02x03 - The Motion of the Ocean

[bunniefuu]

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

[Richard, off-screen] Yes!

This is the show that combines
science and stupidity.

Over the next half hour,

we'll witness misguided
science enthusiasts

attempting daring feats.

By exploring what went wrong,

we'll explain such
scientific principles

as elastic potential energy,

momentum,

balancing weight with lift,

and moments combined
with friction.

Do battle with science,
and you are destined to lose.

So do not try any
of this at home,

or anywhere else
for that matter.

Watch out!

It's the Science of Stupid.

[Richard, off-screen] In this
show, we'll see what happens

when you fail to keep
your center of gravity

in its rightful place.

Study the importance of speed...

Or lack of.

And demonstrate
the work energy theorem.

But first, this.

Cars and trucks.

Great when all four wheels are
in contact with the ground.

Not so great when flying
through the air.

Even less great when plummeting
back down to Earth.

That was actually
an unintentional car jump,

but some folk appear intent
on taking to the skies

in all manner of four-wheeled
transport on purpose.

I sincerely hope that
before they hit the ramp,

they take time to
check out the science.

As soon as the front wheels
leave the ramp,

the car's weight pushing down
through its center of mass

creates angular momentum causing
the car to rotate forwards.

One way to avoid this

is to build up enough speed
before takeoff,

reducing the time over which
the car's weight

can create angular momentum.

By doubling the takeoff speed
at the ramp,

the car will go
four times as far.

When it comes to landing,
a descent ramp is a good idea.

The law of impulse and momentum
tells us

that by doubling the time
a car takes to stop,

the impact force will be halved.

But no ramp, and all that
vertical velocity

is lost very quickly.

Listen, this is serious stuff.

In a car crash at above


hitting any solid parts with
your chest or stomach

can result in ruptured
internal organs,

which is all bad.

So don't say I didn't warn you.

Shame no one warned these guys.

Okay, let's put that foot down
for a speedy takeoff.

Oh.

[man] Holy...

[Richard, off-screen]
That was not so speedy.

Allowing plenty of time for
angular momentum to build up

and tip him into a nosedive.

[man] Holy [bleep].

[Richard, off-screen] This driver
experienced an amazing 6 G,

about the same deceleration
as an astronaut on re-entry.

I'm no expert,

but I wouldn't say that
a camper van towing a boat

was the perfect solution to
the takeoff speed issue.

[woman] Woo! Run, run, run!

Woo!

[Richard, off-screen] Yeah.
And that kind of proves it.

This looks like a more
professional setup.

Good speed ahead of takeoff...

But the same result.

His massive rear suspension
springs rebounded

once the front wheels
left the ramp.

Adding angular momentum

and pitching him nose-down
into the dirt.

[man] Oh!

[Richard, off-screen]
Don't worry, he's fine.

Well, until he gets home.

[man] Oh no! C'mon, my
wife is going to k*ll me!

[Richard, off-screen] Yeah, what's she
gonna do the school run in?

Do you really need proof
that angular momentum

is not a good thing when jumping
in cars and trucks?

Well, there it is anyway.

[man] Oh, my gosh!

[Richard, off-screen]
And that's the confirmation.

Has anyone thought of
using a landing ramp?

Well, this guy's
landscaped one...

But overshoots it.

[man] Ooh!

[Richard, off-screen] The result,
a sudden loss of vertical velocity,

and a big, fat impact force.

[man] Ooh!

[Richard, off-screen] Look, successfully
landing cars or trucks isn't impossible.

See, he can do it.

And that's because he took off
with enough speed

to limit the rotation generated.

Landing like a motorcycle
on the back wheels.

And now to transfer that
professional know-how

to a snowy farm field.

Or at least try.

With minimal angular momentum

he avoids rotating the truck
into a nosedive,

but with no landing ramp all
that vertical velocity is lost.

Truck literally snapped in half.

And the driver didn't
fare much better.

He experienced a
deceleration of over 5 G

followed by a few weeks
of hospital food.

So let his lesson
be your lesson.

Don't be tempted to
try this yourself.

Leaping from a static
point onto a raised platform

has a very inventive name.

Can you guess what it is?

Yeah. The standing jump.

[man] [bleep].

For the perfect standing
jump, you need to work.

That's not some terrible
motivational speech.

Jumping is all about
the work energy theorem.

[Richard, off-screen] The
more work your leg muscles do,

the more kinetic energy you gain
as you push against the ground,

and the higher you can jump.

You can jump even higher by
doing a counter movement jump,

where a squat and jump are
part of one fluid movement.

