Science of Stupid (2014) s08e12 Episode Script

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DALLAS (off-screen): This
is the Science of Stupid.
Yes, this is the show that
uses science to clean out the
stain of stupidity.
Study the mistakes of the
ignorant as they take on the
laws of science and
discover they always win.
We'll learn
what they should have done
by watching what they did.
With the help of scientific
principles such as
hydrodynamic drag, gravity,
and my personal favorite,
impact force.
Watch out,
it's the Science of Stupid.
In this episode we'll
break down the physics
of breaking glass.
We'll explain why our brain
struggles to do more than one
thing at a time and we'll
explore the scientific dos and
don'ts of unloading
but first this.
You'd be surprised at just how
many different ways there are
for cleaning snow
from your path.
DALLAS (off-screen): You've
got your traditional method.
Well, you have to use a hover
board for something but maybe
not that.
Alien intervention and
trained snow rodents.
But without doubt one of
the most useful methods
is the old snowplow.
This has stood the test of
time because
it's the perfect mix between
functionality and science.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Snow is a variable substance
which can be anything
from loose nearly fallen snow
to hard compacted snow
with a density close to ice.
The greater
a vehicle's momentum,
the larger the volume
of snow it can shift,
and its angled plough helps
by cutting through
the white stuff
and pushing it to the sides.
As the snow provides very
little friction the vehicle
needs to produce a large
amount of traction to maintain
control and prevent accidents.
Snow on roadways typically
becomes more dangerous as more
traffic travels on it.
Heat from tires can cause
the snow to melt and then
re-freeze as thin
sheets of ice,
which when covered by fresh
snowfall can be hard to spot
but a tell-tale sign.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Is when that happens.
The snow appears to have
melted and refrozen as ice,
which has an even lower
co-efficient of friction,
resulting in the
driver losing traction.
His powerful engine and
large plough can shift heavy
compacted snow but a police
car and two buses, well,
it's a big ask.
The power and mass of
some trains mean
they can build enough momentum
to shift as much as 10 feet of
low density, freshly fallen
snow and deposit it on top of
train spotters.
It's good clean fun.
Now, this road has clearly
already been cleared until the
snowplow comes along.
The plough driver's blade is
positioned so that instead of
helping a slippy and dangerous
situation he's causing one.
Maybe a different kind
of driver would help.
It wasn't exactly what I
was thinking and since this
machine doesn't only shift
snow, it churns it up,
maybe little Rex here
should stand back a bit.
Yeah, a bit more, a
bit more, a bit more.
Watch the tail.
Alright, this is the part of
the show where we take a break
from those suffering from
a scientific deficiency and
celebrate the spectacular,
and this time we've got
a doozy for you.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Meet Joel Brown,
an Australian freestyle
motocross champion and hero in
the making.
He's gonna attempt to jump his
bike over a flying plane and
if that isn't
enough, which it is,
he's gonna try and do
it with a backflip.
The pilot will fly
between these two ramps,
hoping his path doesn't
coincide with Joel's.
Good luck, you're
gonna need it.
Absolutely incredible.
To reach that level of
perfection Joel has combined
his raw talent with years
of painstaking dedication.
DALLAS (off-screen):
While others have just
brought the painstaking.
The other thing Joel has going
for him is that he studied and
understood the mechanics
behind the stunt,
so for him it's not
luck, it's science.
DALLAS (off-screen): At launch
our man's take-off velocity
must be correct as the path of
his center of mass is set and
follows a parabolic
trajectory.
He needs to accelerate and
lean back as he takes off to
generate enough angular
momentum to complete the flip.
And the final science is
probably the most obvious and
crucial, have a pilot who
knows what they're doing.
Really it comes down
to three principles,
parabolic trajectory,
angular momentum and a
competent pilot.
So, let's take
each one in turn.
First up, getting the
correct parabolic trajectory.
DALLAS (off-screen): Or
more accurately failing to.
He doesn't have enough
take-off velocity,
which means his parabolic
trajectory can't make the
landing ramp so all he
can do is wait for
the inevitable pain.
MAN (off-screen): Oh.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Oh, that's much better.
MAN: Whoa.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Oh, but that's not.
Even though he had enough
take-off velocity he launches
on a slight angle to the
ramp and as his parabolic
trajectory was set at launch
he can't avoid the obstacle.
MAN: Whoa.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Or the ridicule.
Okay, I think we've
mastered trajectory.
How about angular momentum?
DALLAS (off-screen): Yep,
still needs a bit of work.
To be fair he's a big man on
a small bike and the bike just
doesn't have the power to
generate the angular momentum
he needs to finish the turn.
