03x19 - Most Unsporting Moments

[bunniefuu]

[Dallas]
This is the Science of Stupid.

-[electricity crackling]
-[glass shatters]

[alarm blares]

Yes, this is the show
where science meets stupidity.

[screams]

Watch and learn as everyday people

attempt acts of jaw-dropping lunacy

with eye-watering results.

[shrieks]

We'll examine the science
behind the fails...

[man] Ohh!

[Dallas] ...with the help of
scientific curiosities

such as impact force...

oscillations...

and that old favorite, atomization.

So please don't try
any of this at your homes,

or anyone else's.

Watch out...

It's the Science of Stupid.

[electricity crackling]

In this show, Bernoulli's principle...

Rayleigh's drag coefficients...

[man yells]

...and vertical momentum.

But first, this.

[glass shatters]

[electricity crackling]

[glass shatters]

There's nothing I enjoy more

at the weekends than jumping on my BMX

and pulling off some gnarly grinds,

but for some, the thrill
of sliding down a handrail on a bike,

well, it's begun to get a little stale,

so they're trying it on half a bike.

[groans]

[groans]

You can see why
they like it, can't you?

[groans sharply]

They might call it a unicycle,

but we all know that it's actually
an inverted pendulum.

Here's the science.

Our unicyclist
approaches at a medium speed,

then hops just enough to land on top

without losing much forward momentum.

When on the rail, the grind itself

relies on our rider keeping
his center of mass

just behind the base of support

to keep the bike under control.

So you need to build up
just enough momentum

and lean your center of mass back a touch.

Let's just start with the basics.

Balancing on a tiny beam
on an unstable clown's bike.

What could possibly go wrong?

[shrieks and groans]

Let's just try a grind.

Shirtless for an aerodynamic shape...

[man groans sharply] Ohh!

[Dallas] At least he had a soft landing.

[groans sharply]

The high velocity approach
was ideal for momentum,

a mis-aimed jump
meant his tire hit the rail.

[man groans sharply] Ohh!

[Dallas] But thanks to
the conservation of momentum...

[groans sharply]

...he kept going.

That's it. Yodel the pain away.

[groaning]

It's nice to see
our intrepid field researchers

getting the respect they deserve.

Yes!

[screams]

-Oh!
-[groans]

Good momentum,
but his wheel got caught

and his center of mass
went past his base of support.

Ha, amateur.

The record for the longest
unicycle rail grind

is 34 feet, 3 inches.

A slightly shorter rail,
that seems sensible.

[man] Oh!

[Dallas] Not that
it's done him much good.

This time the guy leans too far back

and his center of mass creates
a turning force,

which flips the unicycle forwards

and the unicyclist down... hard.

[man] Oh!

[man, off-screen] You all right?

[Dallas] It doesn't sound like it.

Spare coccyx, anyone?

And when you've mastered the slide,

there's a whole world
of other tricks to perfect.

♪ Hallelujah ♪

But why bother?

It all looks awful.

♪ Hallelujah ♪

[electricity crackling]

[creaks]

[clatters]

Ever since man looked up and saw birds
soaring through the clouds,

he's been seduced by the beauty
and majesty of flight.

And now, thanks to
remote controlled planes,

that freedom can be enjoyed
from the safety of the ground.

[man] Ahh! [groans]

[Dallas] Well, relative safety.

But before we get into the science,

let's have a look
at some common sense rules.

When flying a plane,
there's several things

you might like to avoid...

[man, off-screen] [chuckles] Whoops.

[Dallas] Like fences...

-[man1, off-screen] Whoa!
-[man2, off-screen] Whoo!

[Dallas] ...other aircraft...

and, of course...

your own car.

In fact, if you don't wanna
spend your life

constantly buying new bits
for your broken aircraft,

then you'll probably want
to learn the science.

It's all down to
Misters Bernoulli and Newton.

Aircraft wings are designed

to make the air flow faster
over the top than underneath.

This creates an area
of lower pressure above the wing,

that's Bernoulli's principle.

