05x07 - Dance, Snow and Bottles

[bunniefuu]

[Dallas, off-screen] This
is the Science of Stupid.

Yes, this is the show that squeezes sense
out of ridiculous nonsense.

We learn the fun way, while
others learn the hard way.

Then we scrutinize what
went wrong and why,

with the help of such scientific
principles as turning force.

Impact.

And frictional resistance.

So don't try any
of this at home.

Actually, don't try it at all.

Watch out.

It's the Science of Stupid.

In this show we'll be
looking at amplitude.

[air horn blares]

[Dallas, off-screen] Gravity.

And drag force.

But first this.

I love canoeing.

And when done correctly it's an extremely
efficient mode of transport.

[Dallas, off-screen] This was
me and a friend last weekend.

But we're not that
keen on efficiency.

You might think
we're hopping mad,

but what are you gonna do when you're up
a creek without a paddle?

Ah a river race.

The guy in the blue shorts thinks he's
giving his team the advantage.

I think they could do
without that kind of help.

This canoeing business
can be tricky, but as always,

a bit of scientific knowledge can go a
long way when you're on the water.

[Dallas, off-screen] The height and
position of the center of gravity

will determine whether a canoe
will heel and by how much.

Canoes have relatively flat bottoms which
means they have low latent stability.

So at high angles of heel the vessel
becomes unstable and can easily capsize.

And the canoe's open top makes it easy for
water to flood in, reducing its buoyancy.

So even if a canoe does not heel far
enough to capsize,

it may flood and sink anyway.

The key to canoeing is to keep the
combined center of gravity

in the center and
as low as possible.

Follow these tips and it should
be smooth sailing all the way.

[man] Willy's lost
a lure out there...

...and he's going to get it.

[Dallas, off-screen] This isn't
Willy's first outing in a canoe

and his knowledge
should be priceless.

[man] You're right
on the rock man.

[Dallas, off-screen] And by
priceless, I mean worthless.

[Willy] [bleep].

[Dallas, off-screen] The canoe seems to be
grounded on a rock so it's much less

stable and his
high leaning

center of gravity makes
the boat heel severely.

[man] Oh.

[Dallas, off-screen]
Leading to a very wet Willy.

[Willy] [bleep].

[Dallas, off-screen] Adding more
mass to the equation makes it

even harder to
control the center of gravity.

[man] Look at that crack!

[man] It's like the Grand Canyon.

[man 3] I'm never gonna get
out of this son of a *****.

[man] Yeah you will.

[man 2] Come on.

[man] Do a full twist and just...

...flop in the seat.

[man 2] Oh God.

[man] It's like a
friggin' sea lion...

...trying to get in a canoe.

-[man 3] Hold on to that.
-[man 2] I got it, man.

[man 2] Oh my God!

[Dallas, off-screen]
Oh that cracks me up.

A second man in the boat adds mass and
raises the center of gravity

even further and when he swivels
his weight shifts to the right

resulting in a lack of stability
and the inevitable early bath.

[man] Your hat's out there,
Charles.

[man] Time to run
some class fours!

[Dallas, off-screen]
He seems confident.

I'm guessing he's highly experienced and
knows how to handle rough rapids.

[man] Paddle on baby.

[Dallas, off-screen]
Or maybe not.

[man] Paddle, paddle, paddle!

[man] Go that way!

[man] Oh there's rocks!

[Dallas, off-screen]
This white-water adventure.

[man] Paddle on baby.

[Dallas, off-screen] Came to an
abrupt halt when water flooded

into the canoe's open top
reducing its buoyancy.

[man] Paddle, paddle, paddle!

[man] Go that way!
Oh there's rocks!

[Dallas, off-screen] And
making for a soggy walk home.

Hopefully now we're all clear on the
basic science of canoeing.

Because as Willy is proving
it's not all that complicated.

[Willy] I'm soaked now.

[Willy] Whoa! Ahh!

