05x07 - Voice Flame Extinguisher

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: on this episode
of "mythbusters"...
Jamie and adam sing for science

To see if sound waves can
actually extinguish a fire.
♪ Is my voice enough to put

Out this flame? ♪
Narrator: it's an audio
investigation that leads to

Another "mythbusters" world
first...
Whoo!

Narrator: ...before it all
escalates into a sonic boom.
Beautiful!

That could not have gone better.
Narrator: then tory, kari,
and grant test hypnosis myths.

Sleep.
Sleep.
Sleep.

Narrator: first up, can you
plant a suggestion to make
someone do something against

Their will?
I like that.
Narrator: and then jamie and

Adam stage a scene...
Movie star!
Narrator: ...to test the myth

That hypnosis can enhance your
memory.
1, 2, 3, And begin.

Narrator: who are the
"mythbusters"?
Adam savage...

Danger is my middle name.
Narrator: ...and
jamie hyneman.

Now behave, or we're gonna
make you into a coat.
Narrator: between them, over


Experience.
Yeah!

Narrator: joining them,
tory belleci...
Kari byron...

Don't try what you're about
to see at home.
Narrator: ...and

Grant imahara.
He's alive!
Narrator: they don't just

Tell the myths.
They put them to the test.

When it comes to busting sound

Myths, adam and jamie are kings.

[ Laughing ]

Narrator: they love cranking

The volume to 11 in the name of

Science, of course.

Gonna just have to give me

Hand signals 'cause I can't hear

A damn thing.

Narrator: and now the master

Blasters are at it again with a

New groundbreaking sonic saga.

What's the myth?
Quite simply, it's that you
can extinguish a fire using only

The power of a human voice.
You're making that up.
I am not.

It actually comes from an
early-20th-century naturalist
named charles kellogg, who

Claimed far and wide that he
could put out fires using only
his voice.

Didn't he also invent cereal
or something?
No, wrong guy.

Narrator: charles kellogg,
unlike the cereal guy, was a
vocal genius.

In the early 1900s, he traveled
the states in a hollow redwood
tree and wowed audiences with

His bird impersonations, which
could supposedly put out fires.
He claimed he could do this not

With his exhaled breath but with
the sound waves themselves.
As sound travels through air, it

Creates pressure waves.
These pressure waves can cause
air molecules to vibrate, and if

They vibrate enough, a flame can
apparently be blown out.
Do we have a plan?

Well, I think we have a
reasonable plan.
Kellogg claimed he could put out

A fire with his voice, and he
demonstrated it.
We should find out how,

Replicate that demonstration,
and see what we get.
Okay.

Narrator: okay, so, all
they've got to do is replicate
kellogg's demonstration.

But as the boys delve deeper,
they realize its more complex
than that.

From reading that I've done,
it doesn't appear that he's,
like, lighting a fire somewhere

And then just...
♪ Ahh ♪
...singing it out.

It seems to be a very specific
thing called a sensitive flame.
Narrator: a sensitive flame

Is a bit like a bunsen burner.
But, thanks to a protective
glass tube and a special latex

Diaphragm, the flame actually
reacts to sound waves.
Its vastly different from a

Regular fire, but because this
is what kellogg sang at, the
first step for this myth is for

Adam to build one of his own.
We got a sensitive flame!
[ Laughs ]

There's no way the air from my
breath is affecting that flame
inside the glass.

We've got a sensitive flame.
Yeah!
I think it's doing it over

Here, as well!
Narrator: you can clearly see
the flame reacting to jamie and

Adam's voices.
Awesome.
Narrator: but what exactly is

Going on?
What I have here are the
rudiments of kellogg's exact

Experimental setup for using his
voice to extinguish fire.
It consists of gas feeding into

A chamber that has a membrane on
it, and the membrane moves in
relation to the sound in the

Room and affects the pressure of
the fire.
You can see, as I'm talking, the

Fire is moving, and it doesn't
have to do with my breath.
It has to do with the sound of

My voice.
Narrator: with the so-called
sensitive flame fired up, adam's

Got a copy of a 1905 gramophone
recording of kellogg singing
like a bird.

All right, here's a little
history.
[ Sighs ]

"His human voice was analyzed
and found to be normal, under


However, his bird voice soared
into the inaudible, above


His voice reputedly had a range
of 12 1/2 octaves, while the
normal range of a singing voice

Is just 2 1/2."
We will see.
[ Bird calls ]

Kellogg's bird voice is
astonishing.
I don't care whether he's

Whistling or grabbing his neck
and doing this or whatever.
That it comes out of a person

Is amazing.
Narrator: the high-frequency
bird voice makes the flame go

Ballistic, but extinguished it
ain't.
That's kind of spooky,

Actually.
Isn't it?
There's a specific, like --

[ Imitates bird calling ]
bird call of kellogg's that
makes the flame, I think, do the

Largest sort of differential
depth.
Bango, bango, bango -- like

That.
[ Calling continues ]
is he saying "redrum"?

