03x01 - Paragliding, Dirt Bikes and Wedgies

[bunniefuu]

[Richard]
This is The Science of Stupid.

[electric fizzling, shatter]

Yes, this is the series
that puts the science

-back into stupidity,
-[thud]

as we direct our analytical gaze...

[smack]

towards people who've
learned their science...

-[crash]
-the hard way.

-Thanks to them,
-[smash]

we'll demonstrate
scientific principles

-such as momentum,
-[crash]

-pendulums,
-[crash, gasping]

-and gravity.
-[smash]

-Because turn your back on science,
-[shriek]

-and it'll kick you in the butt.
-[crash]

-So, watch out.
-[smash]

It's The Science of Stupid.

[electric fizzling]

-In this show,
-[grunt]

we'll be exploring the science
of tensile strength,

[smash]

how to master the principles
of aerodynamics,

-[splash]
-or not...

and Newton's Third Law of Motion.

-[expl*si*n, laughter]
-But first, this...

[shattering]

[electricity fizzling]

[expl*si*n, crumbling]

Baseball.
It's America's national pastime.

A game enjoyed by young and old

across that grand nation.

Yep, it's great fun,
but swinging a wooden bat

at a solid ball can have
painful consequences.

So, before we get on to any
science, let's talk safety.

If you're practicing at home, use a net.

[glass shattering]

And don't put it in front of a window.

If you're batting,
a helmet is essential.

-If you're spectating,
-[bounce]

-it's optional...
-[crash, grunt]

-but advisable.
-[groaning]

The game should always be played

with a proper bat and ball.

[man]
Pull!

-[smash]
-[laughter]

[Richard] Yeah, I don't think
any of you have quite got this.

Look, instead of playing with a TV,

why not play on a TV?

After all, the console
version is much safer.

-[smack]
-[man] Ah!

[Richard]
Just not for him.

-[smack]
-[man] Ah!

[Richard] Yep. Please stick
to swinging your baseball bat

at baseballs, not friends.

Now, baseball Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm

hit a home run on the first swing

of his first professional game.

He then went 21 years
without scoring another.

So, perfecting that
swing is no mean feat,

and it's not so much about
strength as angle and timing.

And of course, science.

A batter's arms and shoulders

are like coiled springs,
loaded with potential energy.

As he swings, that energy is converted

into kinetic energy,

accelerating the bat.

[beep]

[knock]

For a home run,
he strikes underneath the ball,

-[knock]
-launching it

at about 35 degrees
for maximum distance.

[beep]

For that perfect strike,
you also want to hit the ball

with the sweet spot of the bat,

which is about six inches from the top.

But first,
get your body into that stance,

like a tightly coiled spring,

and unleash that energy.

-[laughter]
-[yelling, crash]

Plenty of energy,
now let's try hitting the ball.

And don't forget that 35 degree angle.

-[hits ball]
-[yell]

That was more like zero degrees,

but he did hit the sweet spot.

[hits ball, smack]

[yell]

A good 35 degree hit fires
it away from the pitcher.

Like that, and that uppercut of the ball

was perfect for a home run.

-[hits ball]
-[grunt]

That was less perfect,

and not the uppercut I meant.

-[hits ball]
-[grunting]

[woman]
Okay, watch out.

[woman] I really don't want to
hit you in the face...

...just duck.

[Richard]
Uh... okay.

-[bounce]
-[laughter]

Mom was right. You should've ducked.

Mom hits the ball at zero degrees,

and clips the top.

So, all that energy heads south,

-[hits ball, bouncing]
-and then north.

[man, off-screen]
Did Mommy just hit you in the face?

[Richard] Yeah, she did.
And I'd rethink the hat.

Perhaps try a helmet.

[slam, electric fizzling]

[creaking]

Mention the words "fence jumping,"

and I tend to think of this.

[horse whinnies]

What I tend not to think about is this.

-[snap, laughter]
-[man 1] Oh!

[man 2, off-screen]
I knew that was gonna happen.

[Richard]
Well, you could've told him if you knew.

Yep, horse or not,

it appears some people are intent

on jumping over fences.

But if you must try,
here's a little advice.

Always decide first

if you're going under or over.

