02x01 - Horsepower Is Not Your Friend

[bunniefuu]

[Richard, off-screen]
This is the Science Of Stupid.

-Yes.
-[man, off-screen] Whoa!

[Richard, off-screen] This is the show
that explains the science

behind stupidity.

Over the next half hour, we'll
explore the highs and lows,

of some of science's least
thought-out exploits.

We'll look at what
went wrong and why,

by exploring
the scientific principles

behind center of mass
and acceleration,

trajectory,

impact angles,

and vertical velocity.

Go head-to-head with science,

and there will be
only one winner.

Settle in for the Science Of Stupid.

[crash]

In this show,
we'll discover what happens

when you underestimate
the laws of momentum,

don't find the equilibrium
of forces,

and when centripetal force
meets face.

[man] Ow!

[Richard, off-screen]
But first, this.

If you want to look cool
on two wheels,

the wind blowing through your hair
as you take to the open road,

you probably won't be
using a Segway.

♪ ♪

[laughter]

[man] Ooh, Jesus!

Hmm, not as easy as it looks.

I wonder if there's some science
that will explain

where they were going wrong.

There is some science.
That's what this show's about.

Here it is.

[Richard, off-screen] A Segway
is an inverted pendulum,

which means that its center of
mass is above its pivot point.

If the rider leans
forwards or backwards,

the wheels will
move accordingly

in order to catch up with
the rider's center of mass,

so the greater the lean
in either direction,

the higher the speed.

That's all very well,
but any variations in surface

can affect the traction
of the tires.

If it loses too much traction,

the Segway can't
accelerate fast enough

to keep up with the
rider's center of mass.

And if you're traveling faster
than your Segway,

you're going to end up
going head over wheels!

[drums]

Wheels.

[Richard, off-screen] If you're
traveling forward at speed,

a slight lean backwards will act as a
brake to slow you down.

Here's a demo.

[tires screech]

Yeah.

[man, off-screen] Whoa-h*-h*!

[screams]

[Richard, off-screen] Oh,
that's crushing. Sorry.

After he's fallen off,
he pulls the controls back,

and so the Segway thinks
he's trying to reverse

and duly obliges.

[screams]

Okay, we're getting
confident now.

Let's test this bad boy out
on a skate ramp.

Ooh, gnarly!

After he steps off,
he pulls back on the stick

rather than letting go,

effectively putting it in
reverse and taking a dive.

A Segway can only balance
back and forth movements.

To balance when taking a corner,
it relies on the rider;

you must lean into the turn,
just like cycling.

So that's into the corner.

Definitely don't lean out.

[Richard, off-screen] He's taking those
bends with the grace of a slalom skier.

By leaning out at
the wrong moment,

he's ended up with a mouthful
of forest floor.

[woman] Segwaying with Dad.

[Richard, off-screen] Okay,
maybe Dad will fare better.

Remember, lean into
the corners, Dad.

Into the corners.

Now, that's out.

Ever wondered what happens in a
school once the kids have left?

Well, now you know!

They trash the place
with a Segway.

His riding was good,

leaning forwards to accelerate
and back to brake,

but his jump is slightly
off balance,

so he lands on one wheel,

causing the Segway
to steer to one side,

and then he loses his balance.

Extra science homework
for him, I think.

On a hot summer's day
when you need to get cool,

there's nothing as pleasurable
as heading outside

for a water fight

and enjoying
the refreshing, cheeky splash

of a water balloon
bursting on impact.

Or not!

♪ ♪

To ensure there's a splash,
not a crash,

you must make sure you have
the right balloon.

This is a water balloon.

It's made from weak, rough,
low-quality rubber

and is extremely thin.

That's very important.

This is a party balloon.

Same stuff, but around
twice as thick

and significantly
less likely to burst.

Once you've got
the right balloon,

that's this one,
the water balloon,

you need to make sure it bursts.

For that, you need
maximum impact.

And here's how you achieve it.

