02x08 - Ice Buckets and Kayaks

[bunniefuu]

[Richard, off-screen]
It's the Science of Stupid.

Yes, this is the show that
combines science and stupidity.

Over the next half hour,
we'll explore the brutal world

of the wannabe
stunt man and woman.

We'll reveal the science
behind their mishaps,

by explaining such curiosities
as the conservation of momentum.

Angular velocity.

Self-stabilization.

And that old devil, elasticity.

Science is not a game.

Play with its principles,

and you're playing with fire.

So, don't try
any of this at home,

or anywhere else,
for that matter.

Watch out,

it's the Science of Stupid!

On this show, we'll see how
velocity goes from horizontal,

to vertical.

We'll reveal
the optimum trajectory.

That's not it.

And we'll explore the correct way
to generate lift,

and maintain it.

But first, this.

Some scientists say that spending too
much time sitting down,

increases your risk
of an early death,

although they probably
weren't thinking of this.

Looks fun.
But it can also be.

[man] Arghhh, that's bad!

Yeah, it is. The office chair.

The humble chair,
upgraded with tiny wheels,

a spinning mechanism,
and a vastly increased capacity

for physical injury.

But, why is that?

The smaller a wheel
compared to an obstacle,

the greater the impact angle.

This.

And, so, the less likely it
is to overcome that obstacle.

Also, the combination
of human and chair,

has a high center of mass
relative to its wheel base.

So it doesn't
need to tip as much

for that center of mass
to fall outside the wheel base,

sending the
top-heavy bit flying.

Some people think Charles Darwin
was one of the first to stick

wheels on a chair, perhaps
whilst working on his theory

of natural selection.

I've always believed
in this theory,

but it has left me wondering,
how some people got through.

This office chair
connoisseur is demonstrating

the effect of a really
high center of mass.

[man] That sucked!

Anybody else think this looks destined
to fail right off the bat?

[Richard, off-screen] Yeah, me.
But knock yourself out anyway.

The lesson here is that the higher
the center of mass

relative to its wheel base,
the more unstable the chair is.

Not exactly what you'd
call a harmless hobby.

On a downhill run, these experienced
riders might as well

be stacking chairs,
because that center of mass

is leaning closer
to the tipping point.

So spare a thought
for the novice.

Two problems.


on a steep gradient,

plus a crack in the road,
and momentum sends her flying

with a force of about four and a half
times her own bodyweight.

On a smooth surface, this chap
can engage spinning mechanism,

and enjoy!

Until he hits
a different angle.

Same effect as a crack or bump.

Lots of angles here.

Crazy, but will it work?

[man] Whoa!

[Richard, off-screen] No.

As this Harvard man should know,
a staircase is essentially

nothing but bumps
on a steep gradient.

Some of them on his head.

But what about
smooth, level ground?

Well, you need
some help with speed.

[man, off-screen] Oh, my god!

[Richard, off-screen]
And that can come at a price.

Which might be
several layers of skin.

[man] Ouch. Ohh [bleep].

[Richard, off-screen]
Yeah! You did it!

The ground seems
fairly bump-free,

but by leaning back, he was toying with
that high center of mass.

If you're top-heavy
with tiny wheels,

don't give physics
a helping hand.

Look, ultimately,
the clue is in the name.

This is not an office chair's
natural environment.

[groaning]

[Richard, off-screen] This is.

Keep it here,
and you'll be fine.

[screams]

[Richard, off-screen]
Most of the time.

Flying a kite.

It's, quite literally,
child's play.

But, attach yourself to said kite,
with yards of plastic line,

whilst strapping a large
fiberglass board to your feet,

and it's a bit more like this.

♪ ♪

[screams]

Yeah, the thing about kite surfing is
that you do tend to take off.

But if you want to avoid the
more painful side of flight,

here's a little
science that could help.

The wind window is a
three dimensional arc of sky

downwind of this surfer.

By flying the kite through
different zones in this arc,

you can alter the air
flow over the kite,

and control your power.

To jump, quickly angle the kite
directly above your head.

This creates a sudden lift,
whipping you into the air.

Then, as you land, redirect the kite
down towards the water,

keeping the kite powered,
otherwise you might just sink.

So, to start your jump,

angle the kite straight up
to snap you into the air.

Oh, that's it!

Yeah,
although it is a bit dull.

Come on, you're a
kite surfer, not a yo-yo!