The wings also force
the airflow to turn downwards,

generating an upwards force,

and that's Newton's third law.

The result is lift,

allowing the plane to stay airborne.

But watch out when turning,

as the wings are no longer level,

and the upwards lift is reduced,

causing a loss of altitude.

So, Bernoulli's principle
and Newton's third law.

It's simple stuff really,

but it all starts with a take-off.

To generate enough speed
to achieve sufficient lift,

you just need
a nice clear stretch of field.

[man, off-screen] Whoa!

[Dallas] Well, that's your fault.

Oh-h*, aviator sunglasses.

This guy looks serious.

Now, he just needs to accelerate

by smoothly increasing the throttle...

Good control of lift...

[groans]

-[man groans]
-[bleep]

[man]
*** damn it.

[Dallas] Well, it did take off,
but only up to crotch level.

[groans]

Oof, right in the joystick.

[man, off-screen] [bleep] damn it.

[man, off-screen] Ready?

[Dallas] Running is optional,

but it does help you
get enough air speed

across the wings.

[man, off-screen] Like an Olympic.

[Dallas] Now we're flying,

and when you're up in the air
you can swoop

and turn and loop-de-loop.

But does he know
that when you turn a plane,

you can lose altitude?

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

[Dallas] No, no, he doesn't.

It's probably worth remembering

that when the plane is coming towards you,

the controls are reversed.

[man groans]

[man] It's okay. I caught it
with my arm and not my face.

-[laughter]
-[Dallas] Ah, that's okay then.

Nice anorak.

There's a lot to remember,

but when you get it right,

it's a thing of beauty.

This guy's got his lift to perfection.

He's quite good, isn't he?

Never mind.

At least the plane will float

until he can fish it out with a stick.

[man laughs]

Or at least try.

[electricity crackles]

Can you guess what scientific principle

this ice bucket fundraiser
is about to encounter?

[man] Cheers, guys.

[glass shatters]

[electricity crackling]

[glass shatters]

[Dallas] We asked you
what scientific effect

this fundraiser was about to experience.

And, of course, it was our old favorite,
impact force.

Gravity pulls both
the water and the flowerpot

down onto his head at the same rate

but since the water flows around him,

it doesn't have
as large an impact force

as the solid flowerpot.

[man] Ow, that hurt so much!

[Dallas] I predicted that.

[groans]

-[electricity crackles]
-[creaks]

[clattering]

If, like me,
you're a massive fan of sliding,

but you're bored of ice skating, luge,

and buttering the kitchen floor,

then you'll be glad to know
there's a brand-new sliding craze,

and all you need is a table.

[man shouts]

Just make sure that table...

is attached to its legs.

Also bear in mind

that standing table slides
are really hard...

[groans]

...on your back.

And, of course, the idea is
to slide on the table...

not into it.

Oh, he's not happy.

[man, off-screen] Damn!

[Dallas] Yeah, this is a particularly
silly hobby,

likely to lead to a large degree of pain,

so I'd advise against copying it.

Still, there is plenty of science.

A higher velocity approach
increases momentum.

The launch angle must be
as shallow as possible

without clipping the table.

This means he gains
less vertical momentum

and retains more horizontal momentum
for the slide.

Lubricating the table can also help

by filling in the tiny bumps and nicks

that cause frictional resistance,

allowing him to maintain
more of his momentum.

Okay, table sliders,
you've heard the science,

now to put it to good use.

Well, use.

[man chuckling]

[man, off-screen] You've got to get
a running start!

[Dallas] Yes, you do.

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

[woman, off-screen] Oh, my God!

[Dallas] You've also got to jump.

A nice high velocity approach
was perfect for momentum.

A late launch meant that momentum
was directed into the table.

[woman, off-screen] Oh, my God!

[Dallas] But he's still pleased,
he really is.

Here's an elf psyching himself
up for the big one.

But will he go
for a steeper launch angle...

Yes, he did. But perhaps a bit too steep.

So almost no horizontal momentum,

and too much force
for the improvised table to withstand.

[laughter]

I'd give up on sliding, mate,

especially when
you can dance like that.