[Dallas, off-screen] Oh Willy.

[Willy] [bleep].

Now here at the Science
of Stupid we are incredibly

and very deeply proud of the
educational role that we play.

And that's why it's
so heartening to know

that sometimes all of
our efforts pay off.

Like this guy who has watched all 97
previous episodes and reaped the rewards.

This guy on the other hand
prefers football and the pub.

[man] Alright, so flip.
Hang on. Perfect. Whoa!

[Dallas, off-screen] But I think he's just
seen the error of his ways.

It goes without saying
that you should only jump

where you're sure you can land safely.

It can be a tricky
business but as always,

we're here to help with some
useful scientific pointers.

Nets are flexible and moveable
so instead of using a hand or foot

for support when he jumps,

he needs to hurdle
over it cleanly.

[Dallas, off-screen] This requires lots of
vertical velocity to lift his center

of mass as high as possible
to travel over the net.

And should be followed by a tight tuck to
maximize the clearance under his feet.

Thus, avoiding a snagged foot.

Yes, snagging your foot while
jumping over a net is bad news.

Because it's a sure-fire way of generating
a sudden slowing force at your feet.

So with those words of warning
ringing in our ears

let's see theory put into practice.

[woman] Go!

[Dallas, off-screen]
A tennis court.

The perfect location to test
one's net jumping skills.

Test complete and you failed.

A weak jump lacking sufficient
vertical velocity

and leg tuck results in
a snagged foot.

Leading to a turning force which rotates
her face first into the ground.

Ooh a higher net.

Well, he's got the idea.

What about his friend?
Here we go.

[boy] He can't even jump.

[boy] It's going to be so funny!

[Dallas, off-screen]
That'll be a no.

Jumper one does a big jump, so his center
of mass is lifted nice and high

and he also tucks to
achieve good leg clearance.

Jumper two does none
of those things.

[boy] He can't even jump.

[Dallas, off-screen] This net has been
designed to stop people from jumping out

but maybe he didn't
get the memo.

[laughs].

[Dallas, off-screen] The trampoline should
provide plenty of vertical velocity,

but his trajectory
is all wrong

and a backwards directed reaction force at
knee level combined with the inertia

of his center of mass rotating him head
long towards the ground.

[laughs].

[Dallas, off-screen] I hope his friend's
laughter makes all the pain

and humiliation seem
worthwhile.

Can you guess what key
scientific principles

this doting grandma is
about to demonstrate?

[Dallas, off-screen] So have you guessed
what science we're about to see?

If you said torque and gravity
move to top of the class.

As grandma leans over the cot she creates
an axis about which she can rotate.

With her center of mass and the baby

above the axis she creates
an unbalanced load

and the more she leans, the
more torque she produces.

Luckily her landing was soft and the baby
was unharmed, physically at least.

Henry Ford apparently once said when
everything seems to be going against you

remember that the airplane takes off
against the wind not with it.

But if you're not an airplane,
the wind can be problematic.

[Dallas, off-screen] Especially
if you're thirsty in Iceland.

Trying to avoid road
barricades in China.

Or a tornado chaser in
the good old US of A.

[man] Oh boy!

Yeah, driving through strong winds can
be extremely dangerous.

Especially if you
ignore the science.

[Dallas, off-screen] While his
vehicle protects him

from most of nature's elements

he needs to be careful
of windy conditions.

A strong gust may produce a large drag
force that rotates the vehicle vertically.

The bigger the surface area,
the higher the drag force.

And at some point, gravity
will take over

to help the wind flip the
vehicle all the way.

Yeah, having watched that, my
advice would be to stay indoors,

especially if you drive
a high sided vehicle.

[man] Whey...there it goes!

[Dallas, off-screen]
And that is why.

The large surface area of the
windward side

and high wind velocity
creates a large

drag force sufficient to push the van's
center of mass beyond its base of support.

Perhaps the best thing to do
in windy conditions

is park up and see out the storm.