Narrator: despite their lack
of success, all is not lost.
It's possible that adam's cd of

A recording made over 100 years
ago is simply not good-enough
quality.

I'm going to try to put this
flame out using my dog voice.
Narrator: so to keep testing

This myth, the boys must come up
with a way of replicating
kellogg's full vocal range

Before adam goes barking mad.
[ Barking ]
no, my dog voice doesn't work.

Look into my eyes.
Deeper.
You will fall into a deep, deep

Sleep.
What are you doing?
I'm trying to hypnotize

Grant.
Why?
We're working on hypnosis

Myths.
Narrator: hypnosis has long
sparked a spiral of myths about

Its so-called powers, myths that
are about to get the
"mythbusters" treatment,

Starting with an all-time
classic.
All right, so, which one of

Us is going to get hypnotized?
Unfortunately, it's not that
easy.

Apparently, not everyone can be
hypnotized, so first of all, we
need to go find a hypnotist,

Find out which one is
susceptible, and whoever that
is, that's the person that gets

The posthypnotic suggestion.
Great.
Let's go find a hypnotist.

Narrator: to put this myth
to the test, the starting point
is to see if any of them can

Actually be hypnotized in the
first place.
Here we have a hypnotherapist

And a neurotherapist.
They're going to figure out
which one of us can be

Hypnotized.
For this test, we need
posthypnotic suggestion, and if

None of us can be hypnotized,
we're stuck.
Narrator: first up is tory.

The plan is that kari and grant

Will monitor his progress with

The help of neurotherapist

Cynthia and her e.e.g.

Machine...

So, what's this?

If I get a wrong answer, then

You shock me?

Narrator: ...while clinical

Hypnotist seth will try to put

Him under her spell.

Just keep on focusing on my
hand, noticing that your eyes
start to feel heavy.

Allow that feeling of heaviness
to get more and more, more and
more heavy.

Narrator: she's using a
common technique called
progressive relaxation.

And just let a gentle wave of
relaxing energy go from your
head all the way down to your

Feet, to your toes.
A gentle wave.
Narrator: kari and grant will

Know tory's been hypnotized when
the e.e.g. Machine shows his
brain's electrical activity has

Halved.
Do you know what percentage
of people are able to be

Hypnotized?
Easily 85%, to some degree.
Narrator: despite the odds,

They're not off to a good start,
because even after 10 minutes,
tory's brain activity has only

Dropped by 5%.
I would want to see it get to
about half of what it was, so if

He was about 9 1/2, I'd like to
see it at about maybe 4.
Narrator: tory's inability

To relax means he's out of the
race, so next up is kari, and
the boys have high hopes for

Her.
I actually think that she's a
reasonable candidate to be

Hypnotized.
Why?
Um, I don't know.

It's kind of a gut feeling.
'Cause you tell her to do
things and she does them?

No, that's definitely not the
reason why.
Narrator: but their hopes

Are ill-founded, because kari
won't go under, either.
I think I would start to

Get relaxed enough that I was
almost in a sleeplike state, but
then I'd be like, "oh, I'm

Trying to be in a sleeplike
state.
I'm trying so hard."

So it's almost like I couldn't
let myself completely relax.
Narrator: so, with the score

Standing at 0-2, it all boils
down to grant.
But will mr. Science submit to

Seth?
Deeply, deeply down.
More and more relaxed.

Narrator: despite grant's
initial discomfort, after
five minutes, things are looking

Good.
Like a rag doll, deeper down.

Narrator: the e.e.g. Machine

Shows grant's brain activity has

Already dropped from a level 9

To a 4.

I think he's in a deep state.
I think he's more hypnotizable.
There you go. Look at that.

Narrator: and what that means
is he's just the kind of highly
suggestible subject they're

Looking for.
Grant would make a good
subject for a posthypnotic

Suggestion.
He's a very susceptible person.
You're the winner.

Okay. What does that mean?
Well, you know what that
means.

Now we're gonna see if we can
hypnotize you and see if we can
get you to do something that you

Wouldn't normally do.
You're not gonna embarrass
me or anything?

It won't be too humiliating.
Narrator: popular in the
early 1900s, charles kellogg was

A naturalist-c*m-showman with an
extraordinary talent.
Not only could he sing like a

Bird, but he could also
supposedly extinguish a
sensitive flame with his voice.

But when the mythbusters tried
to replicate this feat, they
failed to douse anything.

But in case the 100-year-old
recording they used was of
insufficient quality, they've

Now called in the big g*ns.

Hey, roger.

Hey.

How you doing?

Good to see you.

Come to help us do some

Detective work?

Yeah!

Narrator: sound engineer
roger has brought a tone
generator to replicate the full

Vocal range of kellogg's bird
voice.
In kellogg's day, this was

The way that you generated a
precise frequency.
This is what they used to tune

Pianos and other things, I
believe, not that I've ever done
it.

