06x19 - Entropy, Bowling and Snowboarding

[bunniefuu]

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

Yes. This is the show where aptitude
bashes heads with absurdity.

As our trusty team of testers.

[man] Oh.

[Dallas, off-screen] Explore key
scientific principles

so you don't have to.

With their adept assistance, we'll study
the science behind hydrodynamics.

[man] Oh.

[Dallas, off-screen]
Visual fields.

And air foils.

In the battle between science.

[man, off-screen] Careful.

[Dallas, off-screen] And stupidity there
can only be one winner.

So prepare to be schooled.

It's the Science of Stupid.

In this show we'll
explore vertical momentum.

Parabolic trajectory.

And radius of curvature.

[man] Oh, wow.

[Dallas, off-screen]
But first this.

Rivers are hugely powerful,

when the Amazon is in full flood it
releases an average

of 12 million cubic feet of
water into the sea every second,

that is hard to imagine, I know.

So, let me put it this way,
that's a lot of water.

Even smaller rivers
can have a lot of power.

[man] Oh my God!

I was just over
there by that water.

That is crazy.

Thank you Lord that
I got off of there.

[Dallas] But some people
use that power for fun.

[screams]

[Dallas, off-screen] Maybe not him
anymore but, but some people.

And even the calmer stretches
of water needn't be dull.

[man, off-screen] Woo hoo.

[Dallas] We all understand that water
takes the path of least resistance,

rivers convert gravitational energy into
kinetic energy

to accelerate water downhill,

but there's a lot
more to it than that.

For example, did you know that broadly
speaking

a river can be split into three
sections?

In its upper reaches the river is narrow
and some of its energy will be used to a

vertical erosion of the riverbed,

this leads to a turbulent flow and
vortices in

the water as rapids develop.

In its middle reaches the river having
been fed by tributaries

has a higher discharge.

This contributes to horizontal erosion
of the river bed, forming meanders

on flatter ground.

On its lower reaches the river has lost

a lot of its original energy and flows
more slowly

in wide river beds along
flat ground towards the sea.

So how the river behaves depends on,
amongst other things,

what section of the river you're in

but when heavy rains come any part of a
river can

swell and become dangerous.

Taking anything in
its way downstream.

[woman] The Johnson homestead...

...just got taken by
the Matanuska River.

[Dallas, off-screen]
As luck would have it

the Johnsons had moved
out a couple of years ago,

this middle section river has plenty of
energy for horizontal erosion of its

river bank,
especially during floods.

Erosion of the ground beneath the cabin
leaves it unsupported and it too is

washed away with drag.

This is the upper reaches of a river
where the rapids can rage,

great for kayaking but
you do need to be careful.

Especially if your kayak
is a little, well, flimsy.

The river is in its upper course so it's
very turbulent

as it has a lot of energy for

vertical erosion, creating steep sided
valleys and sharp drops.

One of which rips
this canoe in two

and it's very hard to negotiate
vortices with only half a boat.

This is the middle reaches of a river,

it's wider and has a lot more volume
having been

fed by tributaries.

[man] Uh-oh.

[man] Uh-oh.

[Dallas, off-screen] That
flow rate can be a little much.

[man] Oh no.

Oh no.

Oh nooooooo!

[Dallas, off-screen] Especially if you
only have little iddy biddy paws.

Looks like someone
needs a bear hug.

Here the river looks deep,
straight and reasonably slow,

the perfect place
for a bit of diving.

Yeah but just not like
that because you look daft.

Here at Science of Stupid we are big
fans of winter sports, they provide our

research teams with vast amounts of data
to analyze

and snowboarding is one of their

favorite areas
of investigation.

♪ ♪

Some people like the raw poetry of it
all but I prefer the cold hard physics.

This researcher is looking into the
different ways

of turning and she seems to be making
good headway.

My own area of research focuses on how
the more you concentrate on selfies.

[man] Oh, wow.

[Dallas, off-screen] The less
you can concentrate on carving.

[man] Ah.

[Dallas] Carving on a snowboard is
essentially

turning by digging an edge in,

it allows you to corner more efficiently

meaning you lose less speed on moderate
slopes

and are better able to control your
speed of steep slopes,

it's all useful stuff to know.

Our man must tilt his center of mass
beyond his base of support to create

a turning affect that digs the
edge of the board into the snow.

The shape of the board, sides cut in and
nose and tail raised combine to create a

curve with a given radius of curvature
while keeping only the edge

digging into the snow.

Leaning in also helps him balance
himself

against the centrifugal force of his
turn

but he needs to be
wary of catching an edge.

[man] Ah.

[Dallas] So, that's some of the science

but what happens when we put theory into
practice in

the real world?

This skiing cameraman is perfectly in
control

but that snowboarder on the left.

Yeah, he's not in control.

The border leans his center of mass
inwards to start the carve

but he's not cornering

fast enough to generate sufficient
centrifugal force,

so his center of mass is well

outside his base of support
leading to a turning effect.

