07x12 - Knock Your Socks Off!

[bunniefuu]

Remember, do not try anything
you are about to see at home.

[Grunts]

NARRATOR: On this high-impact
episode of "Mythbusters"...

...Adam and Jamie go where
no boffin has ever been...

I love this myth!

NARRATOR: As they test
whether a b*llet fired

and a b*llet dropped
simultaneously

hit the ground at the same time.

[Laughs]
That is science.

NARRATOR: Meanwhile,
Kari, Tory, and Grant...

I can't wait!

- NARRATOR: Punch, pummel...
- TORY: Ow!

NARRATOR: And blast their way
to another fantastic fable.

That might knock
Buster's socks off!

NARRATOR:
Is it ever possible

to literally knock
someone's socks off?

TORY:
That was awesome!

NARRATOR:
Who are the Mythbusters?

- Adam Savage...
- Am I missing an eyebrow?

- NARRATOR: And Jamie Hyneman.
- Hey, no guts, no glory.

NARRATOR:
Between them, more than 30 years

of special-effects experience.

Joining them... Grant lmahara...

For science.
Aah!

NARRATOR:
...Tory Belleci...

- Can we do that again?
- NARRATOR: And Kari Byron.

One word for this... splat!

NARRATOR:
They don't just tell the myths.

They put them to the test.

[g*nsh*t]

What you got there?

ADAM:
This is a good one.

Picture two b*ll*ts,

each exactly the same distance
from the ground,

each released
at the exact same second

except one b*llet
is dropped to the ground,

the other is fired from a g*n.

The classic physics
thought experiment states

that both b*ll*ts will hit
the ground at the same time.

- Based on what theory?
- Based on the theory

that the b*llet that's fired
from the g*n has no wings on it,

no lift.

Thus, gravity has
the same effect on it

as it does
on the dropped b*llet,

and thus, they hit the ground
simultaneously.

NARRATOR:
It's an age-old physics fable

that says a b*llet dropped
and a b*llet fired

simultaneously
from the same height

will hit the ground
at the same time.

But it's so darn difficult
to test that no one's tried...

until now.

So, what's the plan?

Well, I've been thinking
about this one for so long.

While I have seen
this experiment

elucidated in textbooks
the world over,

I don't think
that anyone anywhere

has ever tried it full size,
full scale,

with real b*ll*ts
coming out of real g*ns.

That's what we should do.

It sounds like it could be
kind of tricky, actually.

I think we should do
some shop experiments

before we start using
any live rounds.

Fair enough.
Let's start.

NARRATOR: So, before going
ballistic with the ballistics,

Adam comes up
with a more simple way

to put that textbook theory
to the test.

Well, this test
is gonna be comprised

of two separate parts, and
I am using a b*llet of sorts.

You may recognize
this steel ball bearing

as some of our ammunition
from "Steam Machine g*n."

Part the first...

I will be dropping
this ball bearing

from exactly table height,

handily marked by this
green line right here.

I'll be filming its drop
on a high-speed camera

and counting how long it takes
to get to the ground.

Part the second...

I'll be sh**ting
this ball bearing

from my little
pinball sh**ter here,

which I've marked out to be
accurate every time I sh**t it.

And I'm gonna fire it
across the same grid...

...and measure how long it takes
to reach the floor

on the same high-speed camera.

If this myth is true,

those two times
should be identical.

Okay.
Here we go.

This is the drop
from table height.

In 3, 2, 1.

[Thud]

Pretty simple.

NARRATOR:
Couldn't be simpler.

But there's lot more
to this test than meets the eye.

ADAM: Counting the frames
of the high-speed shot,

the marble took
exactly 201 frames

to get from my hand
to the ground.

And because we were filming
at 500 frames per second,

each frame is two milliseconds,

which means that the total
travel was 402 milliseconds,

or for those of you
who love fractions...

and come on... who doesn't?..


NARRATOR:
So 0.402 is the benchmark.

Now, how will the fired ball
stack up?

High-speed ready?

NARRATOR:
Time for some pinball wizardry.

Here we go.
Pinball sh**ter in 3, 2, 1.

[Thud]

NARRATOR: And the results
are flipping fabulous.

JAMIE:
What have you got?

It's actually pretty cool.

When I drop the ball
from table height,

it takes 402 milliseconds
to reach the ground.

When I sh**t it
from this pinball sh**ter,


to reach the ground.

It's 8/10 of 1% difference.

That's pretty much identical.

NARRATOR:
With less than 1% difference,

that's a pretty powerful result,

and a provisional thumbs-up
for the myth.