[Richard, off-screen] The
faster something is thrown,

the greater its momentum,

and the faster the change
in momentum can be

when it hits its target.

Basically, it's more
likely to explode.

Also, the more
solid the target,

the greater the chance
of the balloon bursting,

because the momentum
is lost more quickly.

So, don't use party balloons,

aim for a hard target,
and throw it fast.

Got it? Good.

[Richard, off-screen] Two out of three
isn't great news for her neck.

For her, thicker rubber
equals whiplash.

Okay, big throw now.

Oh.

Low momentum equals low impact.

[girl, off-screen]
I got another one!

[woman, off-screen] Matthew has
no idea we're about to do this.

[Richard, off-screen] These
two understand the science.

They're aiming at the solid
target of his back.

[woman, off-screen] Go.

[Richard, off-screen] And the height
will ensure it has momentum.

[woman, off-screen] Quick!

[screams]

[Richard, off-screen] Oh.,
the balloon didn't burst,

but it did transfer
momentum to the boy,

in this case with
the equivalent impact

of a ten-pound medicine ball

hitting him at 20 miles an hour.

[screams]

[screams]

Here's a young man playing
a joke on his friend's dad.

[groans]

[man, off-screen] Jesus!

[Richard, off-screen] Yeah,
he's actually using a condom

filled with water,

and, as we know, they are
designed not to split.

[groans]

Ironically enough, it might mean he
doesn't have any more kids!

[man] Ahh!

[Richard, off-screen] But
being a good scientist,

this chap corrected his
mistakes and tried again.

[man] [Bleep]! What the [bleep]?!

[Richard, off-screen]
Ah, much better!

These science enthusiasts
have done their homework.

A slingshot will ensure
there's lots of momentum.

I do hope they're using
a water balloon, though.

[laughing]

[man, off-screen] Oh my god!

[Richard, off-screen] No,
I don't think they were.

[laughing]

[man, off-screen] Did that hurt?

[man] Yeah.

[Richard, off-screen] Okay, here's a
little science teaser for you.

What physics is our slingshot
operator forgetting?

[Richard, off-screen] The physics our
slingshot operator ignored

is the elastic restoring force
of his stretchy slingshot.

In other words, the further
he stretches the slingshot,

the faster it will be traveling

as it shoots back towards
the equilibrium point.

And because gravity is also
acting on the slingshot,

its path moves downwards

to conveniently line up
with his undercarriage.

You don't make that
mistake twice.

Yo-yos. I've never really seen
the point of them.

I mean, poof, where's the fun?

But, like everything else, some
people get really good at it,

and for them the ultimate trick
is apparently a side mount.

Really? It's a yo-yo.

How hard can it be?

[woman, off-screen]
Stuart, Stuart, Stuart.

[Richard, off-screen] A party's
obviously not a party without a yo-yo.

He's certainly impressed!

[laughter]

Not anymore.
No, less impressed now.

Yes, yo-yoing
might seem boring,

but at least it can be
dangerous, too!

However, understanding the
science will help you stay safe

in the face of danger.

Face, get it?
Face, 'cause the yo-yo...

It's that.

[Richard, off-screen]
To complete a side mount,

he needs to throw the yo-yo
with enough velocity

for the string to remain taut
when spinning around the finger,

which acts as a pivot point.

The tension in the string then
provides the centripetal force

needed to guide the yo-yo
through a circular path

and back onto its string.

Easy!

That all sounds
straightforwards,

momentum and centripetal force!

Here goes, then!

[crash]

[Richard, off-screen] Yeah,
he overdid it on the velocity.

But he's never got
his glasses off quicker.

[crash]

[laughs]

By launching the yo-yo
straight down and outwards,

it's going to return in a
circle up and in to his face.

Like that.

Not your average
laboratory wear,

but genius comes in many forms.

Maybe that's one of them.

[laughs]

Remember, don't line up your
pivot point with your face.

[laughs]

Let's go back in time
to meet Brandon,

a budding yo-yoer trying
to master the side mount.

