03x11 - Basket Ball, Wakeboard and Hoverboard

[bunniefuu]

[Richard]
This is The Science of Stupid.

[electric fizzling]

-Yes.
-[crash]

This is the show that adds

-the sense to senselessness.
-[crash, laughter]

-We learn the fun way,
-[smash]

-as others learn the hard way
-[beeping]

-that science
-[smash]

-and misadventure don't mix.
-[expl*si*n]

-With their help,
-[gasp]

-we'll shine the spotlight
-[smash]

on scientific principles like

-tensile strength,
-[smash]

-aerodynamics,
-[splash]

and Newton's Third Law of Motion.

[expl*si*n]

-Make an enemy of science,
-[smash]

and you'd better watch your back. So,

-brace yourself
-[groan]

for The Science of Stupid.

[electric fizzling]

-In this show,
-[splash]

we'll be exploring the science
of angular momentum,

-the inner ear's vestibular system,
-[crash]

-and collisions.
-[smack]

-[painful groan]
-But first, this.

[shattering]

[electric fizzling]

[expl*si*n]

BASE jumpers are the thrill-seeking elite,

happy to hurl themselves off anything

with nothing but their trusty parachute

to save their necks.

Interested in taking your place

amongst the most foolish of the brave?

Then, follow these tips.

First, you want to make a controlled--

[grunt]

Oh, good grief!

When the time is right,
deploy your chute.

-[screaming]
-[thud]

Assuming you had a chute, of course.

With your chute deployed,

enjoy your gentle trip
back to terra firma.

[grunt]

[man]
I'm okay!

[Richard]
I'd say more lucky.

[groan]

Let's face it. BASE jumping is about
as safe as gorilla tickling.

I.E. it's extremely dangerous,

and I would seriously
advise against giving it a go.

The key lies in reducing angular momentum,

or spinnyness, when jumping.

No one wants to spin
and forget which way is up.

Here's the science.

A controlled leap avoids
excessive angular momentum.

Once in free fall,
he spreads himself wide,

using the aerodynamics of his body

to glide away from
the object the leapt from.

He then deploys his parachute,

creating lift to decelerate his fall,

allowing him to glide safely to Earth,

assuming he's found
an appropriate landing spot.

So, it's largely down
to a controlled launch

and the correct use of
aerodynamics and lift.

Let's see how we go.

[man] This is going to be
an extremely low-rise BASE jump.

[Richard] Mm-hmm. Before you
jump off the world's tallest building,

it is best to practice on
something a little lower.

[crash, grunting]

But, not this low.

Onto something higher now.

[man]
Hey everybody look at me!

I'm so ******* cool.

[cheering, laughter]

[Richard]
Oh, yeah. Bit more height there.

But remember what we said about
avoiding angular momentum.

I'm sure he'll work out which
way is up... eventually.

He worked it out, he did,
and he was fine, but a bit dizzy.

[man, off-screen]
That was awesome!

[laughing]

[Richard]
Once airborne, you would think

it was just a matter
of pulling the ripcord

and gliding safely back to Earth.

Well, think again.

This jumper's got the right idea.

Jump into water. Nice and safe.

[man, off-screen]
Three. Two. One. See ya.

-[Richard] Yeah, catch ya later.
-[bang]

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

-[slamming]
-[Richard] Um, are you...

-[grunting, yelling]
-Um, should I...

[crash, grunt]

Oh, dear.

-His parachute deployed badly,
-[flapping]

so its aerodynamic shape
sent him in the wrong direction,

for a slap in the face from the cliff.

It's okay. He did make a recovery,

-[grunt]
-but it was a bit stingy.

Of course, it always helps if you
plan where you're going to land

well in advance.

That way, you can simply steer
your chute to the desired location.

[man sighing]

[man, off-screen]
******* tree landing.

[crashing]

[Richard] I'm guessing
that wasn't his desired location.

[electric fizzling]

[creaking]

When I'm invited to a party,

I normally take my acoustic guitar,

a packet of ready-salted crisps,

and a little bottle of something fruity.

One thing I don't take is a baseball bat.

Until now.

This is Dizzy Bat,
a disorientating party game

for big kids that's lots of fun,

-[smack]
-[yelling]

-but not all that easy.
-[laughter]

Let's try again. So, it's head to the bat,

lots of spins, and then,

[laughter]

-you do hit a ball...
-[smack, grunt]

-and your mate.
-[laughter]

The rules of Dizzy Bat
are a work in progress,

but three things are certain.