But Jamie's not impressed.

Okay, but I thought this story
was about g*ns.

You really want to
get to sh**ting g*ns?

Well, yeah.

ADAM:
[Chuckling] Okay.

NARRATOR: Meanwhile, Kari's got
the next myth in the bag.

Check this out!

What's with your dirty laundry?

It's not mine.
It's theirs.

Remember, we asked the fans
to send us their socks?

Yeah, exactly.
The fans wanted to know

what happens to their
missing socks in the laundry.

Well, yes,
that was the original idea.

But I think we're gonna have to
make a last-minute change here.

All right.
So what's the change?

Well, check this out.

"Dear 'Mythbusters,'
here's some socks of mine.

But rather than
the washing test,

can you use them
to test the phrase

'it knocked my socks off'?"

- I like it.
- Yeah, take a look.

A lot of these letters
say the same thing.

They want us
to test that phrase.

Well, if the fans
want us to test

the "knock your socks off"
idiom, who are we to deny them?

Sounds good to me.

NARRATOR:
This sock-it-to-'em saga

comes from the world of boxing,

when a particularly
powerful pugilist

was said to be so strong,

he could knock someone
clean out of their socks.

But is it really possible?

Aah!

All right.
Knocking your socks off.

This is a weird one,
but I like it. What's the plan?

Well, since this idiom
has its roots in boxing,

I think we definitely
need to start

with some sort
of heavy-impact punch,

and that pretty much
rules any of us out.

Okay.
I got an idea.

Let's get the nitrogen cannon
from the superhero special,

but instead of firing
a grappling hook,

we reconfigure it
to fire a fist,

giving Buster the biggest
uppercut of his life.

Well, you know what
it sounds like to me?

It's time for the main event.

[Bell dings]

Go to your corners.

NARRATOR: In a long line
of lethal inventions,

Grant says this is one of the
most dangerous he's ever built.

But will it do the job
on Buster?

So, to deliver the kind of punch

that might knock
Buster's socks off,

I've taken this
out of retirement.

It's our nitrogen cannon
from the superhero special.

We fired a grappling hook
to try and turn the Batmobile

around a 90-degree corner.

TORY:
We hit it!

NARRATOR: And today,
Grant is modifying the cannon

to blast a k*ller punch
to Buster's jaw,

while Tory's turning out
the all-important fist.

So, what I have here
is a solid steel rod

that's gonna go into the cannon.

On the end of it,
I'm gonna attach a rubber fist.

So I'm gonna be using
a high-density,

high-impact-resistant rubber.

I'll be able to weld it
to the punching rod,

stick it into Grant's cannon,
fire it up at Buster's jaw,

and see if we can
knock his socks off.

NARRATOR: But even before
the fists start flying,

Kari's worried
about collateral damage.

Last time we tested
Grant's nitrogen cannon,

we shot a hole through our wall
and into our neighbor's space.

Might have to go
have a chat with them.

So we thought, "Hey, maybe this
time, a few safety measures."

NARRATOR:
And after a couple of mattresses

are roosted in the roof,

the scene is set
for round one of this myth.

TORY:
All right, pal.

This is your big chance.
Don't blow it.

NARRATOR: Previous research says
that a heavyweight boxer

can pack a punch
of 4,000 newtons.

GRANT:
Pressurizing.

NARRATOR:
So to match that kind of power,

Grant primes up
his pride and joy

for the
knock-your-socks-off rumble.

GRANT: Okay.

Knock him out of his socks?
Mm.

I think that this is actually
just powerful enough

to make that
old boxing adage true.

NARRATOR:
But Grant ain't convinced.

I think that no matter how high
we go with this cannon,

no matter
if we go through his head

and punch a hole in the ceiling,

none of that is gonna be capable
of knocking his socks off.

I just think
that there's too much body.

We're talking
about a punch to the chin.

To get that to translate
all the way down to his shoes

and kick out and blow
the socks off, no way.

NARRATOR:
Let's not pull any more punches

and get this show on the road.

Here we go.


Whoo!

- Whoo!
- [Chuckles]

TORY:
[Laughs]



Yeah! We took out the lights!
Whoo!

NARRATOR:
That was some punch.

But it's clear
that amidst the carnage,

Buster's socks stayed put,
but only just.

- TORY: Whoa.
- Take a look at this.

The socks slightly
got dragged off.

NARRATOR: Now, that's what
I call taking it on the chin.

The punch not only sent Buster
barreling backwards,

it ripped off one of his shoes,

partially dragging
a sock with it.

But it's not enough
to call the myth a winner.