But these days we have things
called tone generators, and so
we'll be able to get any

Frequency that we want within
any conceivable range.
Narrator: but before getting

Into a frequency frenzy, let's
get a few things straight.
Sound is vibrations traveling

Through the air in waves.
Its frequency is a measure of
how many times the sound wave

Vibrates in one second.
The higher the frequency, the
higher the pitch.

Kellogg's bird voice could
supposedly reach a barely
audible frequency of


Tone generator can match.
I'd love to sweep all the

Way up through and into the
inaudible range, because again,
we keep on seeing in all the

Material kellogg said, that he
thought it was the high
frequency that affected the

Flame more than low frequency.
Narrator: roger cuts straight
to the chase and tunes into


Keeps burning bright.
So, work down?

Narrator: so the team decides
to change tactic and lower the
frequency, and what do you know?

What a difference.
Oh! h*!
Hey!

What was that at?
Narrator: at 166 hertz, the
opposite end of the spectrum to

Kellogg, and the sensitive flame
does go silent.
But adam's not entirely

Satisfied.
This is a rig that utilizes
fire -- it's true.

But I can put this fire out by
doing that.
That's the rig failing to

Maintain a fire.
That's not a fire being
extinguished, and I think that's

A really key difference.
What I'd like to do, now that
I've got all this equipment set

Up, is just put a candle in
front of the speaker and see
what kind of responses I get out

Of it.
Narrator: it's an ordinary,
household candle, about as

Simple as fire can get, and
unlike the sensitive flame, has
no special trappings to make it

Reactive to sound.
Ready?
What?

Yeah.
[ Tone plays ]
narrator: they start with

High frequencies, but get
nowhere fast.
No appreciable effect on the

Flame at all.
Narrator: it's not until they
lower the tone that they get the

Result they're after.
[ Lower tone plays ]
[ laughs ]

Narrator: so at low
frequencies from a tone
generator, a flame can be

Extinguished with sound.
The low-pitch sound sends out a
pressure wave which vibrates the

Air so much that the flame gets
snuffed out.
My question now would be,

Could you and I replicate that
with our voices?
Can we pipe our voices through

This thing?
Yeah.
Narrator: so, can the human

Voice replicate this feat?
Time to tackle this myth,
karaoke style.

[ Sings low tone ]
narrator: just like in real
life, adam is loud, but he's not

Very deep.
[ Singing indistinctly ]
[ chuckles ]

Narrator: and the candle
keeps candling on.
That's as low as I can go.

Narrator: will jamie be able
to do any better?
Ladies and gentlemen, I'd

Like to bring up to the mike a
very good old friend of mine,
mr. James hyneman.

James hyneman!
Let's bring him on up! Come on!
[ Sings low-to-high

Sliding tone ]
[ laughs ]
narrator: jamie's voice is

Lower and has more affect on the
flame, but after a few bars,
feedback starts interfering with

The test.
I think we need more
separation from the -- between

The microphone and the speaker.
So, like, jamie singing from
the other room.

Yeah.
Okay. Let's try that.
Narrator: jamie resumes his

Performance from an impromptu
sound booth.
Am I on?

Oh, yeah.
Narrator: jamie's dulcet
tones ring out, but the candle

Keeps on keeping on.
Is that all the volume I've
got?

Yeah.
Narrator: in desperation,
jamie adopts the birthday-cake

Approach.
[ Blowing ]
that seems to be working.

Narrator: but it doesn't look
like he'll be getting his wish
anytime soon.

I'm getting dizzy.
I feel like we can conclude
from this that even the

Amplified human voice can't put
out a naked flame.
So it would seem.

Narrator: the team has
already determined that grant is
a suitably susceptible subject,

So all that remains now is for
kari and tory to figure out what
they want him to do.

I'm a little apprehensive as
to what the other two might have
come up with in their little

Minds.
Narrator: and apprehensive he
should be.

There's no way he would ever
do anything goofy or feminine to
his robot.

Like, paint a big heart on it.
Narrator: kari and tory's
brainstorm has yielded two

Posthypnotic suggestions to
place in grant's brain.
I like that.

Narrator: the plan is, when
tory says the words "quantum
physics," grant will suddenly

Decide to draw love hearts on
his beloved robot, deadblow,
something he would never

Normally do.
And when kari yawns, he'll jump
up and down, something he might

Normally do.
It's back into the chair for lab
rat grant, and it's only a few

Minutes before the souped-up
e.e.g. Machine shows that
grant's brain activity has

Dropped by 50%.
It's kind of creepy.
He looks like a zombie.

Narrator: seth wants to make
doubly sure he's feeling
compliant before slipping him

The posthypnotic suggestions.
In a moment, I'm going to ask
you to tell me your name.

When I count to the number
three, you will not be able to
remember your last name.

One...
Two...
And three.

What is your name?
Grant.
Grant?

And your last name?
It's working.
He can't say his last name.