You always use a bat,

you definitely get dizzy,

and you inevitably end up
with your face in a hedge.

Want to become the king of spin?

Then, you'd better get
a firm grip of the science.

We maintain balance by using our eyes,

-[beeping]
-muscles, and joints,

and our vestibular system.

This is a series of liquid-filled
tubes in your inner ears,

which detect your head's movements.

[thud]

When moving quickly,
because of inertia,

the liquid in your ear will
continue to slosh around

-after you've stopped.
-[beep]

So, whilst your eyes
say you're standing still,

your vestibular system doesn't.

Running at this point is not advised,

-as our brain will react
-[crash]

as though it's still spinning.

You don't have to play
Dizzy Bat at parties.

You can play it
anywhere.

It's just a regular day at the office,

and the head of accounts
is playing Dizzy Bat.

[man, off-screen]
This way.

-[laughter]
-[smash]

[Richard]
He might have a head for figures,

but it's a little jumbled up `right now.

I think he wanted to
run towards the camera,

but his vestibular system and his
eyes sent him in the other direction.

-[smash]
-[man, off-screen] Oh... sh**t!

[man, off-screen]
Holy smokes, are you all right?

[Richard] Uh, Mr. Jones,
could you pop into the boss' office?

He wants a word.

It's that way.

You can't avoid getting dizzy

when you're playing Dizzy Bat.

The clue's in the name.

But if you're in it to win it,
then you might want

to refine your technique.

This player has opted to
keep the bat off the ground,

firmly attached to his forehead.

-[cheering]
-[crash]

Oh. He wanted to go right.

His vestibular system sent
him left, but don't worry.

-[crash]
-His face broke the fall.

[man, off-screen]
Let me see your teeth.

-[chattering]
-[Richard] Who's a pretty boy, then?

Here's another technique.
Palms on the hilt

with the bat on the ground.

How's this one going to fare?

-[whipping]
-Oh.

-[smack]
-Oh, not great.

Who put that house there?

It's the Dizzy Bat World
Championships.

The man on the left is
keeping the bat on the ground

-and his head on the bat.
-[cheering, chattering]

The man on the right is
keeping his head off the bat.

How will that work?

-[crash]
-Yeah, not well.

By having his head
away from the bat,

he had to process more visual information,

-resulting in more dizziness.
-[crash]

Oh, he's up again.

-[crash]
-[gasps, yelling]

That'll be game over.

[electric fizzling]

[creaking, collapsing]

This best man and bridesmaid

are making quite an entrance.

But, what scientific principle

is about to make a surprise appearance?

[shattering]

[electric fizzling]

Have you worked out the science
that's about to crash this party?

-[smack]
-[screaming]

That's right! It's horizontal velocity.

-[smack]
-I'd give her a moment.

The groomsman failed to
convert most of his run-up

into vertical velocity,

so he ended up with
a lot of horizontal velocity,

-and not much control.
-[smack, scream]

Which meant he tumbled
too far during his floor show

and ended the performance...

[smack, scream]

with a knockout.

[sobbing]

I always cry at weddings, too.

[electric fizzling]

[rumbling]

There's a lot more to sand
than buckets and spades.

Heat it up, and you've got glass.

Mix it with cement,
and you can build a house.

Mix sand with motorsport,
and you get...

-[crashing]
-[crowd gasping]

carnage.

In any sport, there are highs...

-[crash]
-and there are lows.

[man, off-screen]
Oh my God!

[Richard]
But sand's soft, sifting qualities

mean you inevitably
end up with this.

-[revving]
-Give us a push, lads.

[engine roaring]

[laughter]

Want to avoid getting sand in your face?

Then grab your buckets and spades,
and fill them with science.

Sand is soft and granular,

so it usually only takes a little pressure

-before a car starts sinking in.
-[engine rumbling]

Off-road vehicles use wider tires,

running at a low pressure,
to spread the weight

over a larger surface area. Once rolling,

it's vital to maintain your momentum

so you can skim above the sandy surface.

But, keep an eye out for the dunes,

as a speeding car can
quickly become airborne.

[crash, bang]

So, the secret to
driving on sand is speed,

but not too much.

Look, Mom, one hand!

[crash]

You might have overcooked that,
mate. That doesn't look comfy.