GRANT: So according
to the high-speed footage,

the nitro punch
accelerated the fist

to a final speed
of 22.2 meters per second,

giving us an overall force
of over 6,000 newtons,

which is 50% more

than your heavyweight
prizefighter's best punch.

And even at superhuman
punching strength,

it still wasn't enough
to knock Buster's socks off.

But you know what?

The cannon's reputation
is still intact.

Now, I'm not saying
that this is busted.

All I'm saying is right now,

it's not looking good
for the myth.

But let's say it wasn't a boxer

that knocked
the person's socks off.

Maybe it was something bigger,
with more power.

Sorry, Buster.
We're gonna have to wake you up.

We got more experimenting to do.
Get up, buddy!

NARRATOR:
b*llet baloney or physics fact,

this test is so hard,
no one's ever dared try it.

Does a b*llet fired
and a b*llet dropped

simultaneously
from the same height,

hit the ground at the same time?

Before breaking out
the real b*ll*ts,

Adam's letting loose
with something

a little more manageable.

- [Paintball g*n fires]
- A paintball g*n.

Perfect.

ADAM:
We've mounted this paintball g*n

so that not only is it perfectly
level, but it's tuned back

so the paintballs
will actually hit the ground

before they hit
the end of the shop.

This should allow us
to do some perfect comparisons

between a fired projectile
and a dropped projectile.

NARRATOR:
Which brings the Mythbusters

neatly to their next challenge.

If I fire a paintball g*n from
this g*n and catch a shot of it

on the high-speed camera
at the other end of the shop

hitting the ground,
how do I know

exactly when it left the g*n?

I'll tell you how.

I've got a switch
hooked up right here

to the trigger of this g*n.

When I pull it, this battery
powers an LED down there,

hooked up
to our high-speed camera.

All right.
Here we go.

NARRATOR: So without further
ado, Adam does the fire test.

ADAM: Oh!

NARRATOR: The high speed records
the moment the light comes on,

and the paintball
hitting the ground...

Look at how beautiful that is!

NARRATOR: Making it possible
to precisely time

how long the journey
from g*n to ground takes,

which, for this test,
is exactly 555 milliseconds.

[Laughs]
That is science.

NARRATOR: Now, Adam gets ready
for part two of the experiment.

So I'm just about to
hold this paintball up

at exactly the level
of the barrel...

I'm gonna use a laser level
to help me know it...

film it on high speed, and time
exactly how long it takes

to get from my fingers
to the ground.

I will then compare that time
to the fired paintball.

Paintball drop test in 3, 2, 1.

[Thud]

NARRATOR: This time,
the difference between

the fired and dropped paintball
is 59 milliseconds.

A lot more than
the 8-millisecond gap

between the fired
and dropped ball bearing...

...which has the Mythbusters
scratching their heads.

Well, this is a conundrum.

Our first two experiments
seem to contradict each other.

However, I think the culprit

lies in the paintballs
themselves.

Watch this.

See those trajectories?

Each one's different.
They're curving.

That tells me that the irregular
surfaces of the paintballs...

manufacturing vagaries...

is causing these things
to have aerodynamic artifacts

that makes them inaccurate

and thus, I think, renders
the paintball test invalid.

I don't see anywhere to go
with this

except to start using
real b*ll*ts and soon.

Whoo!

NARRATOR: Kari, Tory,
and Grant are trying

to literally knock
someone's socks off.

[Laughs]

NARRATOR: A K.O. To the kisser
put Buster down for the count...

...and just about totaled
the workshop.

We knocked Buster out!

NARRATOR: So now the team
is ramping up outdoors,

with more power.

Look at the size of this thing.

- Buster is gonna be hating it.
- GRANT: Wow.

NARRATOR:
More power means more force,

and possibly a greater chance
of knocking off Buster's socks.

This is a gravitational
potential energy pendulum.

Normally, it's used for testing
highway safety barriers.

But today it's gonna be
our battering ram.

We're gonna use it to try
and knock Buster's socks off.

NARRATOR: But before Buster
gets put in the firing line...

You could get off the brake now.

KARI:
No brakes.

[Both grunting]

NARRATOR:
...the team wants to see

how powerful the pendulum
of destruction is.

Can't wait.

All right.
Here we go.

In 3, 2, 1.

[Laughter]

Whoa!

That might knock
Buster's socks off!

Come on!
Let's see!

NARRATOR:
Although the pendulum's impact

is actually slower
than the flying fist,

because its mass
is so much greater,

it's able to deliver
over 20 times the force

of the nitro cannon.