[man] Whoa! Oh my god!
Oh [bleep].

[Dallas, off-screen]
Then again maybe not.

The car's perpendicular to the wind
and eventually the drag force

overcomes its inertia

and moves its center of mass far
enough to make it topple over.

Once on its side, the car
presents an even larger surface area

and is now less sheltered

from the wind, so a larger
drag force is created.

Next time don't be cheap and
pay the extra and park inside.

But even if the drag force from the wind
isn't sufficient to affect your vehicle,

it may still be large enough to move
objects into your path

which are sometimes even worse.

[Dallas, off-screen] I
fear this won't end well.

I hate being right all the time.

Driving into the wind, the scooter rider

benefits from a relatively
small surface area

which limits the size
of the drag force.

However, the debris has
a large surface area

and is also lighter so is more easily
moved and can be accelerated faster.

Fear not, he made a full
recovery, eventually.

Class I can wait
all day. Isaacs face the front.

Thank you. Yes, it's time
for the science lesson.

That part of the show where we
take a long hard look

at one specific
scientific principle.

So what do the following
have in common?

[Dallas, off-screen]
This fearsome firework.

This spooky sounding fire.

And this wild wake up.

If you said that they were all
examples of sound and hearing

you would be absolutely correct.

Yes, the noises we make and the sounds
we hear are all governed by science.

To make sound this
speaker vibrates.

And the louder the sound, the larger the
amplitude of the vibration.

Whilst it pushes against the paint and
makes it bounce, it also pushes against

the surrounding air molecules creating a
sound wave that spreads outwards.

Lighter objects like this guitar string

tend to vibrate more quickly
than heavy ones so

the air molecules move back
and forth faster,

and the sound wave has a higher
frequency or pitch.

Now then, let's see if you lot have been
paying attention.

Question one, how do
you create a sound wave?

[Dallas, off-screen] This
guy's got a fairly good idea.

I think he might have got a
little bit carried away there.

He successfully produces lots of sound
waves by smashing his cymbals together

thus creating
vibrations in the air.

Sadly his scientific enthusiasm was a
little too much for the cymbals.

Smashing. Right.

Question two, if you push the air
molecules more

what kind of sound wave
will you create?

I think sleeping beauty
here is about to find out.

[air horn blares]

[screams]

[laughs].

[Dallas, off-screen] That is a high
amplitude sound wave. And a clown.

[man] That was brilliant.

[Dallas, off-screen] The shape
of this air horn vibrates air

more efficiently
for a louder sound.

[air horn blares]

[screams]

[laughs].

[Dallas, off-screen] Which
as you can see is hilarious.

[man] That was brilliant!

And now we come to
our third and final question.

How do you create a low
frequency sound wave?

Hm perhaps he can demonstrate.

[high pitched singing]

[Dallas, off-screen] I
wasn't expecting that.

He's producing high frequency
sound waves

more commonly associated
with lady voices.

Whereas typically men like myself produce
lower frequency sound waves

thanks to large thick vocal
cords that vibrate more slowly.

It's a look that says voice
of an angel meets Hells Angel.

So that's the end of our
lesson on sound and hearing.

[screams]

[Dallas, off-screen]
Class dismissed.

As I'm sure you know in 2009 John
Sandford Hart made the fastest ascent of

Mount Kilimanjaro on crutches.

But that wasn't enough for John.

And in 2011 he completed the fastest
marathon on crutches too.

Which is pretty impressive but
not everyone

has the competence of a
John Sandford Hart.

This looks ambitious.

[laughs].

[Dallas, off-screen] And
painful. Has she got it? No.

[boy] Hey, yeah!

[Dallas, off-screen] He
seems a bit more proficient.

[boy] Oh yeah!

[Dallas, off-screen] But it appears he's
gonna up the ante to impress his friends.

-[boy] Oh my god.
-[boy 2] I am the coolest. Iron man.

[laughs].