This high level approach
doesn't require much of a jump.

[onlookers] Oh!

[Dallas] But it does require
a fire extinguisher.

More horizontal momentum
and he might have overcome

the frictional resistance of the bar.

Less fire, and he might
still have eyebrows.

He was okay,
but this is highly dangerous,

so please do not copy it.

[man, off-screen] Run, Bunty!

[Dallas] Bunty has a wet table

and is almost completely naked,

but how will that affect friction?

[laughter]

-[glass shatters]
-[man, off-screen] Ohh!

[Dallas] Quite a lot.

A wet table can reduce
frictional resistance

by roughly a half.

-[glass shatters]
-[man, off-screen] Ohh!

[Dallas] So best not to stick it
in front of a window.

[bell rings]

[beaker shatters]

[gurgling]

I hope you've all got
your notepads at the ready,

because it's time
for today's science lesson,

where we focus on one particular
scientific principle.

So what have these
three activities got in common?

Canoe polo.

They call this a charge start.

I call it a knockout.

Parachuting is so fun!

-[man] Ahh!
-[woman] Oh!

[Dallas] And so painful.

Nice trunks.

[groans]

That reminds me, I must pick up

a couple of floury buns
on the way home.

All right, hands down.

They are all examples
of the drag coefficient,

as described by Lord Rayleigh

in his seminal work on fluid dynamics.

Now I've been interested in drag
since I first peeked out

from behind my mother's petticoats.

Not like that.

As an object moves through a fluid,

such as air, it experiences drag,

a resistance caused
by particles in the fluid

hitting the object
and slowing it down.

An object with a streamlined shape

parts the particles more efficiently

and so experiences less drag

than an object presenting a flatter
and wider surface area.

But the denser the fluid,

the greater the mass
of particles being hit,

meaning more drag
slowing the object down.

Now let's see who's been paying attention
with a little pop quiz.

Question one.

What happens when an object moves
from a less dense fluid to a denser one?

[whooping]

That's right, you get a lot more drag.

Question two.

How does surface area relate to drag?

This guy has a brand-new pointy speedboat.

Just like the dart,
it cuts through the water...

As long as the pointy end is forward.

When it hits at an odd angle...

That streamlined bow suddenly finds itself
with a lot more drag.

-Don't be sad, it's just physics.
-[crying]

Question three.

So, does drag only work
with objects moving through fluid,

or can it be the fluid that's moving?

Here we see a learned man of science

ready to become his own guinea pig.

Sitting on a child's skateboard,

he's seeing if the large surface area

of his parachute can create enough drag
to pull him along.

Well, I think that worked very well.

[thuds]

Get that man a Nobel Prize
and maybe an ice pack.

[glass shatters]

[electricity crackling]

[glass shatters]

I've spent many, many hours
in front of the mirror

practicing my Oscar acceptance speech.

I see myself very much as the classic

romantic lead, obviously,

but some people fancy themselves

as real life action heroes.

[dramatic action music playing]

I'm pretty sure he didn't mean to do that.

Obviously, jumping from a moving vehicle

is extremely dangerous,
and a stupid thing to do,

but for the sake of furthering science,
let's take a closer look.

Interestingly, you hit the ground

when jumping from a moving vehicle

with the same force as it would be

from a stationary vehicle.

Any person jumping from a moving vehicle

will encounter a mismatch of speeds

when they reach the ground.

It might be possible to stay upright

if you hit the ground running,

but if you don't stay on your feet,

you'll rotate forwards

and then friction
will quickly slow you down.

To get this right takes trained stuntmen
years of study,

but it looks like these guys
are determined

to learn their science the hard way.

This guy's angle's good,

and he's got a crowd
of rowdy teenagers to cheer him on.

[man 1] Go, Tanner.

-[laughter]
-[man2, off-screen] Oh!

[Dallas] And then mock him.

[laughing raucously]

Sadly, Tanner's legs
just aren't quick enough.

Don't feel too bad, though.

Even Usain Bolt only reaches
just over 23 miles an hour.