[slip, smash]

-[man] Ah!
-[Richard] He went for both.

[woman, off-screen]
Go!

[Richard]
Speed is good...

[jump, crash]

-providing you maintain it.
-[groaning]

And finally...

[screaming in foreign language]

[smash]

Don't underestimate the jumping part.

[woman, off-screen]
Yeah!

[Richard]
No. This is a silly activity,

but there is some
clever science involved.

The key lies in the trajectory,

which is governed by vertical
and horizontal velocity.

During a standing jump,

he squats, storing more energy

in his muscles for increased force

and greater vertical velocity.

To go higher, a runner stores

even more energy in the muscles,

converting it into
faster vertical velocity.

Launch angle and velocity
determine trajectory,

[beeping]

and, thus, how high
and how far he'll travel.

Right, let's start
with the standing jump.

Now, perfecting that squat is a big deal.

It can account for as much
as 60% of your jump height.

Let's see if this guy's got it.

-[yelling, crash]
-No, no.

Not enough height leads to a trip...

-[yelling, crash]
-and then a face plant.

-Let's try this chap.
-[crowd cheering]

-Okay, good squatting.
-[crash]

Poor choice of fence.

Okay, not doing great

with the standing jump, but get this.

The record for the highest
forward running jump

is thought to be 6'3",

over a foot higher than
the standing jump record.

So, let's try a run up.

Just remember velocity is key.

Okay, this is it.

[laughter]

No? Alright. Maybe next time.

[smash]

Or maybe not.

Might want to jump
a bit quicker next time.

[crashing]

But, at least you got out.

-Yeah, you did it.
-[yell]

Good start. Now, just don't
forget that launch angle.

-[smash, laughter]
-Oh.

Close, but that angle
works if you jump harder,

and from here.

Not here.

-[smash]
-[laughter]

-[man, off-screen] Here we go.
-[Richard] Now, this method

involves a good friend
giving a little boost.

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

[Richard]
Hm, that was too little.

And that's because the friend's
hand was too weak,

so his velocity remained a little
more horizontal than he wanted.

[crash, yelling]

Turns out he's not that
much of a friend anyway.

[laughter]

[electricity fizzling]

[creaking, crashing]

These people are having a smashing time,

but what will happen next due
to a key scientific principle?

[glass shattering]

[electricity fizzling]

[expl*si*n]

So, have you figured out
what scientific principle

these lovely people are
demonstrating for us?

[yelling]

Yes, it's centripetal acceleration!

That, and a poor choice
of holiday activity.

Not only is the boat
pulling them forwards,

but they gain additional speed
from centripetal acceleration

as they arc past the boat.

Only problem is they accelerate
into the reeds,

which does help them decelerate,

just a bit quicker than planned.

[electricity fizzling]

[rumbling]

Draw the curtains,
cover your children's ears,

because it's time to have
a grown-up conversation

about underpants.

[chuckle]

Now, here are underpants as nature

-intended them to be worn.
-[crowd chatter]

-I think he's dancing, by the way.
-[man, off-screen] One...

[Richard]
But for some people,

that fit isn't quite tight enough.

-And so, the wedgie was born.
-[yell]

[man]
Arrrgh, my ****** dude!

[yelling]

[Richard]
Described in the dictionary as

"an act of pulling up the material
of someone's underwear

tightly between their buttocks,"

the wedgie is just one of the many things

that elevates us humans above

less evolved members
of the animal kingdom.

And here's some of the key
scientific factors involved.

The first is force,

required to do the actual pulling.

Second is the yield strength,

which is how far you
can stretch something

before it loses elasticity,

and becomes permanently stretched.

And finally, tensile strength,

which is the maximum pulling
force something can take

before it breaks.

Now, in order to fully understand

how scientific principles
work in practice,

sometimes we need to
delve into murky areas,

which polite society shuns.

So come on, time to be brave.

-[smash]
-[yell, laughter]

Here the guys are demonstrating

the yield strength of their underpants,

-[smash]
-and, uh, something with a plank.

-I'm not sure exactly what, though.
-[yelling]

-[groaning]
-He's using a large force from a rope

to test the tensile strength
of his friend's underpants.

Did you know force equals
mass times acceleration?

So basically,
he's a large bloke running.