Narrator: with grant well and
truly under, seth plants the
seeds of posthypnotic

Suggestion, starting with one he
would never normally do.
When you hear the words

"Quantum physics," on your
robot, you're going to draw a
beautiful, feminine heart.

Oh, my god.
She just gave him the command,
and he agreed to it without

Cracking a smile.
I know he's not that good an
actor.

Narrator: so far, so good.
Now for the much easier second
suggestion.

Whenever you see kari yawn,
you are going to have this
uncontrollable urge to jump up

And down.
He looks like he's putty in
her hands.

I'd like you now to get ready
to come back.
Narrator: so the seeds have

Been sown.
They'll have to wait until
tomorrow to see if they've taken

Root.
Jamie and adam are trying to
overturn conventional

Fire-fighting techniques by
putting out fires with the human
voice, but the results so far

Aren't about to set the world
ablaze.
So, where are we at with this

Myth?
Well, we have successfully
demonstrated that we can put out

A fire using a sound, but we
have not demonstrated that a
human voice can do it.

Doesn't that mean it's
busted?
Not exactly.

I mean, just because we can't
do it doesn't mean it can't be
done.

Remembering shattering a wine
glass?
Narrator: when adam and jamie

Tried to shatter a wine glass
with their unamplified voices,
they got nowhere fast.

Not surprisingly, I don't
think I can do it.
Narrator: it wasn't until

They unleashed the power of
rocker pro jaime vendera that
they got their lucky break.

Whoo!
I think it's time to bring in
some professionals.

Like some singers.
Exactly.
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ I don't have no... ♪
Narrator: cue local
a cappella group hookslide with

Their most bizarre gig to date.
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah ♪

All right, guys, so, instead
of entertaining crowds of
people, it's a physics problem

Today.
Narrator: today's challenge
is to extinguish a candle using

Their voices, with a little help
from roger.
Whenever you're ready, take

It away, and try and put out
that candle.
[ All sing note ]

Narrator: sure, they can hold
a harmony, but are they
fire-fighting material?

[ Feedback ]
one of you hit a really
specific note.

[ Sings low note ]
narrator: once again, it's
the low frequencies that have

The most effect, so bassist
jonathan gets his chance for a
solo.

[ Sings lower notes ]
narrator: at first, even his
lowest low doesn't work.

Do the buzz.
Do the two together.
Narrator: but as the saying

Goes, if at first you don't
succeed, well...
[ Cheering ]

Narrator: now, what's he
doing to make that sound?
I'm doing two things at once.

Firstly, I'm just singing
normally.
[ Hums ]

And then I'm also buzzing my
lips together, pushing air
through my lips.

[ Buzzing ]
when you do them together...
[ Buzzing low notes ]

It turns out that it is
possible to put out a flame with
an amplified human voice.

Of course, we can't leave it
there.
On the tails of that success, I

Think we should set a bigger
flame and some bigger speakers
and put jon to the test.

Narrator: with mission
accomplished on the candle, it's
time to turn up the heat to

Record-breaking proportions.
This is our next test bed to
try and put a fire out with

Sound or a voice.
This is simply propane that
you'd hook up to your barbecue.

It's really simple.
Narrator: to put out a
four-foot flame like this,

They're going to need to go for
broke with some monster
loudspeakers.

This is perfect for any home
theater system.
Narrator: these speakers

Should blast the low-frequency
noise out so loudly that the air
molecules vibrate more

Violently, causing a greater air
current.
But will this wind current be

Strong enough?
We're going to kind of
super-size it here.

We've got a much bigger flame,
much bigger speakers, and we'll
see whether we can get the same

Effect.
Narrator: it's back to the
booth for our beat-box

Bassist...
[ Buzzing ]
narrator: ...blowing

Raspberries in the name of
science.
Try as he might, even at a

Whopping 146 decibels,
jonathan's raspberries are no
match for the bigger burn.

I think it's time to move on
to tones.
Thank you so much.

I appreciate it.
Roger, it's all up to you
now.

You ready?
Ready.
Narrator: armed with $80,000

Worth of audio equipment, is
there anything roger can do to
put out this fire?

He works his way through the
frequencies and cranks it up to
a bone-jarring, painfully loud


But even that can't put out the
fire.

There's stuff falling off of
the ceiling.
So far, I'm not seeing

Anything in any of our
experimentation that yields or
seems to yield a practical

Fire-fighting technique.
Narrator: but jamie's got one
last idea.

We're gonna give it one last
shot.
We've reconfigured the speakers

So they're more or less coming
at the flame in one wall.
Frankly, we're a little baffled

And don't know what else to do.
Narrator: will the "v"
formation be "v" for victory?

Roger cranks up the bass and
adam's on his hands and knees
praying for a sweet spot.

It's less about intricate
planning and more about trial
and error, but suddenly.

Whoo!
[ Laughs ]
oh, my god.