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

[Dallas] This lady clearly
wasn't listening at all.

She's facing in the wrong direction.

How does she expect to cope

with all that forward momentum from there?

-[tires screech]
-[woman screams]

[laughter]

Oh, like that.

Her bottom half slows down
a lot quicker than her top,

so she rotates forward

and then friction does its thing.

[laughter]

Do you think we should see if she's okay?

[woman, off-screen] Get out!

[Dallas] h*-h*, whoa, sorry for caring.

She was okay, but sadly,

the video camera didn't make it.

Ah, just a couple of guys commuting home.

The overcrowding really
is ridiculous these days.

[groans sharply]

If you jump from a vehicle
moving at 20 miles an hour,

then your forward momentum

is the equivalent to a fall from 13 feet.

And it's hard to run backwards
at 20 miles an hour.

[groans sharply]

Just ask him.

Yes, if you are daft enough to try
jumping from a moving vehicle,

your best bet is to look for
something soft to land on,

like water.

Armed with only a car
and too much free time,

these guys are experimenting
with physics,

but they're soon going to
wish they weren't.

-[screams]
-[man laughs]

See?

His foot loses traction on the car roof,

and his leap isn't what
he'd ideally have liked,

meaning he loses lots
of momentum to the bridge,

which does reduce his impact force

when he hits the water,

but I imagine that's a small consolation.

[woman, off-screen] Did your nuts hit?

[man laughs]

[Dallas] Yes. Yes, they did.

[Dallas] Even if you are
in a very slow moving vehicle,

it's never a good idea
to get out until it's fully stopped.

[screams]

Particularly on ice.

[electricity crackles]

[clatters]

How could you possibly
improve a sport like football?

The beautiful game,
billions of fans worldwide,

it just can't be bettered,

at least that's what I used to think.

But, boy, was I wrong.

Because now you can
pop on a giant bubble,

jog down to your local
bubble football pitch,

bash over your mates,

try and score a goal

or, if you can't, just roll around.

What you've just witnessed is a sport,

a sport known as bubble football

and, to tackle your opponents,

you need to understand
some serious science,

like elastic collisions
and the transfer of momentum,

otherwise you'll only
end up looking silly.

First he accelerates to build momentum.

The elastic collision
compresses the air

inside the bubble,

storing elastic potential energy.

As the bubble rebounds,

stored energy is converted back
into kinetic energy,

and momentum is
transferred to his opponent.

So the key to staying on your feet

is knowing how you'd like

your momentum to be transferred.

Here's a clue.

It's not like that.

Here, momentum was transferred equally,

resulting in a double knockout.

Okay, we need someone
who understands this better.

[man, off-screen] Nail her, Elise!

[yelling]

[Dallas] She'll do!

Build up more momentum than your friend

and you can transfer
a lot of it... to them.

But what goes around...

touché!

So you see, as in life,

you get out what you put in.

But to knock over your opponent,

you need to put in more than they do,

and there's plenty of ways
of generating that momentum.

Like chain reactions...

[all grunting]

Cheating...

and, of course...

-[both grunt]
-[laughter]

Flying.

Going airborne meant
he collided with his friend,

with the equivalent momentum
of a cannon ball

traveling at over 20 miles an hour.

-[both grunt]
-[laughter]

Oh, nicely done, sir.

So that's how elastic collisions work
in bubble football.

There are other ways of using them.

But they're all completely rubbish.

[man, off-screen] Whoa!

[glass shatters]

[electricity crackling]

[glass shatters]

Alas, we've come to the end
of yet another wince-inducing peek

into the world of scientific ignorance,

and what have we learnt?

Well, it's that while science
can be fascinating,

get it wrong and it's simply
painful and humiliating.

See you next time.

[man gasps]

[man laughs]

[groans]

-[woman screams]
-[laughter]

[man, off-screen] Whoa!

[shrieks]

[groans sharply]

[groans]

[man] Whoo!

-[groans]
-[laughter]

-[man screaming]
-[glass shatters]

-[man groans]
-[yells]