forgive you.
There's around 14,000
snowmobile related injuries
per year in North
America alone,
so why on earth would you risk
driving over a cliff on one?
Extreme sports enthusiasts
call it 'hucking',
we scientists call it
absurdly dangerous because we
appreciate gravity, vertical
velocity and impact force.
DALLAS (off-screen): As soon
as the combined center of mass
of a snowmobile and rider
goes over a cliff edge gravity
acting on it will
rotate the snowmobile.
A faster launch gives gravity
less time to do this and a
landing area with a
steep gradient allows the
snowmobile's vertical velocity
to be reduced gradually,
lessening impact force but if
the landing area is too flat
it's gonna hurt.
Thus counterintuitively a
steeper landing area can
actually be less dangerous
relatively speaking but let's
start with a launch and to
avoid a nosedive our huckers
will want to approach
with plenty of speed.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Uh, yeah. A little slow.
MAN: Oh.
DALLAS (off-screen): Meaning
loads of time for gravity to
cause a rotation.
The soft snow did
reduce the impact force,
then the hard snowmobile
did the opposite.
MAN (off-screen): Oh.
MAN: Oh.
DALLAS (off-screen):
So, how about a run up?
Yeah, a bit like that.
Only longer and
with more throttle.
Okay, well don't forget it's
also possible to decrease
impact force simply by choosing
a steeper landing area.
DALLAS (off-screen): Like
this one but even steeper.
With a landing area about
20 degrees steeper he would have
gradually reduced vertical
velocity and lessened the
impact force, but we would
have missed out on that
excellent cartwheel.
Right, are you sure you
still want to do this?
Okay, well, as long as
you've considered gravity,
vertical velocity and hold on,
is that landing steep enough?
Yeah, no I didn't think so.
And now we briefly turn our
backs on the tribulations of
the misinformed and
applaud the triumphant.
Philippe Petit, the famed
Twin Towers high wire walker,
or funambulist, said, 'Limits
exist only in the souls of
those who do not dream.'
Well, Philippe, I'm actually
quite happy with a few limits because I'd never
dream of doing this.
DALLAS (off-screen): Meet
Aisikaier Wubulikasimu
attempting the Guinness World
Record Title for the faster
high wire walk between
hot air balloons.
To succeed he must successfully
cross this 59-foot
long scaffold which is
constantly moving
and with 38.5 seconds on the
clock he set the world record.
Now, if you are considering
hiring 60 feet of scaffold,
two hot air
balloons, plus crew,
and a big long
pole think again.
DALLAS (off-screen): Because
for every expert funambulist
there are millions of these
guys discovering that
limits do exist.
But hypothetically speaking
what science would we need to
beat Aisikaier's record?
Let's find out.
DALLAS (off-screen): Our
funambulist must keep his
center of mass over a narrow
moving base of support or
he might rotate.
His long pole distributes
mass away from his center,
which increases his moment
of inertia and helps resist
rotation, and he has
exceptional kinesthetic awareness.
This is the capacity of nerve
endings to sense the tiniest
movements of the limbs,
allowing him to maintain
focus dead ahead.
As our friend Philippe
once remarked,
'Trust your feet, let them
lead you. They know the way.'
Although, I'd argue
it does depend on
who the feet belong to.
DALLAS (off-screen): Our first
wannabe record breaker isn't
even on his feet.
Will that work?
It seems unlikely now.
Stretched along the pole his
moment of inertia is too low.
Yeah, alright.
At least he's had a go.
Ah, now stretching your arms
out does increase your moment
of inertia, a bit like a pole.
No wait, he's just balancing
on his friend and physics
isn't kind to cheats.
Still, at least his narrow
base of support wasn't high up
and moving about.
His is.
MAN (off-screen): Oh.
DALLAS (off-screen): Oh,
which is why he fell off.
Somehow this body shape
doesn't suggest a man in touch
with his kinesthetic
awareness.
More in touch with
that sharp rock.
Okay, we've studied
moving bases of support,
kinesthetic awareness and
moment of inertia but I don't
think we'll be breaking
that record anytime soon.
Ah, tubing.
What a thrill but can
you guess what science it will reveal?
DALLAS (off-screen): Did you
work out which scientific
principle these tubing
kids are about to enjoy?
Is it wave mechanics?
No, it's undulation in fish.