For something more ambitious,
redirect your kite in mid-air.

Before it redirects you.

And finally, don't forget,
pull your kite down

to keep it powered as you land.

But, try to avoid actual land.

A kite's wing-like shape is so
efficient, that just by steering,

you can easily double
the wind speed across it,

producing four times the force.

That combination
of wind and kite

can be extremely powerful,

enough to launch a surfer
almost 60 feet into the air,

equivalent to
a five storey building.

But if you're
still in any doubt.

Here's a man flying his
friend around like a kite.

And by steering about,
his friend is demonstrating

how you can navigate the power zones
to control power and lift.

Bit more lift, please.

Oh, that's more like it!

[man, off-screen] There you go.

[Richard, off-screen] The Wright
brothers apparently used kites

to test their ideas on flight.

Although,
probably not like this.

There's a point where
you think, "This is fun"!

And, then, there's a point where you
think, "Oh, I'm quite high up now"!

[screaming]

[Richard, off-screen]
And that was it, just then.

Ultimately, it's all about
taking control of the elements,

mastering the wind.

Do this, and at the end of
a long day of kite surfing,

you can even use it to
take you back to the car!

Bye!

This lad's about to
hurtle at breakneck speed

towards a busy road.

But what science
will we gain from this?

[Richard, off-screen] So, what's the
science this lad is about to show us?

It's Newton's third law.

To every action, there is an equal
but opposite reaction.

He hits the third horizontal bar with
too much vertical velocity,

and since the bar hits
back with equal force,

it sends him into
another Newton moment,

with the pavement.

[man] Are you alright?

[Richard, off-screen]
Well, what do you think?

Hurdling. It's a kind of
sporting hybrid that combines

the high jump
and 100 meter sprint.

[g*nsh*t]

The expl*sive leaping
power of a gazelle.

The lightning speed
of a racehorse.

[woman] Help!
Get this off me please

But if you're
completely devoid of either,

come and sit a little closer.

We're about to talk science.

First, the hurdler
leaps early to put her

center of mass
on a shallow trajectory.

Then, she drives
upwards with the knee,

before fully extending the leg.

This helps her lean forwards, keeping
her center of mass forwards,

which keeps her
speed up as she lands.

So, it's all about
clearing the hurdle

without losing the speed you need
to beat your opponent.

Method and speed
go hand in hand.

[man] Get the flip flops
off, you'll run faster.

[Richard, off-screen]
Yeah, he's right.

You'll need plenty of velocity
to nail that trajectory.

Especially if your hurdle
is more of a high jump.

A long afternoon, was it?

Next, method.
And this, trotting technique,

is like doing little practice hurdles
before the big one.

And it doesn't help.

Take-off distance
for Olympic hurdlers

is about six feet
from the hurdle.

But this is closer
to six inches.

Launch too late,
and you'll whack the leading leg.

See? Too late.

But don't peak too early.

Especially if
you're past your peak.

Ah, surfing!

The freedom of the ocean,

the Hawaiian sun
setting on the horizon.

But if a flight to Hawaii seems pricey,
there is always this.

Flowboarding is the sport
of riding a wave simulator.

It's very different,
really, from normal surfing,

but you can do
some neat tricks.

Wahey!

And some, er, pointless ones.

And, it's perfectly safe.

No man-eating sharks,
no bone-smashing waves,

no flesh-ripping coral.

But you can still do this.

[laughing]

Okay, even if you do decide
not to flowride on your face,

it's still worth
knowing a splash of science.

To flowride successfully,
you need to balance your weight

acting downwards,
with lift, pushing you up.

By shifting more of your
weight onto your rear foot,

you can change the angle
at which the board's nose

meets the flow of water,
to get more lift.

As the board turns, push down
on your toe edge, or heel edge,

to adjust the amount of lift, so you
don't catch the edge, and fall off.

Now, listen,
Flowrider machines can sh**t out


of water a minute,

at speeds of up to


So finding perfect
equilibrium, isn't always easy.

Start by getting
your feet nicely planted.

Yeah! But planted on the board!

Then shift some weight
onto your rear foot.

Again, once it's on the board.

All right, skip forward a bit.
You're on the board,

you've established balance,

now, you just
have to maintain it.

But not like that.

Or that.

As soon as the nose dips
below the water, it'll catch,

whip around, and you're looking
at a face plant.

So, what's the answer?