If only he'd listened to
my lovely friend, science.
MAN: Oh.
DALLAS (off-screen): Yeah,
right ramp, right bike,
right hard landing.
Maybe if he'd leant back
further on take-off he'd have
generated enough angular
momentum to complete the flip.
Don't worry, he was
okay eventually.
Thankfully there wasn't an
airplane under him
because flying a plane is a
whole other science and
even just the taking off bit.
WOMAN (off-screen): Oh.
DALLAS (off-screen): Is
gonna take some explaining.
Luckily the pilot was fine,
but I don't think we're ready
to top Joel's stunt quite yet.
Ah, playing catch with your
friends but can you guess what
science they're
about to show us?
DALLAS (off-screen): Now then,
did you work out what science
they're trying to demonstrate?
Yes, that's right.
It's momentum.
He builds momentum as he runs,
added to by gravity as he's
going down the hill.
His feet can't keep up,
producing a turning effect so
he falls transferring his
momentum to the water.
Happy days.
Now then, the first thing
we are taught at the
University of Science of Stupid
is that glass is not funny.
DALLAS (off-screen):
It's hilarious, oh.
Glass is everywhere, you
just can't always see it,
which is sort of the point.
It's brilliant at letting
light through but due to its
brittle nature it's
also very smashable,
so to be safe I recommend
you study the science.
DALLAS (off-screen): Glass is
transparent because it doesn't
absorb the wave lengths
of light we see,
instead it allows
them to pass through.
Glass consists of a rigid
network of atoms that can't
easily deform.
So, the stress of an impact
initiates a fracture.
As the energy required to
initiate the fracture is
greater than the energy
needed for it to spread,
the crack can grow at
around the speed of sound.
This is known as a
brittle fracture.
So, it's clear
and very fragile,
not necessarily good
bedfellows but as long as you
know it's there you should be
able to avoid any accidents.
MAN: Oh.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Unlike glass,
his nose can easily deform.
Thankfully it can also reform.
The transparent nature of
glass means animals can
struggle to understand it.
If you can see through it it's
not there, even when it is.
Human animals on the
other hand invented glass,
so of course understand its
transparent nature perfectly.
They just sometimes forget.
Yeah, it was the other
door that was open.
As the glass can't easily
deform the stress produced by
the impact reaches the
critical level to initiate a
brittle fracture.
Well, at least you've
learnt some science there.
That'll impress Mum and
Dad when they get home.
Maybe due to its delicate
nature glass should really
only be handled
by the experts.
MAN: Whoa.
DALLAS (off-screen): Shame
they didn't have any.
As the glass impacts the crane
neither surface deforms and as
the crane is stronger the
only option is for the
glass to fracture.
Luckily due to its transparent
nature nobody noticed when
they didn't
replace the window.
So, glass, it's crystal
clear and fragile,
unless it's a hilarious video
display or a horrifying one,
depending on your perspective.
Unloading a truck,
how hard can it be?
DALLAS (off-screen): Well,
for some people a lot harder than you'd think.
The thing about unloading
trucks is that as well as
their cargo they are
packed with science.
You just need to know
how to unpack it.
DALLAS (off-screen): In order
to remain stable the center of
mass of a load must remain
above its base of support.
The heavier the load, the
greater the friction between
it and the truck bed.
So, wheels and ramps are
often used to aid unloading.
The ramp should be secured
to the vehicle to prevent it
moving or collapsing,
leaving the load unsupported.
As you can see, there's
a lot to take in or out.
Either way if you understand
the science then unloading
should be straightforward.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Or straight backwards.
The weight of the couch means
there's a large amount of
friction between its packaging
and the bed of the truck.
Unfortunately said friction
appears to exceed the material
strength of the
couch's packaging.
Maybe try a ramp.
Maybe try a different ramp.
MAN: Are you alright?
DALLAS (off-screen):
Yeah, he's great.
He's just learnt
a valuable science lesson,
which is when the ramp
collapsed the base of support
of the bike was reduced to
just the rear wheel and its
center of mass was
clearly outside of it.
Maybe the makeshift
ramp wasn't a good idea,
but it was probably better
than the makeshift helmet.
Thank goodness, a proper ramp,
just not properly attached.
The ramp was strong enough,
but it wasn't secured and
slips off the truck when the
ATV applied a horizontal force
to it, leaving the load
totally unsupported but
sometimes you need more
than an extra pair of hands.
This tractor has a
specifically designed trailer
to deposit large loads, just
not when parked at that angle.
As the bucket tips the
trailer's center of mass moves
towards the edge of
its base of support,
and as the trailer is part on
an angle the center of mass
ends up outside the
base of support.