[groaning]

[woman, off-screen]
You can hear the ripping!

[Richard] Yeah, that'd be the tensile
strength of his underpants giving way.

Now, what if we go for
acceleration and even more mass?

[man, off-screen]
Let's see a wedgie!

[Richard]
Yeah, let's. Go on, then.

[car revving]

-[snap]
-[screaming]

It appears his
backside has a greater strength

-than his underwear... just.
-[groaning]

You can pop some trousers on now.

And of course, there is always...

[rip]

-the unplanned wedgie.
-[laughter]

[bell ringing]

[thud, splatter]

[sizzling, bubbling]

Right, it's time for the science lesson.

The part of the show
where we delve a little deeper

into some key scientific principles.

Today's theme will appeal to
all of those who have some spare

sulfur, charcoal, and potassium
nitrate lying about the place.

Can you guess what it is?

-[fireworks popping]
-That's right. Explosions!

Because those three things are
the key ingredients of g*n powder,

and also fireworks...

[explosions]

Which here in Adelfia, Italy,

have been accidentally set off early...

[explosions]

and all at once.

I wonder if anyone brought any sparklers.

But there's more to explosions

than poorly organized firework displays.

There are three types of expl*si*n.

Mechanical, chemical, and nuclear,

although nuclear is a bit
beyond our budget.

Chemical explosions are
caused by chemical reactions,

set off by fire, electrical current,

and impact, amongst other things.

Mechanical explosions
are a physical process

caused by a buildup of pressure.
For example...

A dry ice b*mb contains
frozen carbon dioxide.

As it warms and turns into a gas,

the pressure increases,

and, helped by a little shock...

[expl*si*n]

causes a mechanical expl*si*n.

When this firework is ignited by heat,

a chemical expl*si*n,

-[pop]
-resulting...

-[pop]
-in a blast wave,

[splashing]

which can cause the most damage.

[pop, splashing]

So, plenty of evidence there
as to why messing about

with any kind of expl*sive
is incredibly dangerous,

and, well, epically stupid.

Let's have a test. Question one.

Aside from nuclear, what other
kinds of explosions are there?

[lights fuse]

Well, there's chemical.

But what happens when a chemical expl*sive

is placed in a freezer?

[expl*si*n]

It can help defrosting.

[expl*si*n]

But, you do know
there's a setting for that?

A can of baked beans
warming gently on an open fire.

-[expl*si*n]
-[screaming]

Or, in scientific terms...

-[expl*si*n]
-[screaming]

a rapidly expanding gas
in a confined space.

Yes, a mechanical expl*si*n.

Question two.

Who can remember what
can initiate an expl*si*n?

[fuse hissing]

Well, there's heat...

[pop, expl*si*n]

like that.

-But, what else?
-[laughter]

Yes, in certain situations, striking,

striking, but not like that.

[expl*si*n]

-More like that.
-[laughter]

And also...

[boy, off-screen]
Now shake it, shake it!

[Richard]
Correct. Shaking a dry ice mixture

increases kinetic energy,
producing more gas inside.

[nervous laughter]

Oh, maybe it hasn't worked.

[chattering]

-[expl*si*n, laughter]
-Oh no, it's worked.

Yeah, I don't think
chemistry's your subject, son.

[boy]
Dude, where's the bottle?

[Richard] And finally,
who can remember what tends to cause

the most damage in an expl*si*n?

That's right. It's the blast wave,

bringing with it
a potentially destructive front

of highly compressed air,

which if it hits around 60 psi,

can have fatal consequences.

But, if not...

it can still unblock the U-bend.

-[expl*si*n]
-[laughter]

And even--

[expl*si*n]

really hurt the ear drums.

[boy, off-screen] That's why we don't play
with bombs, kids.

[Richard] Precisely,
and that goes for grown-ups, too.

Which concludes our
science lesson on explosions.

[expl*si*n]

[shattering]

[electric fizzling]

[expl*si*n]

Since the dawn of time,

man has dreamt of flying.

Being able to soar through
the sky as gracefully as a bird.

And thanks to the
development of the paraglider,

this experience is now arguably closer

than it's ever been.

But do always bear in
mind one big difference

between us and our feathered friends.