[Dallas, off-screen]
Well, that was worth it.

Yeah. Clearly,
crutches are complicated.

So let's take a closer look.

[Dallas, off-screen] He places
the crutches on the floor

at an angle towards him.

Friction stops them sliding and they
become an inverted pendulum.

With momentum carrying him forwards,

he moves in a curved path
while two contact points

keep the crutches
aligned with each arm.

Stopping them turning
under his weight.

Now you may have noticed that none of our
field researchers need crutches.

Unless you actually have
an injury or disability

that requires you to master
using

crutches it's best to
steer clear of them.

[Dallas, off-screen] Or you may
very suddenly find that you do.

Her crutches are too long so she
angles the tips out to the side.

Meaning she can't apply a large normal
force so frictional force is low

and her crutches slide outwards
while she kisses the concrete.

Ah that's nice.

This guy
genuinely needs crutches,

but has he been paying attention to my
scientific words of wisdom?

Apparently not.

-[woman] You okay?
-[man] Yeah. Ohh.

[Dallas, off-screen] He moves the right
crutch away from his shoulder

losing that second
point of contact.

So when he puts it down the crutch turns
easily under his weight and he falls.

[woman] You okay?

[Dallas, off-screen] No, he's got a very
sore ankle and a wet bottom.

Once efficiently confident
on your crutches,

it's very tempting to have a crack at
something more challenging.

[man] Ooh. Oh, oh, oh.

[Dallas, off-screen]
That's a very bad idea.

As he tries to get into a handstand
position horizontal force

causes his forearms to break
free from the plastic cuffs.

Resulting...

[man] Oh, oh, oh.

[Dallas, off-screen] In a
terrifying tumble onto tarmac.

Recently I've had a lot of problems with
my dog digging up the garden.

I've tried loads of ways to stop
him and none of them worked.

But in the end, I had to
confiscate his shovel.

[Dallas, off-screen] It's funny.

The things you sometimes
find at the bottom of holes.

Why would anyone bury
a perfectly good sheep?

[man] Incredible.

[man] The miracle of life!

[Dallas, off-screen] Sheep aren't designed
to dig but no one told this one that.

When digging a hole it's very important to
match your tool to the surface.

For example, a scooping tool is
best for fine low cohesion soil

while for compact tougher

soils a sharper tool
will fare much better.

[Dallas, off-screen] Animals that bury and
burrow have physical adaptations

to help them such as claws and
noses that act like shovels.

They need to select the correct
rake angle

to displace material
efficiently and conserve energy.

Digging and burying can give animals

a survival edge and see them
through hard times.

This includes putting
themselves in the ground

to protect against environmental
elements and predators.

Here's a fact for you.

Did you know that meerkats have a special
membrane that covers their eyes

for protection whilst
they're burrowing?

But some animals just have to make the
most of what they've been given.

Like this dog, who's decided to rearrange
the sand with the only tools he's got.

[man] Move.

[Dallas, off-screen] He may be
man's best friend

but clearly less keen on
little girls.

The dog has a good rake angle for clearing
sand from the hole using his front paws.

Unfortunately, that angle was in the
direction of the little girl.

This bird is using its beak to
dig through this rubbish bin.

[woman] What's in there?

[woman] What do you think
is in there that you want?

[Dallas, off-screen] I guess
he's on the search for food.

Why eat when you can drink beer?

[woman] Oh you little horror...

...beer cans.

[woman] No!

[woman] No, No, No, No, No, No!

[Dallas, off-screen] Many animals are
known to dig

when searching for sustenance.

And this bird is no exception.

[woman] We are going to
put that back, come on.

[Dallas, off-screen] He's gonna be sick as
a parrot in the morning.

Okay,
that's all for now.

But remember as my grandmother used to
say, never trust an atom,

they make up everything.

-[man] Oh my god!
-[man 2] Oh [bleep].

[Willy] Whoa! Ahh!

[music plays through credits]