On the bright side it's a
perfect excuse for a gentle
stroll and maybe a tea break.
DALLAS: What do you do when
there just isn't enough time
to get everything done?
Me? Well, I like to multitask.
DALLAS (off-screen): Like
going to the gym and keeping
my football skills up
to scratch
but biking and drinking water?
Yeah, I'd give that a miss.
The reality is we are not
computers and our brains can
get overloaded when dealing
with more than one task
at a time but don't worry,
you should have no trouble
watching and listening to the
following science.
DALLAS (off-screen): When
you perform one task many
different parts of the brain
work in harmony but when
multitasking the two tasks
may use the same parts of the
brain, so it has to switch
rapidly between tasks,
rather than doing
them simultaneously.
Complex tasks like juggling
and riding a unicycle require
conscious effort, known
as controlled processing,
but if these tasks are very
well practiced they can be
done with automatic
processing,
which is why this guy is
making it look so easy.
If you're good at multitasking
it can mean your brain is
especially proficient at
flicking between tasks.
Nevertheless, whilst
multitasking may seem
efficient it might actually
take you longer and make you
more error prone, obviously
that warning doesn't apply to
our researchers as they are
all trained professionals at
the top of their game.
DALLAS (off-screen):
Except him.
He's obviously a good juggler
but when he tries to add a
spin the part of the brain
keeping track of where things
are is already busy with all
of those balls and so failed
to notice the massive wall.
Ah, young love or
maybe just, 'Ahh.'
Switching between tasks
and going from concentrating
on cycling to canoodling,
they weren't able to make
the split second adjustments
needed to maintain
their balance.
Maybe try a tandem next time,
or a platonic relationship.
Cycling is obviously automatic
to her allowing her to
concentrate on whatever
that is with the hula-hoop.
Hello, what's going on here?
MAN (off-screen): Oh.
DALLAS (off-screen): Oh,
lower frontal leg pain?
WOMAN: Argh, I hit my shin!
DALLAS (off-screen):
Right again.
When she tries
switching to a new task,
standing on the bike,
her brain uses controlled
processing as conscious
effort is required.
Switching between this and the
hula-hooping proves too much
and she fails at both.
MAN (off-screen): Oh.
WOMAN: Argh, I hit my shin!
DALLAS (off-screen):
Yeah, we know.
Now, this guy might think his
brain is good at switching
between two very
different tasks,
but the reality is his clothes
are just falling off him while
he concentrates on the jumps.
If he really wanted to impress
me he would have folded them
at the same time.
Now, that would have
been multitasking.
Getting a body like mine takes
work but not this much work.
DALLAS (off-screen): I mean,
that's just annoying to be
that good at everything.
MAN: Yeah.
DALLAS (off-screen): Well,
maybe not everything.
Where Daddy Fitness went wrong
was with the push up ring and
that's because he was too busy
exercising his muscles when he
should have been
exercising his mind.
DALLAS (off-screen): When
using a push up ring force
must be applied directly
downwards over the base
of the ring.
Any sideways force to the top
of the ring will produce a
turning effect and could cause
it to rotate and remove part
of your base of support.
More experienced ring users
can add a jump and a clap to
their routine, with the key
being the landing as the rings
must remain vertical.
And finally it's important
to make sure that whatever
surface the rings are on
provides sufficient friction
to prevent them slipping.
DALLAS (off-screen): It
looks like someone wasn't
paying attention.
When he lands the rings aren't
vertical so the downward force
he applies through his arms is
not directly over the ring's
base and thanks to the
resulting turning effect
he loses his base of support.
Luckily his face
broke the fall.
Maybe try it without
the clap next time.
Maybe try it on the
floor next time.
Low friction between the ring
and the railing means that it
only took a small sideways
force to overcome the friction
and slip, removing one side
of his base of support.
(screams)
As my grandmother
used to always say,
'If at first you don't
succeed, give up,' or not.
At least our bearded friend
has more support this time.
It's just a very
unstable support.
The rings aren't vertical when
he lands and so the force he
applies produces
a turning effect,
causing them to rotate
and him to lose
his base of support.
Third time lucky?
Uh, what about fourth time?
And that is it, my friends.
I am sorry to say we've run
out of time but don't worry
because there's plenty more
stupid where they came from.
There's an often quoted saying
within scientific circles that
goes, 'If we knew what it was
we were doing it would not be
called "research", would it?'
Well, I concur.
I mean, these researchers
haven't got a clue what they're doing.
(music plays through credits).
Captioned by
Cotter Captioning Services.