Narrator: it's a red-letter
day for science, because at


World first.
No one has ever put out a fire

Of this size with sound until
now.
This is yet another in a long

Line of cases in which I
completely didn't expect the
result we got at the very end of

The day.
Everything we'd done up until we
got that flame to go out was

Telling me, not gonna happen.
Difference between a candle and
a real fire is significant, and

We were not gonna get any
positive results, and we did.
That's stunning.

I love being wrong.
Narrator: but it's not over
yet, because before this myth is

Extinguished, there's an
expl*sive twist to the tale.

Narrator: it's like any other
morning at "mythbusters," except
today, grant is a ticking time

b*mb.
Yesterday, he was implanted with
two posthypnotic suggestions.

It's time to see if those seeds
have taken root.
So the two triggers are, one,

We're saying "quantum physics",
and that's going to cause grant
to pull out his marker and go

Draw hearts on his robot.
And then the second one is,
kari's going to yawn, and that's

Going to get him to jump around.
So either way, it should be a
very entertaining day.

Narrator: neither kari nor
tory have spoken to grant about
yesterday's hypnosis session.

As far as he's concerned, he's
designing a diet-coke-and-mentos
rig.

So bring on the trigger words.
What I can do is make
something that will just push

Them all in really quick.
That just seems like a lot
of extra work.

I think you're getting too
complicated.
It's not like this is quantum

Physics.
Narrator: that was the
trigger.

Okay.
Narrator: but the robot
remains graffiti-free.

Maybe the more subtle suggestion
will stand a better chance.
I have some --

[ Yawns ]
some, uh...
Narrator: kari yawns once,

And twice, but nothing.
[ Laughs ]
narrator: the triggers are

Enough to give him the giggles,
but not enough to put him under
their power.

So what went wrong?
I had a clear idea of what
they wanted me to do.

And all through, I was trying
to say, okay, well, maybe
hopefully I'll forget, and then

It'll be subliminal.
But it just kept coming back.
Narrator: so it didn't work

On grant, but is it a little too
soon to call this one game over
for the myth?

I think the real problem is,
you always knew you were going
to get a suggestion while you

Were under.
You didn't know what it was, but
you always knew.

Maybe what we do is, we find
somebody from the crew who
believes in hypnosis and wants

To change.
While they're under, we secretly
put a posthypnotic suggestion in

There.
I have the perfect candidate.
Alice, who's one of our

Producers, wants to stop chewing
the tops of her pens, and she's
a big believer in alternative

Healing techniques, like
hypnosis.
So I say we bring her in, give

Her hypnosis for chewing the
tops of the pens, but while
she's under, we give her our own

Suggestion.
Narrator: producer alice has
been working with jamie and adam

On another story and has no idea
what this team is up to.
She thinks she's here to be

Hypnotized to kick her
disgusting pen-chewing habit.
Just allow your eyes to

Close and allow yourself to
double the relaxation.
Narrator: but what she

Doesn't know is that, while
she's under, something devious
is going on.

We're going to give her
posthypnotic suggestions the
same way that we gave you.

We're going to give her one that
is something that she could
easily do, like grabbing her

Ear.
And then the second one we're
going to do is completely

Against her moral fiber,
something she would not do.
That is?

Slapping me in the face.
Narrator: with the session
in full swing, it's time to

Plant the first suggestion.
When you hear the word
"adam," would it be okay with

You if you were to scratch your
ear?
I don't like the idea of

This.
This is trickery.
She's on to us!

Narrator: despite an
encouraging start, it doesn't
look like producer alice is

Going to take the bait.
I did not agree to this
before.

Narrator: looks like this
myth is sinking faster than a
lead balloon.

She knows we're trying to
sneak in some posthypnotic
suggestions, and it's not

Working.
Hypnosis can't control you.
You have to want to accept the

Suggestion, but if you don't
want to do it, it's not going to
happen.

I'm so sad.
I really wanted this one to
work.

You wanted to get slapped in
the face?
Well, we did get a good

Result.
I mean, as soon as the hypnotist
tried to make alice do something

Against her will, she came right
out of the hypnosis.
So it is just like they say.

You never really go totally
unconscious.
And most hypnotherapists and

Hypnotists agree that you can't
make anyone do anything that's
against their moral fiber.

So this one's busted?
Busted.
It's too bad, 'cause I kind

Of wanted to take over the
world.

Narrator: grant, kari, and
tory have been having so much
fun exploring hypnosis myths...

"It's not like it's quantum
physics."
[ Laughter ]

Narrator: ...that adam and
jamie can't help but join them.
What are you doing?

Kari, grant, and tory are
doing hypnosis myths, and as
long as they're exploring the

Subject, there is one I have
always wanted to try.
Yeah, what's that?

Well, it's that you can
remember more details under
hypnosis than under normal

Circumstances.
Like, the police could put you
under hypnosis, and you'd

Remember all sorts of things
about a crime you witnessed that
you had no conscious memory of

Witnessing.
Narrator: it's one of the
most pervasive myths associated

With hypnosis, but can going
under really unleash a vast
resource of hidden memories?