Traveling at nearly 30 miles an hour,

this buggy glides over the dune.

But, launch too slow...

[crash]

and you're eating sand.

[beeping]

The quad bike's upwards momentum
was transferred to the rider,

which caused the bike
to rotate onto its nose,

as did the rider onto his.

[crashing]

Now take a seat, mate.
I think you need it.

[engine roaring]

Get your speed right on sand,

and you'd be surprised
at what you can achieve.

But, you might also be
surprised at what sand can hide,

-[smash]
-like rocks.

[crashing]

Gravity, you win again,
you little tinker.

[bell ringing]

[smash, splattering]

[hissing, bubbling]

Now, pay attention, class,

because it's time to get
down to the serious business

of education.

[booing]

Today's science lesson is
going to include destruction,

-demolition, and devastation.
-[cheering]

Yeah, that got your attention, didn't it?

So, what do bouncy castles...

[man, off-screen]
Ooh, my God!

[Richard] ...have in common with snapping
hammocks

-and smashing keyboards?
-[smash]

That's right. Today, class,

we're going to get a firm grip on
three types of material strength.

Or in other words, how some
things you thought were strong

can be easy to break,
as long as you know how.

Tensile strength measures how
much something can be stretched...

before it breaks.

[snapping]

Sheer strength measures how easily

a material can be ripped...

-[snap]
-when two forces act

in opposite directions
within the material.

And finally, compressive strength

measures how much crushing
force a material can support

-[crush]
-before it gives way.

[squish]

Okay, class, now it's time to test
the might of your brainpower

with a test on tensile,

compressive, and sheer strength.

So, here's question one.

If something is being stretched
in opposite directions,

what material strength is
being put under pressure?

The line attached to this boat
appears to be under stress,

and so do these two.

The intense wind is
creating tensile stress

as it pushes the parasail,

pulling the boat towards the beach.

-[line snaps]
-[people screaming]

That's torn it, but don't panic!

They've got a parachute.

Question two, and it's a smashing one.

Which strength is being
tested when two forces act

within a material in opposing directions?

-It's man versus ice.
-[crackling]

-And man wins, sort of.
-[people screaming]

While he discovers the effects of low
temperatures on the cardiovascular system,

I'll explain that
the force from his weight

exceeded the sheer strength of the ice.

And since when a material
snaps due to sheer stress,

there's often tensile
and compressive stress, too,

-[crack]
-and that's a lot of stress.

[man] Everybody needs to fall in
the ice a couple of times in their life.

[Richard]
No, they don't. They just don't.

[yelling]

[Nick]
I'm the human wrecking ball.

[man, off-screen]
All right Nick. Do it!

-[smash]
-[Richard] Nick's demonstrated

two things for us here. One,

plasterboard appears to be weak enough,

-in sheer strength, at least.
-[smash]

And two, there is a good reason

-why we invented doors.
-[laughter]

And now, for our third and final question,

and I'll be crushed if you don't get it.

What strength is tested when a force

is directly applied to a material?

Would it help if someone
volunteered an example?

[man] Watch this.

[man] I'm going to break this beer
that I just finished by myself.

-[bang]
-[groaning]

[Richard]
Thanks, mate, and that's right.

It's compressive strength.

I'd make that your last.

-So, there we have it.
-[pop]

-Every material has a tensile,
-[splash]

-sheer,
-[screaming]

-and a compressive limit.
-[crunch]

-It's just a question of pulling,
-[snap]

-squeezing, or bending
-[squish]

until you find it.

-[crack]
-I think he's found it.

[shattering]

[electric fizzling]

Riding a bike on two
wheels is as simple as,

well, riding a bike.

Perhaps because that's
what they were designed for.

Riding a bike on one wheel, however,

not so simple.

Especially if you're
riding on the front wheel.

This is the nose wheelie.

-[crash, grunt]
-It's extreme.

-[crash]
-Extremely painful.

-Occasionally...
-[crash]

unintentional and...

-[splash]
-often daft.

I remember doing a fair few
nose wheelies on my BMX,

but they were usually
followed by a nose fallie.

If you want to roll with the pros,
and not on your nose,

you'd better understand the science.

He builds a little velocity from momentum,

and pushes down on the handlebars.

Shifting his weight forwards,

the resistance on the wheel
combines with momentum

for a turning effect.