[crashing]

[man, off-screen]
Ah! Ow!

[Richard] They are a lot better at landing
in trees.

So, if we are going to go flying about

on the end of a glorified kite,

it's probably not a bad idea to know

a little bit about the science.

By pulling on lines, the pilot can change

the shape of the airfoil
to alter the airflow,

allowing him to steer left,
right, or break.

But the wing can be pulled
out of shape by turbulence,

caused by thermals,

which are rising
currents of warm air,

and ridge lift caused by wind

hitting the side
of a mountain or hill.

So, we understand
how to deal with airflow.

We know about those
naughty atmospheric conditions.

What could possibly go wrong?

Hey, he's using a fan!
Which once airborne,

will give him more forward velocity,
creating more lift.

[fan revving]

Yeah, but you do need
to get off the ground first.

[crash]

[wind blowing]

This guy is enjoying all
the thrills of a steep spiral.

Well, I say enjoying...

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

[Richard]
Oh, he wants you to break!

[man, off-screen]
Brake your glider! Brake! Brake! Brake!

Brake everything! Brake! Brake! Brake!
Brake! Brake! Brake! Brake! Brake!

[splash]

[Richard]
Well, it stopped him.

A sudden change in airflow
can spiral you out of control.

In a maneuver like this,
you could reach over 60 miles an hour,

and pull more than 4 G,

-potentially leading to loss of vision,
-[screaming]

-or even blackouts.
-[splash]

[man, off-screen]
Rescue! Rescue!

[Richard]
Good idea, yeah.

Oh, and don't forget to
look out for those ridges.

Oh, is that a ridge?

Yeah, it is. It's a ridge.

[wind blowing]

Just because we can't see air currents,

it really doesn't
mean they aren't there.

-[screaming]
-And when they hit,

your descent might be a little... brisk.

-[crash]
-[grunt]

Now, don't worry. All our paragliders

made a full recovery... eventually.

[electric fizzling]

[creaking, collapsing]

If you've ever seen Steve McQueen
in The Great Escape,

you'll know that there are some people

who make riding a motorbike off-road

look really cool.

[crash, grunt]

And then, there's everybody else.

[groaning]

So, clearly when riding a dirt bike,

and with so many bumps,
it's more important than ever

to concentrate on
what's ahead. Concentrate!

-[man] Whoa!
-[crash]

-[Richard] I told you.
-[groaning]

And with no road markings,
there's always the question

of where a track will lead to.

[crash]

In this case, it is probably hospital.

[screaming]

So many hazards! Obviously,
the key thing about dirt biking

is mastering the rough
terrain and obstacles.

So, let's have a look
at the science involved.

[motorcycle revving]

The rougher the terrain,

the greater the reaction forces
heading up the shock absorbers,

which leads to more instability.

Lots of bumps also play havoc
with your center of gravity.

But thanks to your momentum,

even if you do hit a bump,

your bike may stop, but you...

-[thud]
-might not.

The wonderful thing about
learning the science

is that next time you hit that tree
or somersault over those handlebars,

you'll understand why.

And that has to be a good thing,
doesn't it?

So, what about this guy?

-[crash]
-[scream]

Oh, good grief!

Well, thanks to a bump,
plus his forward momentum,

his center of mass shifts too far forward.

Which, at nearly


he now knows is a bad thing.

Now, he hasn't got enough momentum.

[dirt bikes revving]

-Him...
-[crashing]

-a bit too much.
-[grunting]

-Although now, he hasn't got any.
-[groaning]

[dirt bike revving]

Wow! Even without a rider,

look how beautifully that bike has used

-[laughter]
-its momentum to get up that tree.

Science did that.

[shattering]

[electric fizzling]

[expl*si*n]

If you've been inspired

to try any of the activities
we've just shown you,

remember,
it's not big and it's not clever.

If it was,
then we wouldn't call the show

"The Science of Stupid."

-[rip]
-[yell]

[smash]

-[bang]
-[laughter]

[explosions]

-[yell]
-[thud]

[expl*si*n]

[smash]

[man]
Ah!

[grunt]

-[smashing, splashing]
-[laughter]

[groan]

[expl*si*n]

[crashing]

Captioned by Point.360