What are we gonna do?
I'm thinking you and someone
that they don't know, enacting

Some kind of altercation while
they look on, and after it,
we'll give them a questionnaire

Of questions they have to answer
about details they witnessed,
and then we'll put them under

Hypnosis, give them the same
questions, and see if they
remember more.

So, we need tog et some
actors.
Precisely.

Hey, guys.

Narrator: so, to put this

Myth to the test, they've

Enlisted the help of local

Actors ryan and brian to stage a

Scene that will take place in

Front of kari, tory, and grant.

The goal of the scene is to
elevate their stress levels a
little bit, make them view

Something that's slightly
uncomfortable, and then they're
gonna have to remember exactly

What happened.
We're going to fill our little
scenario with a bunch of details

That they're supposed to
remember.
We're gonna see if they can

Remember more of those details
under hypnosis than under normal
conditions.

Narrator: of course, this is
all gonna come as a total
surprise to our three guinea

Pigs, who have no idea of this
hypnosis high-jinks.
Action!

Narrator: the basic scene is
that ryan and brian are going to
be deliverymen with attitude...

Wait, wait, wait, wait!
You're a big man, huh?
A big star?

Narrator: ...who push jamie
over the edge.
Well, that ought to work.

That is perfect.
This is gonna be an ideal test.
There's a lot for them to

Remember there.
Narrator: what's important
for this myth is that there are

Plenty of actions and words to
remember, but adam wants to
leave a series of visual clues,

As well.
Look at that.
Narrator: a tattoo here, a

Few nametags there, and some
company logos for good measure.
These are the kinds of quality

Clues which, if remembered,
could break a real-life crime
case.

But over at m7, will an
unsuspecting kari, tory, and
grant be able to remember more

Of these clues when under
hypnosis?
Only the camera crew have been

Let in on the little secret so
they can record it going down.
So, let the scene be seen.

I have a package for m7.
I can take it.
You're that guy, man.

Hey, how's it going?
This is the guy from the
show, right?

You're from the show where they
blow stuff up and stuff?
Yeah.

Oh, my god!
Do you mind if a get a
signature, though?

Narrator: a whole array of
clues are being dropped as the
scene gets underway, but are any

Being picked up by the team?
Just put something like,
"live the myth, live the dream."

You've got to be kidding
me.
Narrator: at first, they

Don't take much notice...
I can take a picture of you?
You and me?

I'm gonna wear the beanie.
Narrator: ...until things
escalate.

Leave the hat alone.
It's cool.
We got to get back to work here.

Big tv star, huh?
Narrator: now the scene has
got their undivided attention.

You know what?
You know what?
Screw that.

No photo, no package!
God!
Movie stars!

Somebody's got to sign for
this.
What was that?

The only way any of that
would make sense -- if some
music started and he started

Taking his clothes off or
something.
[ Laughter ]

Narrator: with the show over,
it's time to let them in on the
scam.

How'd you like that?
That was pretty funny.
That was crazy!

We constructed that whole
scene to give you guys a bunch
of facts to try and remember.

The myth is that under hypnosis,
you might remember more about a
crime or an event that happened

In front of you than you would
under normal conditions.
That's good!

So we wrote down a whole
bunch of details about the
physical appearance of those

Guys and about the narrative of
exactly what happened, and we
have those questions in here.

We're going to ask you guys this
questionnaire not under hypnosis
and then under hypnosis, and see

If there's a difference in the
results.
None of us had a clue.

None of us were in on it.
It's just gonna be an
interesting test to see if we do

Better before and after the
hypnosis.
Well, now that I know it's a

Memory test, I'm hoping that I
paid close enough of attention
to these people to be able to

Describe them.
Narrator: time to find out,
as tory, kari, and grant submit

To the "mythbusters" memory
exam.
I feel like I'm back in high

School.
If you were back in high
school, you'd be cheating off of

Me.
I wouldn't cheat off you.
I'm-a cheat off grant.

[ Laughter ]
narrator: they're going to be

Asked the same set of questions
before and after hypnosis.
White?

Narrator: questions about the
culprits' names, their
distinguishing features, and

Even their smell...
That's a weird question.
Narrator: ...will test their

Range of recall across all the
senses.
I think that's it.

I'm done.
I can't remember anything else.
Narrator: so, how do they

Rate their recall?
I know there's a lot of
details that I probably got

Wrong.
I remember things, but I don't
remember specifics about those

Things.
Narrator: he's not kidding.
Although they could all remember

Some general info about the
scene, no one was able to recall
anything critical that could

Lead to an arrest in a real-life
case, but will hypnosis help
paint a clearer picture before

This case goes cold?

In voice fire extinguisher, adam
and jamie have something to
shout about.

They've just used amplified
sound waves to put out a
record-sized flame.

So, where does that leave the
myth?
Are we ready to call this

One?
I think based on what we've
gotten so far, yeah.