And an awkward
chat with that skier.

This guy is clearly at the beginning of
his snowboarding adventure and he is

tentatively getting to grips
with the concept of carving.

[man] Oh.

[Dallas, off-screen] Nice
jump but try to stay focused.

I said try to.

Oh, he didn't hear me.

This brave beginner carves some gentle
turns

but loses focus as he celebrates and

ends up with his center of mass too far
back,

making the edge of his board dig into
the

snow slowing it down a little bit
quicker than he was expecting.

This boarder is attempting to carve in a
deep snow found off piste,

which is much harder.

But at least it makes falling a lot
softer, swings in roundabouts.

[woman] Woo.

[Dallas, off-screen] Love a wedding and
my favorite moment

is always the first dance but

what science are these
newlyweds about to show us?

[Dallas, off-screen]
Did you guess what science

these loved up lovebirds
were about to demonstrate?

If you said turning effect or moment,
take your seat at the top table.

As the blushing bride approaches her
gorgeous groom,

he grasps her below her hips

to lift her up but his support is not
aligned with her center of mass,

which is located
near her belly button.

Gravity acts on that center of mass at
some distance

from the upward force from his hands,

creating a turning effect that ensures
this marriage starts

with a bang.

I like to think of myself as a pretty
stabled kind of guy

and that's because I keep my

center of mass above my base of support,

something that's made easier because I
have

ankles that are fit for
purpose and built for the job.

Doing a handstand is complicated by the
wrist joint

being weaker and less able to

remain static at large angles of
extension, although this chaps made it

rather easy.

And doing a handstand on stilts adds an
extra level of difficulty,

so having plenty of space
is probably advisable.

I think she might need some more
practice but she's still better than me,

even after
studying the science.

Staying stable in a handstand relies on

keeping the center of mass above the
base of

support, you could usually take small
steps with your hands to help with this

but when doing a handstand on stilts his
hands are fixed in place.

He needs to apply forces and torque to
the stilts

to generate reaction forces and

adjust his body position in
order to keep him stable.

And of course when adjusting

your body position this can apply a
lateral force at the

top of the stilt, which can create a
turning affect in the stilt itself.

Not good news when that's the only thing
between you and the floor.

This guy looks like he knows
what he's doing and he does.

[man] Oh.

[Dallas, off-screen] If what he's doing
is falling on his face.

As he lifts himself into a handstand
position his body is too far forward

and his center of mass goes beyond his
base of support so he gets.

[man] Oh.

[Dallas, off-screen]
A mouth full of bracken.

Please, please remember that attempting
a handstand on stilts

in a confined space

comes with many risks to you.

And to your furniture, let's
hope that wasn't an heirloom.

Here she over leans and her foot hits
the cupboard,

giving her a reaction force that

pushes her body backwards, applies a
lateral force to the stilt and leads to.

Some unexpected decluttering.

[woman] Oh ******!

[Dallas, off-screen] Ah, yes. Now, this
seems a lot more

sensible, proper kit and a gym.

I'm trying to think of a
word that rhymes with pouch.

Um.

[man] Ouch!

[Dallas, off-screen]
Yeah, that'll do.

Spinning on one hand puts his center of
mass in motion

and leaves him with an even

smaller base of support, and there's
only one way that that is going to end.

Painfully.

[man] Ouch!

[Dallas] As you can probably guess from
my rather natty hat,

this is the part of the show where we
take apart one particular scientific

principle to see how it works, or as we
like to call it, the science lesson.

So, who can tell me what's
being shown in the following?

This tower tumbler.

This careless cook.

And this overexcited
ice cream lover.

Did you guess that they
were all to do with entropy?

If you did, well done but don't take
your thinking caps off just yet.

Entropy is all about how matter has the
tendency to become more disordered,

increasing entropy over time.

It usually works on a molecular scale
but entropy has a hand in so many

everyday disasters.

The molecules that make up the glass of
this vase are ordered into a solid,

crystal structure while the molecules of
water inside are more disordered.

Entropy decides the tendency for things
to become more disordered,

so when it hits the ground.

It irreversibly breaks into hundreds of
disordered glass shards.

It would take a huge amount of effort or
work to put all those bits back into an

ordered structure but just another tap

could return them into a disordered mess
again.

Let's see if entropy has disordered your
brain cells with our little pop quiz.

Question one, what is entropy?

This pyramid contains 8,500 dominoes
and has taken 16 hours of work so far.

That's 16 hours of his
life he's never getting back.

Entropy is the tendency for something to
become more disordered.

When he drops the domino the single
structure becomes

more disordered as it breaks into

thousands of tiny pieces,
about 8,500 to be precise.

That was all a bit depressing, so let's

cheer ourselves up with a lovely
balloon.

Much better.

Despite being bounced around,

the balloon is managing to contain and
maintain the order

of the water within but when it pops
there's nothing holding that water back.