When sensing a threat,
like a noisy motorboat,
some fish can thrust out of
the water by raising their
pectoral and pelvic fins and
simultaneously undulating
their flexible bodies.
In this case undulating
into a child.
Don't worry, he was fine
and so was the child.
And now my gentle and learned
viewers, a quick question.
What material links.
DALLAS (off-screen): The
ingenious biology that
allows trees like
this to heal themselves when
distressed and
this kind of thing.
MAN: That was crazy.
DALLAS (off-screen): Yeah,
that's a fair assessment.
The answer is rubber.
In its natural form
it's made from latex,
a liquid tapped from particular
plant and tree species.
It seals their wounds but for
thousands of years humankind
has been pilfering it
to make things stretchy,
bouncy and grippy.
Here's how that works.
DALLAS (off-screen): Rubber is
elastic because it's made up
of long weekly connected
chains of atoms that can be
squished or pulled out
straight before returning to
their original shape.
Some products, like tires, are
made with vulcanized rubber,
where the rubber is reacted
with sulfur to form atomic
crosslinks that bind
the chains together,
resulting in a material that's
more rigid and durable and so
can be formed into tread
patterns that give tires
improved grip.
Among the first to appreciate
the elastic quality of natural
rubber's atomic chains
were the Mesoamericans,
who over 3,500 years ago
used rubber balls in their
ceremonial game, Ollama.
DALLAS (off-screen):
This isn't Ollama,
but those elastic chains
also allow rubber balloons to
stretch when filled with
air and become floaty,
who doesn't love
floaty rubber?
Well, Jasper here.
He hates it.
Vulcanized rubber and you can
make tires that are tough and
grippy, even when these lads
are doing all they can to
loose grip and drift.
Play time is over chaps but
that tire still hasn't lost
its grip.
What's going on here?
Ah, you dropped
your credit card.
MAN: It is so slippy.
DALLAS (off-screen): Well,
don't worry because just like
tires shoes often have
vulcanized rubber soles
offering plenty of grip
but not quite enough.
What you need now
is a wet suit.
The same rubbery properties
allow them to stretch and trap
a layer of body warmed
water next to the skin,
although usually
not quite that much.
Okay, how are we doing
at the harbor wall?
Oh, so close.
MAN: You will have to hurry up
because the tide is coming up.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Where's a rubber dingy when you need one?
In the 1800s as engineers
searched for cost effective
alternatives for horses and
steam for powering public
transport, wind in the form
of large kites were seriously
considered but now after two
centuries of development we
still don't have
kite powered buses.
DALLAS (off-screen):
But we can do this.
The board flip.
Yes, the butter slide.
A nice fence for a grind.
Watch out for my post turn and
then there's this, the roll.
An airborne inverted
spin, nice work.
See you next time.
That was an advanced
version of a roll,
a core kite surfing trick
with plenty of variations.
Kite surfers can front roll,
back roll, roll and nose grab.
DALLAS (off-screen):
There are all sorts of ways of mixing it up
and that wasn't
one of them.
To perfect the right kind of
airborne rotation for a kite
surfing roll requires a
mastery of angular momentum
and lift force.
Here's the roll 101.
DALLAS (off-screen): As wind
flows over a kite's wing-like
shape it generates lift force
pulling him across the water.
On launch he throws his body
backwards generating just
enough angular momentum
for a complete rotation.
To land he steers his kite
downwards and ahead of him,
this increases lift force
in the direction of travel,
so he avoids sinking.
It is complicated stuff
to deal with all at once,
so first let's just practice
using lift force to get a
little air.
DALLAS (off-screen): Okay,
we've got that covered.
Now, let's add some angular
momentum for the roll.
I said 'some'.
I mean, he did get enough
angular momentum for one
rotation, but he didn't
have time for two.
Okay, let's work
on the landing.
Now, can you remember
which direction we need to send that kite?
DALLAS (off-screen):
No. Quite the opposite.
He actually aced the angular
momentum but if you want to go
in this direction,
like your board,
and your kite is steered
down and in this direction,
it's not going to happen.
Okay, last chance.
Arguably worse.
Lift force in wrong direction,
too much angular momentum,
very sinky landing.
DALLAS: The slide.
Momentum fueled fun in its
purest form and possibly its
most varied.
DALLAS (off-screen): Form
the classic playground slide.