[Brandon] Oh!

[Richard, off-screen] Oh,
keep practicing, Brandon.

[Brandon] Oh!

[Richard, off-screen]
It's ten years later,

and Brandon seems to have
finally nailed it!

At least you didn't hit
yourself in the face this time!

Oh, no, you did.

All that velocity means
it hits him in the face

with the equivalent momentum
of a golf ball

traveling at 60 miles an hour.

It was a great launch,
and the tension in the string

provided the centripetal force
he needed.

But old habits die hard.

[crash]

As you can imagine,

I'm a huge fan of thrash
metal and hardcore punk,

so I can often be found
stage diving and crowd surfing.

After all, what can go wrong?

[man, off-screen] Lift off!

♪ ♪

Even if people don't
mind you hurling yourself

at them from a great height,

there are scientific factors
which will decide

if they are able to stop you
from hitting the deck.

[Richard, off-screen] We all know that
momentum equals mass times velocity,

and quadrupling the height
of the fall

means you double the speed
and momentum of the fall.

To catch him, the crowd must
apply an upwards force

big enough
to stop his momentum.

To remain stable,
he needs as many pairs

of evenly spread hands
below him as possible.

There must be an equilibrium
of the upward forces

from the hands and the downward
force of the surfer.

Unequal forces mean
he's heading for the floor.

So if you want to crowd surf,

don't be stage diving onto
people from too high up,

or they won't be able
to catch you.

Simple, you'd think.

[Richard, off-screen]
This chap is pretty high.

Now he's pretty low.

Not only did the height mean
too much momentum,

but by turning his body he gives the
crowd a smaller surface area

by which to stop him.

Hmm, a stage-side rope ladder.

That's asking for trouble.

[crowd gasps]

With the momentum
he achieved from that height,

the crowd had no chance
of stopping him.

But the floor did.

For the two people he hit
on the way down,

it was the equivalent of a pair
of baby rhinos landing on them

at 31 miles an hour.

Ouch!

[crowd gasps]

Now, this looks like
a better stage dive.

I take that back.

Because there are more hands on his legs
than on his upper body,

he rotates headfirst...

into the dirt.

[cheering]

Right, I think we now
all appreciate

that stage diving is stupid.

But surely you can't hurt
yourself crowd surfing, can you?

♪ ♪

[Richard, off-screen] Despite
the force from the sea of hands

being spread evenly
over the boat,

all the weight is at the back,

so the lighter front end
is pushed up,

causing the boat to
capsize and sink.

And a good captain always
goes down with his ship.

He hits the deck at
about 11 miles an hour.

This girl has got it!

Low jump to minimize momentum,

and plenty of people below her
with even weight distribution.

Oh.

I guess you can't do much
if you run out of people.

[crowd gasps]

Waterskiing, harnessing
the power of a motorboat

and the surface area
afforded by skis

in order to skim gracefully
atop the water,

and look very cool to boot.

Now, imagine doing that
with no skis.

♪ ♪

[Richard, off-screen] It
may just be water she hits,

but it is the equivalent of
being hit in the face

by a ten-pound bag of flour
at 25 miles an hour.

If you're thinking of
waterskiing without the skis,

you might want to
heed this advice.

[Richard, off-screen] There are
several key forces at play.

The thrust generated by the
boat pulls him forwards,

drag from his feet in the water
pulls him back,

lift from the angle of his feet
pushes him up,

and weight pushes him down.

The trick is to find
the equilibrium of forces

to keep him on his feet.

Not enough lift,
and therefore too much drag,

will make his feet sink.

Once this happens,
he'll rotate about his pivot.

That's the scientific
way of saying

you'll face-plant at high speed.

[Richard, off-screen]
Ooh, this chap is good!

He doesn't need water skis!

A bit of advice
from his friend.

With friends like that,
I mean, really?

We can see here that as she
puts her foot into the water,

she puts her heels down
at 90 degrees,

maximum drag, zero lift.

Mouthful of water.