That's one hell of a punch.

Look at that!

I mean, this was enough
to lift this van

and shift it back
about four or five feet.

NARRATOR:
Which, in a cracked nutshell,

is not good news for Buster.

So far,
testing whether a slug fired

and a slug dropped
simultaneously

hit the ground
at the same time...

A little too powerful.

NARRATOR: Has been
a mixed bag for Adam and Jamie.

Perfect.

NARRATOR:
In two small-scale tests,

the myth was falling towards
confirmed in one...

ADAM:
That's pretty much identical.

NARRATOR:
...but busted in the other.

So, what now?

We got to go full scale
with b*ll*ts,

but, dude, how difficult
is that gonna be?

I mean, for starters,
I don't know

how far a b*llet fired level
from a g*n even goes.

Well, why don't we try
a .45-caliber p*stol?

I mean, that has
a large, slow-moving round.

And head out to the range and
see where it hits the ground.

- Exactly.
- Perfect. Let's do it.

NARRATOR: And the sh**ting range
is the perfect place

to get the lowdown
on launching b*ll*ts.

We're looking for a couple
of different things here.

The first is that
we need to have all the b*ll*ts

coming out of the g*n
consistently

so we know we're collecting
accurate data.

That's perfect.

The second one is
we're wanting to find out

how they're dropping,

how far away from the g*n
they travel

before they hit the ground.

NARRATOR:
And before the boys blaze away,

they're rigging the g*n
rigid and level,

exactly 36 inches
off the ground.

Nice.
I think we're ready.

The reason we've gone level
is that I'm only interested

in gravity's effect on the
b*llet once it leaves the g*n.

If I aim the g*n higher,
that b*llet will go farther,

but it's going farther
because of its trajectory.

If I sh**t it level,
then it starts dropping.

Gravity starts having an effect
the moment it leaves the barrel.

And that's what
I'm interested in...

how fast does it drop,
how far does it go.

g*n is hot.

NARRATOR:
Right now, the guys have no idea

where the b*llet will land.

So Adam and Jamie test to see
how far the b*llet falls

- over 100...
- [g*nshots]

...200...

...and 300 feet.

ADAM: That one was half an inch
above the other one.

- Let's go take a look.
- Okay.

ADAM: What we've got so far
in terms of data

is actually
pretty frickin' cool.

This orange line represents
the b*llet at 100 feet.

The laser sight was aimed just
about an inch higher than that,

which is just
what we'd expect to see...

a very little amount
of drop-off.


a little more drop-off.


a lot more drop-off.

NARRATOR:
Armed with that info,

Adam and Jamie can now
zero in on the drop zone,

which they've calculated to be
between 350 and 370 feet away.

ADAM:
This right here is a runway.

It's a runway for our
little b*ll*ts to land on.

I expect to be able to see
where they land

by the marks they make
on this white paper.

And hopefully where they land
is a reasonably discrete space.

Firing in 3, 2, 1.

[g*nsh*t]

ADAM: Oh.

That looks like
we might have hit it.

NARRATOR: And after letting
loose one more time...

[g*nsh*t]

...Adam and Jamie discover
the b*ll*ts are biting the dust

roughly 360 feet from the g*n.

I think we've got
what we came for.

We've been able to predict
fairly consistently

where the b*ll*ts
are hitting the ground.

But the problem is,
we're outside,

we could get a breeze that might
kind of skew the results.

And also... and this is
the most important thing...

the ground here
is really uneven.

So to go forward from here,

we need a perfectly flat surface
to work off of.

ADAM: Well, all we need now
is 400 feet of flat floor.

JAMIE: I think I might be able
to handle that.

ADAM:
[Chuckles]



NARRATOR: Kari, Tory, and Grant
are busting Buster's chops

trying to knock him
out of his socks.

Yeah! We took out the lights!
Whoo!

NARRATOR: Now they're winding
the carnage up a notch

at a car clobbering
crash-test station.

TORY: These guys know
how to wreck stuff.

They smashed our moose.

They smashed our trailer.

And they smashed
our fruit stand.

GRANT: Whoo!

Now they're gonna smash Buster.

NARRATOR: So while the team
dresses Buster

in a pair of everyday shoes
and socks...

And by the way, thanks to
Andrew Paris of Houston, Texas,

for letting us use his socks.

NARRATOR: And knocked out
of Andrew's socks or not,

it's clear that Buster's in
for a torrid time.

[Chuckles]

KARI: This is "Knock
Your Socks Off" experiment,

Buster in shoes and socks
versus battering ram.