I think charles kellogg's
original claim, the source of
our myth, that you can put out a

Fire with an unamplified human
voice, is totally busted.
And yet like any good myth,

There is an element of truth
here.
Oh, no, I could not believe

The results we got when our
singer was able, although
amplified, to put out that

Candle with his voice.
Yeah, and with a tone
generator and a truckload of

Amplifiers and speakers, we were
able to put out a pretty
good-sized flame, which is

Really impressive.
And yet, I don't feel like we
can let this one rest here.

Well, what about expl*sives?
I mean, sound's a pressure wave,
and expl*sives create a pressure

Wave.
As far as I know, they actually
put out oil-rig fires with

expl*sives.
Sold. Let's do it.
Okay.

Narrator: the mythbusters

Have used expl*sives for just

About every occasion.

[ expl*si*n ]

From redecorating a house...

To adding a touch of flair to an



Oh!
Narrator: and now they're
going to use them to fight

Fires.
Once again, we find ourselves
at the alameda county b*mb

Range.
J.d. And frank doyle are helping
us out.

We're gonna try and put out a
fire with expl*sives.
Narrator: in other words,

They're going to fight fire with
firepower, a technique that was
developed to put out arguably

The most dangerous infernos of
all, oil-well fires.

This technique was made

Famous by the late red adair,

Who's probably the most famous

Firefighter ever.

He put out over 2,000 fires in

His career.

The guy was amazing.
Narrator: but how exactly did
he do it?

Well, that's perfect territory
for the mythbusters and the
logical extension of their

Fire-fighting-with-sound
investigation.
Sound is nothing but

Pressure.
In the case of a sound wave,
we've got repeated cycling of

This pressure wave over and over
again to create something that
you hear.

The theory of using an expl*sive
to put out a fire is that the
single pressure wave the

expl*sive creates removes all of
the oxygen from the fire so it
can't burn.

Narrator: to put this theory
to the test, the first thing
they're going to need is a fire,

And that's jamie's department.
This flame rig works by
pressurizing a tank full of

Gasoline.
It simply pushes the gas out the
bottom of the tank, down the

Pipe, and out the nozzle.
We have gasoline coming out here
and we've got an ignition source

Here, which is just a neon
transformer that's being shorted
across the two lines there, so

It makes a spark jump.
Okay, systems check in 3, 2, 1.
That worked perfectly.

Was that beautiful or what?
Look at that thing.
It doesn't get much neater

Than that.
Narrator: with the fire rig
fired up, adam works on an

expl*sives delivery system.
We have to deliver an
expl*sive charge to a fire, and

The fire's gonna have the
potential to want to make that
expl*sive charge go off before

We intend it to go off.
So, rather than have it placed
here when our fire's going,

We're gonna have it way back
there until we're ready, till
we're all set, then we yell,

"Go!"
We pull it in here, and that's
when we detonate it.

Narrator: sounds like a plan.
And first up for the
fire-in-the-hole test is black

Powder, a low-velocity
expl*sive.

Are we ready?

We are ready.

This is the burrito.

Black-powder burrito.

Narrator: with the
black-powder burrito in place,
it's time for the three amigos

To hunker in the bunker.
Okay, are we set?
This is for real.

Okay, black-powder test.
I'm going to go ahead and ignite
now.

We have fire.
It's all yours, adam.
Pulling in.

We're in place.
Go.
Beautiful!

That worked perfectly!
That could have not gone better.
Narrator: the fire rig and

expl*sives delivery system
worked like a charm.
But for fighting fires, they'd

Have been better off using black
magic than black powder,
because, as the high speed

Shows, the post-boom flame is
burning as strong as ever.
So they'll have to try again

With something that has a little
more bang for their buck.
Ha! That's fun!

Narrator: so far in tackling
the myth that hypnosis enhances
memory recall, jamie and adam

Have staged a scene...
Leave the hat alone.
It's cool.

We've got to get back to work
here.
Narrator: ...and put the

Team's unassisted memory to the
test.
I feel like I'm back in high

School.
Narrator: but the case has
gone cold, with all three

Flunking the "mythbusters"
memory exam.
Now it's time to find out if

Hypnosis will help them remember
any critical clues.
Hypnotist dave hill thinks it

Will.

I'm going to do everything

In my hypnotic ability to help

You gain more memory.

Sound like fun?
Yeah, all right.
Narrator: dave's spent the

Last 20 years putting people
under, and he's convinced he
can refresh memories using the

Technique of rapid hypnosis.
Just give me your hand, if
you would.

That's good.
I'm going to place my hand here
if that's okay.

By the time I reach the count of
one, you'll be in a very deep,
deep state of hypnotic sleep.

That's fine.
You're doing perfectly, and
sleep!

Narrator: the idea is to
overload the mind with sudden,
firm commands.

Okay, close your eyes down,
my friend.
Roll your eyeballs up.

Try to open your eyes.
Notice they don't work.
And sleep.

Way down.
And sleep.
Sleep!

That's fine.
You're doing great.
In a moment, we're going to have

You answer some questions on
paper about the incident that
you saw.