That's entropy.

[woman, off-screen] Wait.

[Dallas] Question number two, which is
more disordered, ice or water?

Yes, of course it's water and that is
why you should never walk on ice.

Ice crystals have an ordered structure

that makes them a solid but when they
melt into

water the molecules become more
disordered as they turn into liquid,

which can't support weight.

Her weight.

Okay, now the third and final question,
how can you make something ordered?

The answer is with a
lot of energy and work.

[man] Hey kids.

I love you.

[Dallas, off-screen] This
tower didn't just make itself,

instead it took
concentrated effort and human

ingenuity to arrange it but it
is comparatively much easier.

[man] I win.

[Dallas, off-screen] To destroy.

So, that ends our lesson.

On entropy.

Class dismissed.

[Dallas] I am a keen ten pin bowler and
there are few things I love more

than the atmosphere at
my local bowling alley,

however occasionally my joy is tainted
by poor lane etiquette.

This guy, for example, has decided that
it's okay to throw his bowling ball

like a basketball.

Well, let me tell you it's not okay and
neither is showboating.

Try to remember that any pins hit in
other lanes do not count.

And good etiquette demands that you
don't get

between the bowler and the
pins.

[man] Oh.

[Dallas, off-screen] A lesson
he won't forget in a hurry.

Quite often people don't even realize

they're behaving with a lack of decorum
and so we've

carefully compiled a bit of scientific
advice

on the art of bowling to help keep

everyone on the
straight and narrow.

Our man must be careful with a heavy
bowling ball which has a lot of inertia,

making it hard to get
moving and hard to stop.

He also needs to watch out for friction

between hand and ball as it can keep it
attached.

[man] Oh.

[Dallas, off-screen] For longer than
intended

and if our man releases the
ball too late,

it'll be launched into a predictable
parabolic trajectory.

[man] Oh.

[Dallas, off-screen]
But not the one he wanted.

Hopefully that's provided some
enlightenment

on the etiquette required in a bowling
alley

but sadly, I fear there's always a few
more lessons still to be learned.

For example, he looks
just a little too keen.

Well, he's literally
brought the roof down.

The high parabolic trajectory of the
ball

makes it intersect with the ceiling.

Where it removes a supporting structure
and spoils it for everyone else.

[man] You've got
this ****, let's go!

[Dallas, off-screen] The only thing she
has got is bumps and bruises,

and she crossed the foul
line. It's a double no-no.

Poor ball selection means she's jammed
her fingers

into holes that aren't big enough

and the friction is high enough to keep
the ball attached to her fingers,

meaning when she swings the ball gains
horizontal momentum,

which is able to overcome
her inertia and her dignity.

I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only
one

who actually cares about lane etiquette.

You see? Yeah, I give up.

I don't know if you've had to hire a
bouncy castle recently

but I have and I was shocked

at just how much more it was compared to
last year, that's inflation for you.

Jumping on inflatables is
fun, no matter what your age.

It's practically an
art form for this guy.

Entertaining for kids.

[woman, off-screen]
Woo, good job hunny.

[Dallas, off-screen]
And parents too.

But let's face it.

We're all big kids when
it comes to inflatables.

For some reason people seem to like
their inflatables on the large side,

there's even an inflatable sofa that is
wider than a basketball court.

Finally furniture you're actually
allowed

to jump on but behind the fun there is

some serious science at work.

Jumping onto the inflatable his body
will transfer horizontal and vertical

momentum when he
makes contact.

On water the buoyant force will resist
his vertical momentum to keep him afloat

and decelerate him gradually.

But with no friction to resist his
horizontal momentum

it risks sliding away from him.

So, you need good aim and good body
control to avoid any drama on impact,

sounds simple enough.

[screams]

[Dallas, off-screen] But some people can
make anything look hard.

Here the inflatable experiences high
friction

with the ground enhanced by the large

downward force from his jump,

he still has quite a lot of momentum
though and keeps

going with the
help of his friend.

Alright, it's time
for some magic.

Now you see me, now you don't.

♪ Yodel-ay-hee-hoo ♪

[Dallas, off-screen] This BMXers high
parabolic trajectory means that he comes

down with a lot of vertical momentum,

delivering a large force to the
inflatable

through the narrow wheels of the bike
creating a high pressure that overcomes

the strength of
the stunt bag's seam.

Maybe he should take up mountaineering
next, I hear it's much safer.

He can't quite read
the signs from here.

[woman] Noah,
you are gonna get hurt.

[Dallas, off-screen] And he no longer
needs to read them from there.

[man, bleep].

[Dallas, off-screen] Noah's vertical
momentum

pushes the float further underwater,

buoyant force pushes it
back up and tips him off.

It's just a shame the
signs didn't tip him off.

[man, bleep].

[Dallas] That's all for now but I will
leave you

with this quotation from Marie Curie,

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is
only to be understood."

Although, I don't think she had this lot
in mind when she said that.

♪ ♪