In 3, 2, 1.

[Laughter]

His shoes didn't come off
at all.

Let's see if they loosened
at all.

That's a pretty massive hit.

Dang!
That look like it hurt!

NARRATOR:
Yep, that's a definite ouch.

Buster just got walloped
with 17,000 pounds

of body-breaking force.

But did his footwear fly?

Mm, not this time.

TORY: Look at that.
They're not even loose.

I'll bet his joints
are looser than his shoes.

We just dropped a pendulum
that weighs almost a ton

straight into Buster's chest
and knocked him back 40 feet.

But we were still unable

to knock off his shoes
or his socks.

But we're not done yet.

See, and on the last test,
these shoes stayed on.

But what if he's
just got his socks?

Maybe the shoes
are holding the socks on.

NARRATOR: So with Buster's feet
supporting his own weight,

the pendulum is once again
lifted to full height,

for full
knock-your-socks-off power.

GRANT:
Okay, here we go.

This is Buster with socks only
versus the pendulum.

In 3, 2, 1.

ALL: Oh!

- GRANT: Yeah!
- Yeah!

TORY:
His head came off. [Laughs]

But look... One of his socks is
knocked almost completely off.

Yeah.
But it's still technically on.

Yeah, he didn't get knocked
out of 'em, necessarily.

You guys are so hard to satisfy!

NARRATOR: Hmm, maybe Kari should
take a look at the high speed

before she gets carried away.

Here comes the pendulum.

- TORY: Solid hit.
- KARI: Yes. Whoo!

TORY:
His feet go straight back,

but his socks
haven't come off yet.

TORY:
[Chuckles]

- GRANT: Still on.
- KARI: Oh, there it is.

TORY:
It's dragging along the ground.

It's not knocking him
out of his socks.

- Okay, so that doesn't count.
- No.

NARRATOR:
Confirming this myth

is turning out to be as tough
as Buster's stay-put socks.

TORY: Yeah,
but we can't bust this now.

I don't think
we've tried hard enough

to knock him out of his socks.

No, I think we need
a new technique,

something a little bit more.

NARRATOR: Or in other words,
this ain't over till it's over.

Good work, buddy.

NARRATOR: And the Mythbusters
are going in search

of more power.

Socks.

Sometimes they just seem to have
a mind of their own.

But can they ever
be knocked off your feet?

Okay, so far, Buster's
lost a shoe but no socks.

Yeah, the impact doesn't
seem to be working out.

It seems like you're gonna need
a massive amount of force

to get those socks off.

I think you're right, and I
think I have just the thing.

What?

expl*sives. Surprised?
You didn't see that one coming.

- Seriously?
- Yeah.

There have been cases of people

getting their clothes blown off
from an expl*si*n,

yet they survived the blast.

So socks are clothes.
I say we test this one.

Okay, well, let's go
to the quarry and take,

say, like... I don't know...

- 500 pounds of expl*sives?
- I like 500.

Get some mannequin legs, put
some socks on 'em, and put them

at different distances
from the center of the blast.

NARRATOR:
Round three...

"Knock Your Socks Off"
with an expl*sive shock wave.

And you couldn't have picked
a nicer day for it.

[Horn honks]

KARI: Wow!

TORY: Oh, my gosh.
This is awesome.

NARRATOR:
The mannequin legs

are going to be
screwed on to these stands...

...then positioned
on a circular grid

at various distances
from the expl*si*n.

This is the blast center.

This is where
we're gonna be setting off

a 500-pound expl*si*n.

Hopefully,
that blast will give us

enough power
to knock off the socks.

Now, we're gonna put
our first set of legs


then 25 feet, 35 feet,


and finally, 55 feet away.

This way, we have a variety
of distances from the blast.

Because the closer you are
to the blast,

probably the more likely

that your socks
are gonna get knocked off.

But let's face it... If you're
standing too close to the blast,

I'm sure you're gonna lose
more than just your socks.

NARRATOR:
Which is why the team

are now adding
"...and living to tell the tale"

to the knock-your-socks-off
myth.

GRANT: So in addition
to knocking your socks off,

a big part of this myth
is survivability.

And we measure the force
of an expl*si*n

in pounds per square inch,
or PSI.

Just to give you an idea
of what we're talking about,

at 2.5 PSI, you're likely
to rupture your eardrums.

Now, we've calculated
with 500 pounds of expl*sives,

at a range of 20 feet,

you're gonna experience
over 100 PSI,

which means a very high
likelihood of death.

NARRATOR:
To measure exactly where

that lethal pressure kicks in,

Grant is assembling
some supersensitive equipment.