Finally, for a balanced landing,

get your center of gravity
over your feet.

So to master
the standing jump,

you stand, squat, push,
jump, and land.

Sounds simple, right?

Well, apparently not
for everyone.

If you can pull it off,

it's a great way to impress
the ladies at the gym.

If you can't, it's not.

But to be fair, it is
a difficult thing to master.

[man] [bleep].

[Richard, off-screen]
See what I mean?

This guy's got it.

A bit of squat to increase work.

A controlled center of
gravity all going on.

Yeah, maybe I spoke to soon.

This platform looks a bit
on the high side.

Tough. But can he make it?

No, he can't, he can't.

This chap's looking to
impress his classmates.

Alas, with the bodged
landing platform,

it's not the jump
that impresses.

But the fall and the funny walk.

[man] I've hurt my back!

[Richard, off-screen]
Back in the gym,

this guy's going for
a new personal record.

That wasn't it.

With the unstable platform,

he can't get his center of
gravity over his base.

A fall from a height
of just three feet

means you hit the ground
at about ten miles an hour.

Might not break
any speed limits,

but it might break your nose.

[man] I am so happy
I got that on film!

[Richard, off-screen] So are we.

Here's a question for you,

what scientific force does one of our
acrobatic basketball players get wrong

during this impressive display?

[crowd] Oh!

[Richard, off-screen] From the
moment our basketball player

leaves the trampoline,

he becomes a projectile
following a set trajectory.

Its shape depends on his speed
and angle at takeoff.

His trajectory takes him high,
way above the hoop,

and his only hope now
is gravity,

which lets him down,
literally.

I love a bit of DIY,

so when I heard about something
called planking,

I was really excited.

But I'd got the wrong end
of the stick.

[Richard, off-screen] Planking
is actually lying face down,

palms flat against your sides,

feet together and
pointing downwards.

It's terribly exciting.

People do it in all kinds
of locations,

and it has to be photographed
or filmed,

otherwise it's just lying down,
right?

[snoring]

Planking may be a bit dull
when it's done properly,

but every cloud has
a silver lining,

because fortunately for us,
it's not always done properly.

[man] Three, two, one, go.

I wouldn't
advise this activity,

but for all you potential
plankers out there,

pay attention to this bit of
science for the perfect plank.

[Richard, off-screen]
When standing up,

you keep your center of gravity
over your base,

which is your feet.

That's why you tend
not to fall over.

When planking on
a single object,

your base is wherever your body
makes contact

with the object
you are lying on.

The weight of any
unsupported body part

tends to cause
downwards rotation,

and this needs to be opposed
by your muscles.

The smallest wobble will shift
your center of gravity

and could cause you
to lose balance

and come crashing to the floor.

So find the
perfect place for a plank,

a mate willing to film you,
and off you go.

This platform looks sturdy.

To be honest, it'll need to be.

[man] [bleep]

[Richard, off-screen] Oh.

The planker starts off well,

but because his center of mass
is in front of his base,

he tips forward.

Don't worry,
the pavement was fine.

Planking on a golf cart
is a novel idea.

A nice, flat, level surface
provides a wide base.

But as the cart goes downhill,
the planker slides forwards.

When his center of gravity
isn't over the roof,

he falls over the front,

resulting in a mouthful
of fairway

and a lifetime ban
from the club.

Oh, my God,
he's completely crippled...

[man] He's laughing!

[Richard, off-screen]
With embarrassment.

Ah, two points of contact

makes his base longer
and balancing easier.

Close.

But that was closer!

BOY: Oh, my God.

[Richard, off-screen] When planking on a
moving object like an escalator,

you better make sure
the way is clear.

This planker has enough
confidence in his skills

to do it in front of
an audience on a tram.

Problem is when the
tram stops with a jerk,

his center of gravity
is shifted,

and his gymnastic performance
quickly becomes a farce.

Probably feels like getting off
at the next stop now.

Silly planker.

Boats needn't be expensive.

The simple kayak is an affordable water
sport open to all.

It's all good fun until you find
yourself high above the water

with no means of smooth entry.

That's where the seal launch
comes in.

For a launch that's more seal
than stumbling elephant,

you'd better take heed
of the science.

[Richard, off-screen] The aim is to
slide into the water at a shallow angle,

allowing the buoyancy
of the kayak

to bring the bow to the surface
in a smooth, controlled arc.

When the front of the kayak
hits the water,

the center of mass
carries on down,

and then it's plain sailing.