Before we do that, I want to
help you with your memory.
What we're going to now give you

In your mind's eye is a
wonderful tv set with a remote
control that allows you to fast

Forward, to reverse scenes, to
put the scenes in slow motion.
Narrator: with dave at the

Helm, the team retakes the very
same test in their hypnotic
state.

Did their uniforms have
nametags or patches?
Look at them carefully.

What was written on their
nametags?
Did either deliveryman have a

Tattoo?
Narrator: several probing
questions later and it's time to

Re-emerge and find out if
hypnosis helped them remember
any additional information that

Will crack the case.
Wide awake feeling fantastic
in every way.

Narrator: the papers have
been graded and the new scores
are in with exciting results.

Kari has remembered some
important dialogue.
"You're that guy, dude.

You know, that guy from the
show.
They blow stuff up."

This is the guy from the
show, right?
You're from the show where they

Blow stuff up?
"Wait, I want to call my
brother."

You know what?
I'm going to call my brother
real fast.

All of that I remembered
after we relaxed with the
hypnosis.

Narrator: but it's grant and
tory that have come up trumps
with the types of quality

Information that would really
help a real-life investigation.
I don't even remember

Nametags, but when we went under
hypnosis, a name popped up.
Was it the right name?

Yeah.
What's his name?
Joe.

Narrator: and grant was able
to describe the tattoo in
detail.

For purposes of identifying
someone at a crime scene, that's
really important information.

I'm totally impressed by
the results.
Narrator: so thanks to

Hypnosis, looks like the case
might be solved after all.
So, did you guys do any

Better remembering details under
hypnosis?
Well, I remembered that one

Of the guys had a tattoo on his
neck under hypnosis.
That's really important.

Oh, yeah.
Tory remembered a name.
I totally did not expect

This to work.
I mean, given that, are we
calling this confirmed?

We have what it takes to be
confirmed.
Confirmed.

I'm a believer.
That's amazing.

Narrator: at the b*mb range,
the mythbusters are trying to
put out fires with expl*sives.

I'll let adam explain why.
We have already tried putting
out fires with sound.

We started out with our voice...
...then we moved on to
sound-generating equipment.

Now we're trying expl*sives.
We have already tried black
powder to put out fires.

Now we're going with high
expl*sives.
The throughput here, the key

Point that travels through all
these experiments, is attempting
to use waves -- either sound

Waves or shock waves -- to put
out fire.
Narrator: and next up in this

Thread, it's the "mythbusters"
favorite.
We've used high expl*sives

A number of times on the show.
Exploding safe...
Exploding pants...

And then there, of course, is
the granddaddy of them all,
which was 22,000-foot fall.

Narrator: the 1,000 pounds of
high expl*sives triggered not
only the biggest blast in

"Mythbusters" history, but also,
rather alarmingly for this test,
set the surrounding hillside

Ablaze.
Now in a reversal of fate, jamie
and adam want to know if the

Same ingredients can be used to
put out fires.

That's high expl*sive, huh?

That is a high expl*sive.

Wow.

It looks more like a taco.
Narrator: so, why would high
expl*sives work when low

expl*sives fail?
Is there a real qualitative
difference between a

High-expl*sives shock wave and a
low-expl*sives shock wave?
Oh, very definitely.

A high-expl*sive shock wave is
much more intense.
It's more of a wall.

It has more push and more speed.
Narrator: it's that push,
that immense pressure wave, that

Should apparently be able to
extinguish the flame.
Once again, they'll be using the

expl*sives delivery system so
that the charge will arrive in
the fire at the precise moment.

And after a quick reset...
Electric's good to go.
Narrator: ...they're ready

For blast number two.
Fire in the hole!
Fire in the hole!

This is, can we put out a
fire with high expl*sives?


We got fire.
Taking out spark.
Moving expl*sives into position.

It's in.
And firing.
Wow!

That was awesome!
Whoo!
Narrator: for jamie's fire,

It was a boom of doom.
It's been completely and
utterly extinguished.

The thing we were looking for
here is did the expl*sive
creature a pressure wave that

Removed the oxygen from the
flame and cut it off?
And we got that. We saw it.

It put the fire out.

Narrator: the high expl*sives

Sure did the trick.

By removing the oxygen, they

Suffocated the fire, but as a

Fire-fighting technique, jamie

Spotted an obvious flaw.

That's not something you want

To put out a fire in your house

With, or you'll remove your

House.

You don't want to put out a fire

On your car just because you

Happen to have some firecrackers

In the trunk.

This is a very specialized thing

That works sometimes if it's set

Up exactly right.

So, what do you think?

Was the fire big enough?

[ Chuckles ]

I think so.

Well, talk about fighting

Fire with fire.

We were able to put out a

Fire with expl*sives.

I got to say, this one has

Carried us very far afield, but

It's been some of the most fun

Experiments I think we've ever

Done.

And it was pretty high up

There on the "don't try this at

Home" list, wasn't it?

Absolutely.