GRANT: This is a burst disk
made by our friends at Oseco.

It's a very thin metal membrane

that's calibrated to rupture
at 100 PSI.

Now, if this is still intact
at the end of the experiment,

and we've blown the socks off,

then there's a real chance
of confirming this myth.

NARRATOR: Meanwhile, Kari
and Tory dole out the dummies.

KARI: We've specifically
designed these legs

to give us every opportunity for
a successful sock-blast removal.

And we've got one foot
on the ground,

one foot in the air, as if
you were running or walking.

That way if a sock
is gonna come off

in either of these positions,
myth is confirmed.

NARRATOR: And just to mark
this expl*sive occasion,

the official
"Mythbusters" sneaker.

KARI:
They're blast-zone shoes.

I like 'em.

And one of our fans hand-knit
an entire box of socks for us.

NARRATOR:
Thanks big-time,

Patience Boyd
of Somerville, Massachusetts.

At each foot station, some feet
will have your socks and shoes.

TORY:
How's that fit, ma'am?

NARRATOR:
At others, just socks.

KARI: "S." 15.
That means sock only at 15 feet.

That way, when these get blown
to smithereens,

we might be able to track
where they came from.

NARRATOR: But before
they push the plunger,

the team needs two more
vital ingredients.

Cool.

NARRATOR:
First, the fire department...

GRANT:
You know what they say...

Safe exploding
is good exploding.

NARRATOR:
...and the expl*sives...

Here comes our ANFO.

NARRATOR: Courtesy of
retired FBI agent Frank Doyle.

TORY: So, it looks like you guys
have a package for us.

I brought you
a really nice package.

- KARI: ANFO, right?
- Yep.

GRANT:
Oh, that ought to do it.

That ought to knock
some socks off.

NARRATOR:
You better believe it.

And if any socks are
going to get knocked off soon,

this is the stuff to do it.

This is 500 pounds of ANFO.

Just to give you an idea,
it took 800 pounds of ANFO

to completely vaporize
a cement truck.

The expl*sives are in place,
the legs are in place,

the burst disks are connected.

It's time for us to run away

and let Frank and the b*mb squad
do their final preparations.

And then it's boom time.

NARRATOR: Once upon a time
in the Wild West,

a fired b*llet could just about
settle any bust-up.

All right.

NARRATOR: But is it true
that a b*llet dropped

and a b*llet fired
simultaneously

will hit the ground
at the same time?

[Paintball g*n fires]

[Laughs]
That is science.

NARRATOR:
Out at the range...

All right.
Good to go.

NARRATOR: Adam and Jamie
found that a b*llet

from their .45 automatic flew


I love this myth!

NARRATOR:
Now all they need is a location

to suit one of the most
sophisticated experiments

the Mythbusters
have ever attempted.

[Ship horn blares]

NARRATOR: And down by the shores
of old San Francisco Bay,

they've got one.

Ah, look at that.
It's magnificent.

JAMIE: I love these
old military buildings.

NARRATOR: The historic 480-foot-
long big-event behemoth

Fort Mason Center.

JAMIE: Fort Mason Center's
perfect for us

for several reasons.

At over 480 feet long,

there's plenty of room for
a fired b*llet to come to rest.

And because it's enclosed,

there's no wind to worry about
affecting our b*llet.

And then lastly,
it's perfectly level.

NARRATOR: So with the g*n rest
in place at one end of the room,

Adam's first job is to make sure

it's exactly 36 inches
off the floor...

...and firing level.

I'm gonna fire a b*llet
to that target 20 feet away.

Within that 20 feet, the
b*llet's not gonna drop at all.

So as long as the b*llet hole
in that target

is the exact same height
off the ground as the barrel,

I know I've got
a perfectly level b*llet.

JAMIE:
Seating the g*n rest.

Firing in 3, 2, 1.

[g*nsh*t]

ADAM: Dude, I'd say that is
absolutely perfect.

Right on our laser line.

That g*n's firing level.

Works for me.

NARRATOR: With the fired-b*llet
rig sorted for now,

Jamie rolls out the other half
of the experiment.

JAMIE:
This is my b*llet drop rig,

and the key component is
this electromagnet right here,

because it'll hold on
to my b*llet

and then on cue,
it'll drop the b*llet.

Okay, we've got all the sensors
we need

and all the equipment we need
to time the exact amount of time

it takes a b*llet both
to be dropped from 36 inches

and to be fired
from 36 inches off the ground.

And we could simply
compare those two times

like we did with the paintball.