You need an entry angle of around 30
degrees for a low launch,

but steeper if you go up high
to minimize impact.

The key to this is enough speed.

Okay, first things first.

[man] Whoa!

[Richard, off-screen] It helps
to have a clear launch way.

Or you might end up with
a face full of...

Oar.

And remember, seal launches
work best into water.

Not your backyard.

Okay, we've covered
the basics now.

Let's do this.

Good speed for shallow entry.

[man] [bleep].

[Richard, off-screen] Not quite.

Right, is this the one?

[crowd] Ohh!

[Richard, off-screen] No.

[man] [bleep].

[Richard, off-screen] He needs
momentum to slide forward,

but gets stuck and pivots
into a vertical position...

and then nosedives.

This guy looks set for
the perfect seal launch.

[man] Three, two, one.

[laughing]

[Richard, off-screen]
Or maybe not.

That railing k*lled any chance
of speed and a shallow entry.

But you can always get by with
a little help from your friends.

Dirt biking.

There's no buzz
like the one you get

flying around
a dirt bike course.

As long as you're flying around
on the bike, that is.

Needless to say,

dirt biking is one of the more dangerous
ventures on Science of Stupid.

So, to stay on the bike
and avoid the dirt,

you might want to listen
to the science.

[Richard, off-screen] When a
bike accelerates,

there's a force at the back wheel.

Because it acts at the ground,

lower down than
the center of mass,

it acts to rotate the front
of the bike up.

The force of your weight
rotates you back down,

but going uphill it acts
closer to your back wheel,

so it's less effective.

A 45-degree angle is roughly
the limit you can climb.

You can climb steeper by having
a bike with a low center of mass

and by leaning forwards.

If you don't do this,

you're more likely to fly into
a wheelie if you accelerate.

And doing a wheelie on a hill is
not a move I'd recommend.

To avoid it, you must accelerate
as little as possible

on the hill and don't lean back.

Just two things to remember.

I've got a good feeling
about this one!

[Richard, off-screen] Accelerating on a
steep hill sends him into a wheelie.

But at least his bike
made it to the top.

Here's a daredevil going up.

And here he is coming back down.

The burst of acceleration
at the end

means the traction force
rotates the bike upwards,

sending him back
from whence he came.

Will this rider have more luck?

Close, but no cigar.

He'd have swallowed it anyway.

Well, hey, someone's made it
to the top!

Oh, no, no, they haven't.

Oh, he has got a new bike,
though.

The Paralympics showcase just what
amazing athletic feats

can be achieved in a wheelchair,

but there are some ridiculous
uses as well.

Take the wheelchair wheelie
for example.

It's wheelie stupid!

I'm so sorry.

The wheelchair wheelie.

Like any wheelie, it's all about
finding your balance point,

and here's the science
behind it.

[Richard, off-screen] His base
of support

is where his wheels touch the floor,

and his center of gravity has
to be directly over this

to remain balanced.

Once he's found
the balance point,

he's in unstable equilibrium.

To keep the center of gravity
over his base,

he must make tiny adjustments
to the wheels.

Master this, and he can move
the wheelchair around

without toppling over.

That's all very well,

but there's another
important rule

if you want to avoid the topple.

Don't let go.

[Richard, off-screen]
He's confident.

Alright, mate.
No one likes a show-off.

Ah.

Mr. Confident forgets
the Golden Rule and lets go,

resulting in a backwards slam
into his cupboard door.

That may need replacing,
by the way.

[man] It's actually pretty amazing.

[man] I said, this is
actually pretty amazing

[Richard, off-screen]
Yeah. It was fabulous.

Remember what we said about tiny
movements to keep your balance?

Well, that was one huge movement
resulting in disaster.

I'm not sure wheelies
in the workplace

is the best use of your time,

but some wheelchairs do now
come with anti-tip devices.

That one doesn't.

Here's a little fact for you.

In 2012, Xie Junwu of China
set the world record

for the longest wheelchair
wheelie on an athletics track,

traveling an astonishing


I bet he didn't have to deal
with steps, though.

Just one step.

[man] Oh!

[Richard, off-screen] It's
more than enough, though.

[man] Oh!

[Richard, off-screen] This guy
is taking his girlfriend

for the ride of her life.

He used small adjustments

to control their
center of gravity

but then let go completely.

Well, they do say love hurts.

Right, I think we've combined enough
science with pain for this week.

Hopefully you'll think twice before
trying anything you've seen.

Remember, science
doesn't suffer fools,

but it can make fools suffer.

Oh! Genius!

[music plays through credits]

♪ ♪