This clever fella
is using skis.

The extra surface area makes
everything so much easier!

Uh, you asked for that.

Ah, she's back!

I wonder if she's learned
from her mistake earlier.

Nah, she hasn't.

Her right leg hits a splash
from the boat

and the increased drag
sends her spinning chin-first

into the drink.

Oh, this guy's started well!

His feet are down
and at a good angle,

giving him enough lift
to counter his weight.

That's quite a lot of spray
in his face, though.

By trying to get above
the spray,

he decreases his lift
and increases his drag.

And the moral of the story is?

Dude, hire some skis!

Science isn't always about
high-tech equipment

and lab conditions.

Sometimes it's about sweets
and fizzy drinks!

[man] Mentos and
Diet Coke rocket.

[laughing]

[man, off-screen]
Here it goes.

[man] It landed
on top of the roof.

[woman, off-screen] Oh, my gosh.

[Richard, off-screen]
Even outside the lab

you should still wear
safety goggles.

[woman, off-screen]
Oh, my gosh.

[Richard, off-screen]
I wear them in bed.

Why does this happen,
I hear you ask?

Well, allow me to present you
with some science.

[Richard, off-screen] In a fizzy drink,
carbon dioxide bubbles form,

grow larger and
float to the surface.

A rough-surface sweet
provides more sites

where the bubbles can form,

so the carbon dioxide molecules
can escape more quickly.

♪ ♪

In a bottle, those bubbles are forced
through a narrow opening,

so they erupt.

♪ ♪

That process of forming
bubbles on surfaces

is called nucleation.

Sounds fairly
straightforwards,

but as any scientist
will tell you,

successful experiments rely on

getting the right mix
of elements.

[man] Here, look, look. Watch.

[Richard, off-screen] With science it's
best to start them young,

and here Dad's outlining
the basics of nucleation.

[screams]

Yeah, maybe he should
have explained

the theory of cause
and effect, too.

[screams]

[woman] What happened?

[man] Andy spilled the soda.

[man, off-screen] Come here.

[Richard, off-screen] Oh, it's always
the assistant that gets the blame!

[man] I'm sorry.

[man] Dude, nothing's happening.

[Richard, off-screen] Probably because
all your sweets are on the

floor, not in the bottle.

[man, off-screen]
Oh, there it is.

[man] There's not
enough in there.

Alright, just throw it down.

[Richard, off-screen] Yeah, you
should have listened to him.

Too few mints means
not enough nucleation.

But chemistry is all about
fine-tuning.

[man, off-screen] Ready, go!

[Richard, off-screen] And why stop after
the first hint of success?

[laughing]

That bottle leaves the ground

with seven times
the acceleration of a Porsche.

That's some serious nucleation!

Can we have our bottle
back, please?

Knowing what we now know

about the reaction between
certain mints and fizzy drinks,

you'd definitely ensure that
there was never a situation

where they found themselves in
your mouth at the same time,

wouldn't you?

[man] Dave hopes I
projectile vomit for you.

[Dave] I guarantee it
he's going to vomit.

[man] I'm not going to vomit.

[Richard, off-screen] No, don't
vomit! This is a family show!

[man] Here we go.

[Richard, off-screen] Well,
he may have mastered

nucleation and pressure,
but it's still not advisable.

[Dave, off-screen] Dear God!

[man] I don't know man,
I just feel really weird.

-I can't move.
-[Dave] You want me to turn it off?

[man] It's like my legs
are numb or something.

I think this is, er...

...not going so well.

[Richard, off-screen] Mm-hmm.

And that's why you shouldn't
try this at home.

[crash]

Well, that's enough excruciating
experimentation for now.

Remember, if you take science
out of the Science Of Stupid ,

you're just left with
The Of Stupid,

which doesn't really work.

You know what I mean,
it's just stupid,

so don't try what you've
just seen at home!

[music plays through credits]

[woman, off-screen] Quick!

[screams]

[crowd gasps]

[groans]

[laughing]