But that's not
good enough for us,

for we have a bigger vision.

We want to see
that dropped b*llet

hit the ground in the spot

the fired b*llet
will be skipping off.

That's what
we're about to set up.

NARRATOR:
That's right, folks.

This time,
both halves of the experiment

are going to happen
at the same time.

So before rolling the drop rig


the boys just want to make sure

their little synchronizing
system is going to work...

JAMIE: Simultaneous firing
and b*llet-drop test.

In 3, 2, 1.

[g*nshots]

Let's see how it looked
on high speed.

NARRATOR: Where
the Mythbusters quickly discover

they have a problem.

Let's look back at the timing
about when the light goes off.

While the g*n and the timing
LED go off together,

the dropped b*llet decides
to delay its journey south.

ADAM: It sits on that
electromagnet for a while.

JAMIE: Yeah.

Do you think there's
any residual magnetism

or something like that?

ADAM: If you look
at this high-speed shot

of the b*llet
on the electromagnet,

you'll notice it hangs out
for 65 milliseconds.

That tells me there's
a lot of residual magnetism

in the electromagnet itself,
even though it's turned off,

and it's no good as a mechanism
for our drop.

We've got to rebuild a mechanism

and we've got to
rebuild it fast.

NARRATOR: Out at the quarry,
the knock-your-socks-off squad

have wisely taken themselves
to higher ground

and way out of the blast zone.

Our blast zone is set up
way, way, way over there.

But we've decided to come
really, really far back

to make sure all Mythbusters,
big and tiny,

are perfectly safe.

All right.

This is "Knock Your Socks Off"
using a 500-pound expl*si*n.

Everybody look alive.
Here we go.

In 3, 2, 1.

- TORY: Whoa! Yeah!
- GRANT: Whoa!

- TORY: Yeah!
- GRANT: That was cool.

TORY:
That was awesome!

KARI: Wow!

NARRATOR:
Remember, to confirm this myth,

the team needs to find
a sockless foot

in a critical zone
of human survivability.

KARI: Whoa!

TORY:
Look at the size of that crater!

Oh, wait.
Here's a sock!

[Groans]

Oh, my God.
There's a foot inside!

It's still in there.

- That's disgusting.
- I don't think this counts.

TORY: No, that's definitely
not blowing your socks off.

NARRATOR: But a closer look
at the blast zone

reveals some expl*sive results.

Check it out... no socks!

What distances?
What are they?



NARRATOR:
Well, they've finally managed

to knock some socks off.

But would a human
be walking away?

Yeah, you're probably
not gonna survive this

if your socks came off.

Here's the pressure disk.
Let's see what it says.

GRANT:
Okay, 25 feet.

- KARI: That's blown.
- TORY: That's blown.

NARRATOR:
And a double check of the disks

confirms that
up to 35 feet away,

this bang would have sent
a mere mortal to kingdom come.

So that's not survivable.
That doesn't count.

But at the minimum
survivable radius of 45 feet...

Yep, they're still on.

We've got 45, we've got 55,
and the socks are still on.

So we have no survivability
at the front,

but we lost a few socks.

And then as you get
to the zone of survivability,

we still have our socks on.

I think that gives us
both of our criteria

- for calling this one busted.
- Yeah, this is totally busted.

If your socks do get blown off,
you're pretty much dead.

Yeah, you wouldn't be
walking away from that.

[Chuckles]
This was cool, though.

KARI:
You might say it was a blast.

- TORY: Ha ha!
- GRANT: Oh!

ADAM:
Here we go!

NARRATOR:
"Mythbusters" and world firsts

go together like ham and eggs.

ADAM:
Yee-haw! Wow!

NARRATOR:
There's the pykrete boat...

I'm king of the world!

NARRATOR:
...breaking glass...

- ADAM: Oh!
- Whoo!

NARRATOR:
...and the lead balloon.

ADAM:
If someone says it's impossible,

we just take it
as a challenge!

NARRATOR: Now the Mythbusters
are testing a real doozy.

ADAM:
Everything's hot, ready to go.

NARRATOR: b*llet shot
versus b*llet dropped.

But a malingering magnet
is holding up the show.

As soon as it's released,
it's just staying there.

NARRATOR:
But do you think Adam's

going to let something like that
stand in his way?

Awesome!
That works.

NARRATOR: Oh, no.

ADAM:
So the electromagnet has gone.

It's on the scrap heap.

We've got a new little solenoid
in there which will... whoop!..

Get out of the way
and let the b*llet drop.

All we've got to do
is try it once,

get our timings right,
confirm them,

and we should be ready
to do this test.