Momentum keeps the bike moving.

But, whatever he does,

he must ensure
the combined center of gravity

is near the base of support for stability.

So, the secret to the perfect
nose wheelie is balance.

As soon as you become unstable,

either your back wheel
hits the deck or you do.

But nail the technique,
and nothing can get in the way

of that perfect nose wheelie.

[crash, grunt]

Except for unsuspecting nose blowers.

The rider was carefully
shifting his balance

to keep it over his base of support...

[crash, grunt]

but not paying the slightest
attention to where he was going.

[crash, grunt]

A rolling wheelie next to a lake.
What could possibly go wrong here?

-[squeak]
-[splash]

Yeah, who'd have thought that?

But if you don't wanna get your bike wet,

you could always ride inside.

[boy]
And they're off.

[Richard]
Well, that's one way to trash a carpet.

-[crack]
-[yell]

And that's another.

The pool cue's slowing force
combined with the rider's momentum

pivot him around the stationary wheel

into an involuntary and...

-[crash, yell]
-very painful wheelie.

[boy]
Oh my God.

[Richard] Mm. But don't worry
about the mannequin. She's armless.

[electric fizzling]

[creaking, collapse]

We really have come on great
leaps since medieval times.

A large hammer is no longer considered

an effective anesthetic.

We have the internet instead of
wandering minstrels for entertainment,

and, thankfully,
a gentleman is not expected

to carry a sword everywhere.

It would make airports a nightmare.

But we still hanker for times gone by,

when swordsmanship was a noble art.

-[smash]
-[cheering]

Boom! Nice one, Lancelot.

I don't think it was very
noble, though, really.

The science of swordplay is a crucial one.

Get it wrong,
and you could lose more than just

the respect of your colleagues.

You could lose your colleagues.
But, essentially,

the key to the perfect
sword swing is grip,

momentum, and force.

Grasping the handle firmly
to prevent loss of friction,

she lifts the sword up and back

to create a longer path for her swing.

Rapidly swinging
the sword's large mass round

towards its target creates lots
of angular momentum.

[slice]

Striking with the furthest
section of the sword

ensures that the maximum
force is applied,

resulting...

in the perfect slice.

[slice]

It is very important to stress
how uncomfortable we feel

about placing the word "play"

alongside the word "sword."

Swords are not toys.

They're swords.

And swordplay is to
be taken very seriously.

-[gasp]
-[clatter]

[man, off-screen]
Oh my God! Did it slip?

Holy ****!

[Richard] I'm not certain
this fella has a firm grasp

on the dangers of these weapons.

[slicing]

Too much centrifugal force
and not enough grip

was all it took to send
the sword... flying.

[whipping, smack]

Alright, if he's not wearing
his glasses now, I'm off.

At last, an expert in the
ancient art of swordsmanship.

-[man] Whoops!
-[clattering]

[Richard]
Butterfingers.

-[man] Whoops!
-[clattering]

[Richard] Once you've got to grips with
how to handle your weapon,

it's time to get into full swing.

If your sword is going to make the cut,

then it has to have plenty of momentum.

That saber should make
light work of this juicy fruit.

[shattering]

[woman, off-screen] That's exactly
what I thought was going to happen.

[Richard]
Oh, there are scientists everywhere.

This started so well. Good grip,

plenty of space for
a momentum-gathering swing,

and the sword actually sliced
the melon clean in half,

[shattering]

and then did a smashing
job of his best table.

[man]
Sweet.

[Richard] Of course, sword fighting
isn't all about times gone by.

This guy's got a sword...

[humming]

from space.

[smack]

-[laughter]
-The force is strong in this one.

The increased momentum
from the Jedi's spin

left his assailant gob-smacked.

-[smack]
-[laughter]

[shattering]

[electric fizzling]

[expl*si*n]

Well, that's your lot for now.

But, best I remind you that
all of these experiments

have been conducted in
the name of scientific research.

Any attempt to recreate them at home

would be seriously dangerous,
and most importantly,

extremely stupid. Goodbye.

-[yell]
-[smash]

[crashing]

[smack]

-[crash]
-[grunt]

-[grunt]
-[crash]

[crash]

[smack]

-[screaming]
-[crash]

-[indistinct]
-[thud]

-[yell]
-[crash]

[kick]

[cheering]

-[trip, thud]
-[laughter]

[splash]

-[crack]
-[screaming]