To the water slide and
my personal favorite,
the inflatable.
There are all sorts of slide-y
ways to enjoy and be hurt by
momentum but the inflatable,
what with its air-filled
squishiness should
be one of the safest,
provided of course you check
the guidelines to ensure you
are of the appropriate
age and size,
and study the
relevant science.
DALLAS (off-screen): The steep
angle of the slide combined
with the low coefficient
of friction offered by the
plastic surface, and
lubricating water,
allows our slider to build an
enjoyable amount of momentum.
Momentum is
proportional to mass,
so thanks to her relatively
low mass what momentum she
gains is gradually reduced at
the bottom as the air-filled
barrier compresses,
lessening the impact force.
Even inflatable slides can
be dangerous when used by the
wrong person, a combination
of steep gradients,
slippery plastic and
lubricating water can produce
a fun amount of momentum for
little masses but increase the
mass and it can
quickly get unfun.
WOMAN: You might
want to back up.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Oh, why's that?
Ah, I see.
WOMAN: That was graceful.
DALLAS (off-screen): Not to
mention informative because
here we learn how a greater
mass plus lubricating water
equals too much momentum and
in this family the punishment
for excessive momentum
is swift and degrading.
WOMAN: Yay.
DALLAS (off-screen): Here a
young adult is about to test
another way of
reducing momentum.
It worked.
Wet slide, low friction,
flight, no friction.
Grassy ground, some friction.
Chair in face, impact force
but the best thing about low
friction surfaces is you
don't have to reach the top.
MAN: Come on.
One, two, three. Go.
DALLAS (off-screen): To enjoy
a wonderful graceful slide.
Do you yearn for a one stop
method of combining high
intensity strength training
with aerobic conditioning?
DALLAS (off-screen): Well,
look no further than the
burpee, it works the arms,
chest, quads, glutes,
hamstrings and abs and if
you want to make it even more
hard-core try this.
No but, like, together and
there it is, the swing burpee.
Looks impressive but we've
all got to start somewhere.
MAN: Oh.
DALLAS: Now, I'm not
recommending this but there
is a logic.
Think of the swing as a kind
of bullying metronome that
keeps you moving to a beat and
then trips you up if you
can't keep pace.
To avoid that we
must study friction,
air resistance and
simple harmonic motion.
DALLAS (off-screen): The
pendulum movement of a swing
approximates simple
harmonic motion,
wherein the seat repeats its
path moving slower towards the
top and faster
towards the bottom.
Our burpee-ist must coordinate
perfectly with this motion,
which gets harder with
every swing because as air
resistance acting on
the seat and rope,
and friction at the
pivots slow it down,
the arcs become shorter, so he
needs to speed up to keep up.
He was an expert, and this
is a dangerous activity,
so please don't attempt to
turn your local playground
into a gymnasium.
Alright now, as per the
science we start with getting
in perfect sync with that
simple harmonic motion.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Lovely leap.
Bit eager on the push up.
Now, I know I said a swing
seat moves faster at the
bottom of the arc
but not that fast.
Now we're talking but remember
with every swing it gets
a little harder.
A combination of
friction here,
in this case his tight shorts
and air resistance here on
this floppy seat slowed the
swing and twisted it sideways
so he couldn't keep
up or fit through.
It's okay dog.
No CPR required but
thanks for the offer.
Once you're in perfect harmony
going forwards you could try
backwards but I
wouldn't advise it
cause with air resistance
and friction already reducing that arc it
helps to see what
you're jumping over.
WOMAN: Yeah, I'm good.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Debatable.
WOMAN: Thank you.
DALLAS (off-screen):
That wasn't a compliment.
Still at it?
WOMAN: I'm so afraid!
DALLAS (off-screen): Well,
don't feel bad because a
simple harmonic motion is
not as simple as it sounds.
Greek philosopher Pythagoras
first proposed around earth,
around 500BCE, and yet after
2.5 millennia of scientific
exploration, circumnavigation
by sea, air and space,
plus the mere fact that the
sun goes down here at the same
time it pops up somewhere else
there are still people aplenty
who just don't buy
that we're not living on a pancake but hey.
If it wasn't for people who
didn't listen to science the
next 30 seconds
would be very boring.
(music plays through credits).
Captioned by
Cotter Captioning Services.