NARRATOR: So the new
simultaneous-release system

is ready for a test-fire.

All right.
Simultaneous release.

In 3, 2, 1.

[g*nsh*t]

All right. Let's see
how it did on high speed.

NARRATOR: But once again,
there's a timing problem.

ADAM:
The solenoid's way too slow.

Yep.

ADAM:
It's not letting go.

JAMIE: The most difficult thing
about this whole experiment

is getting the fired b*llet
and the dropped b*llet

to become airborne
at exactly the same time.

And we can't tolerate even
a few milliseconds of variation

in this mix to make the result
that we want to see happen.

It's hard.

NARRATOR:
Now, there's an understatement.

So cue the brainstorm.

We're not even seeing the pin
start to move.

It gave us the problem
that we currently have,

which is that it's late.

NARRATOR:
Having spent the past four hours

trying to sort out
the solenoid...

ADAM:
Look, let's do this twice.

[g*nsh*t]

NARRATOR: The boys
are now staring failure

square in the face.

And all it is
is about figuring out some way

to mechanically push
between these two.

NARRATOR:
Until Jamie snatches victory

from the jaws of defeat.

If you have a hinge
that you pull in the middle.

It needs to be some sort of
a little bitty catch

that is on its edge.

I could make a clip like that.

NARRATOR: He adds a small
metal clip to the trigger

to delay the g*n the miniscule
milliseconds needed

to match the solenoid.

ADAM:
Everything's hot. Let's do it.

[g*nshots]

NARRATOR:
And after a few test-fires

and a bit of fine-tuning...
it works.

ADAM:
b*llet leaves the g*n.

Oh, that's good.
It's good.

It's 1/3 of a millisecond
difference.

- JAMIE: Wow.
- That's freaking perfect.

- Let's go do this full scale!
- Okay.

NARRATOR: Which means
rolling up the room 360 feet

to stake out a drop zone.

Right about there.

That's where they were landing
out in the sh**ting range,

so this is where I expect them
to land here.

JAMIE: Okay.

NARRATOR: Adam lays down
a runway of white paper

so the high-speed camera
will clearly see and measure

both b*ll*ts at the same time,
in the same place,

and in the same shot.

All we need now in the drop zone
is Jamie's drop rig...

...so the boys can take a shot
at physics history.

ADAM: All right.
You ready to do this for real?

I think we'll hit it
on the first shot.

- Really?
- Oh, yeah.

[Laughs]

You never make predictions.
That's awesome.

JAMIE:
b*llet dropped versus fired.

In 3, 2, 1.

[g*nshots]

NARRATOR:
But from 360 feet away,

the boys can't see exactly
where the fired b*llet landed.

Let's go see where it hit.

NARRATOR: So Adam takes a
one-wheeled "wide" down the room

- to check out the drop zone.
- [Laughs]

Wow.

NARRATOR: And the results
are simply ripping.

Can't get much closer than that.

Oh, I can't wait to see
the high speed.

So, dude,
this b*llet carved a streak

right under the drop zone.

I think this might be...

the shot we've been looking for!

NARRATOR:
In real time, it's impossible

to tell what happened...

...until Adam analyses
the high speed

and crunches the numbers.



divided by 6...

[Chuckles]

Dude, the difference
is 39.6 milliseconds.

JAMIE: Which means it's less
than the human eye can make out.

NARRATOR: So after days
of brain-teasing tests,

the Mythbusters can claim
a world first for themselves

and a victory for physics.

ADAM:
Let me put 39.6 milliseconds

into some perspective for you.

When you go to the movies

and watch a projected
celluloid film on the screen...

You know that that film is made
up of individual images, right?

What you might not have known

is that it takes 24 of those
per second

to make up the film
that you're watching.

So each one is on screen
for exactly 1/24 of a second.

But you don't notice that

because it's faster
than your eye can register.

Well, that 1/24 of a second
is actually longer

than 39.6 milliseconds.

That's how close
those two b*ll*ts were.

Two b*ll*ts...
one dropped, one fired.

Amazingly, they ended up in
the same place at the same time.

Dude, this myth was every bit
as much fun to test

as I was hoping it would be,
and I got to say,

even though the physics
textbooks had it right,

I love the fact
that we did it full size

with real, unmodified b*ll*ts.

I bet no one
has ever tried that before.

I think you're right.

And whether it was ball bearings
or b*ll*ts dropped or fired,

they all hit the ground
at the same time.

Yep. Gravity, man.

It's not just a good idea.
It's the law.

Confirmed.

Confirmed.