Is it, putting a hand
down to steady yourself?

No.

Putting your foot down?

No.

Flapping your arms about?

No!
Remember the science.

It's about balancing
weight with lift.

If the toe edge dips,

get lift by pushing
down with your heels.

But don't overcompensate.

We're talking
small corrections here.

Usually.

So does additional
mass make a difference?

Yes, if you're
a touch more portly,

you need a touch more lift.

Try digging
your heels in, madam.

And once you've achieved perfect balance
and harmony with your board,

why not try it
with someone else's?

On second thoughts,
don't bother!

Bowling roll a large
ball along a shiny surface

and knock over
some pins. Simple.

You can even multitask.

Nice!

Oh, yeah!
Gotta be happy with that!

And you are!

But Science of Stupid
isn't about people like him.

It's about people like her.

And him.

Look, a ten pound ball
of resin can do some damage.

Your face is relatively brittle,
so to improve your swing,

and reduce your chances of nasal
surgery, here's the science.

The higher the backswing,
the more velocity the ball gains,

thanks to gravity
pulling it down.

The pendulum-like swing means
all that velocity is horizontal

by the bottom of the swing.

Release the ball here,
and it has

the maximum horizontal velocity,
and the flattest trajectory,

for a smoother landing.

Strike!

So, to hit those pins,
you need speed, and timing.

It's all about that
pendulum-like swing.

You don't have to be an expert,
just let gravity do the work.

Okay, not all the work.

Remember, you do have
to supply the backswing.

Well, he's got that
pendulum movement going,

and here's the
perfect time to let go!

As opposed to there.

Let go too late,

and the velocity will be becoming
vertical again,

so the ball goes up in the air.

Okay, we can't all
rely on blind luck.

[man, off-screen] Oh! Oh! Oh!

[Richard, off-screen]
It's simple.

[man] Let's go! Superman!

[Richard, off-screen]
Don't let go too late.

Yeah, hang onto that velocity, and you
will be a bit, "Superman"!

And the heavier the ball.

The heavier the
person it can shift.

More mass,
equals more momentum.

Okay, look,
master the basics, and, then,

you can use your scientific knowledge
to bend the rules.

A late release, from a master!

Combine enough backswing
with a slightly later release,

and you have enough velocity
to pull off a neat trick.

But if you're not that good.

[woman, off-screen] Oh my God!

[Richard, off-screen]
Just obey the science!

When you're a little kid,
spinning around, is fun!

But who says you can't
have fun when you're older?

Hardly a classic
example, but yes,

we're talking headspins.

Your head is one of
the more important parts

of your body, but if you're
content to wear away that bit,

then at least let the laws of science
keep your other bits from harm.

First, push yourself around,
to build up angular momentum.

You can think of
this as spininess.

For balance, keep your legs down,
so that your center of gravity

is low,
and directly over your head.

To accelerate your spin,
stick your legs straight up.

The narrower your
distribution of mass,

the faster you spin.

It's the law of conservation
of angular momentum.

So, first off,
getting into a spin.

Some start slow,

pushing themselves
around by hand.

Some go for fancy moves,
building angular momentum,

before they enter the spin.

And some, don't do either.

Whatever you do, do, you do need to
build up that angular momentum.

Your head won't spin itself.

Unless you're possessed.

This guy is working hard
to build up that momentum.

Perhaps it'll get him
right into a headspin.

Or, just a roly-poly.

You're after a slightly more
circular motion than that.

And remember, keep your center of
gravity over your head,

not beyond it.

Even more tricky, if you're going for
the fancy moves technique.

Ah! And especially difficult, if you put
a woolly hat over your head.

Oh, don't worry,
nobody's looking.

Least of all, you!

And that's just as well.

Once you're in a spin,
balance is largely about keeping

your legs low and wide,
to maintain a low center of gravity.

But not that low.

Oh, and do make sure,
the length of your legs

doesn't exceed
the space you're in.

Once you've perfected your balance,
the really tricky part,

sticking your legs up straight
to accelerate your spin.

But, there is one problem.

The higher your legs, the
higher your center of gravity.

Which won't help your balance.

Or your reputation.

That's quite
enough pain for now.

But whilst I rest my
eyes from excessive wincing,

please consider the consequences
of chair acrobatics,

violent wind,
and pavement face plants,

and ask yourself,
is it worth it?

Or is it just a bit stupid?

♪ ♪

♪ ♪