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Narrator: ON THIS EPISODE OF "MYTHBUSTERS,"
ADAM AND JAMIE PUT TINSELTOWN PYROTECHNICS TO THE TEST
WITH TWO FLAMMABLE FABLES.
TIME TO BURN FOR SCIENCE.
WILL A BURNING TRAIL OF GAS ACTUALLY REACH YOUR CAR
AND BLOW UP YOUR GAS TANK?
STAY AWAY FROM IT.
THEN, CAN YOU CATCH AND STAMP OUT A LIT FUSE OF GUNPOWDER?
AND WILL THE POWDER KEG REALLY GO BOOM?
COME ON, LITTLE BUDDY! DON'T BURN OUT!
GO, GO, GO, GO!
AND KARI, GRANT, AND TORY
DIP INTO TWO MORE DEFIBRILLATOR MYTHS.
WILL A JUMP START FOR YOUR HEART BURN YOUR BRA?
CLEAR.
OR EVEN CAUSE YOUR PIERCING TO SPARK?
Tory: OH.
OW.
Narrator: WHO ARE THE MYTHBUSTERS?
I'M SO PUMPED!
ADAM SAVAGE.
TIME FOR SCIENCE!
AND JAMIE HYNEMAN.
WAS THAT BEAUTIFUL OR WHAT?
BETWEEN THEM, MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF SPECIAL-EFFECTS EXPERIENCE.
IT BLEEDS!
JOINING THEM, GRANT IMAHARA...
DON'T GIVE UP ON ME NOW!
...TORY BELLECI...
SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND.
Narrator: ...AND KARI BYRON.
HIGH EXPLOSIVES AND ELECTRICITY -- WHOO!
THEY DON'T JUST TELL THE MYTHS. THEY PUT THEM TO THE TEST.
WE'VE GOT ANOTHER ACTION-HERO MYTH, HUH?
WE DO, AND IT'S REALLY ONLY ILLUSTRATABLE
BY TELLING A STORY.
SO, YOU ARE IN A SHOWDOWN WITH THE BAD GUY,
BUT AS YOU'RE ABOUT TO SHOOT HIM,
HE JUMP INTO HIS CAR AND DRIVES AWAY,
BUT YOU'RE ABLE TO GET OFF ONE SHOT INTO HIS GAS TANK,
WHICH STARTS LEAKING FUEL.
OH, I LOVE THIS ONE.
'CAUSE I HAPPEN TO HAVE A LIGHTER IN MY POCKET.
I LIGHT IT, I DROP IT INTO THE TRAIL OF FUEL,
AND IT CATCHES UP WITH THE CAR.
THE CAR BLOWS UP. BAD GUY'S DEAD.
EXACTLY THAT, AND WE'RE GONNA DO IT.
IT'S A CINEMATIC CLICHé.
OUR HERO HAS TO STOP THE ESCAPING BAD GUY.
OKAY, SO ACTION HEROES
DON'T USUALLY COME WITH A BERET AND MUSTACHE.
THERE'S THE SINGLE SHOT INTO THE GAS TANK,
THE LEAKING TRAIL OF GASOLINE,
THE NONCHALANT FLICK OF A LIGHT,
AND FINALLY THE FLEEING FUGITIVE FEELS THE FULL FORCE
OF HOLLYWOOD-STYLE JUSTICE.
BUT IS THIS ANOTHER EXAMPLE
OF THE LANGUAGE OF FILM REWRITING THE LAWS OF PHYSICS?
SO, HOW ARE WE GONNA DO THIS ONE?
YOU GONNA SHOOT MY CAR WHILE I DRIVE AWAY AT HIGH SPEEDS?
WE'LL SAVE THAT FOR THE FINALE.
WE NEED TO START SMALL AND SIMPLE
AND JUST TEST WHAT THE DIFFERENT FUEL TYPES DO --
YOU KNOW, HOW QUICKLY THEY BURN, BREAK IT DOWN.
COOL.
AS ALWAYS, JAMIE WANTS TO TAKE THE PRAGMATIC APPROACH.
BUT THIS LOOK INTO THE FUTURE CONFIRMS
THAT THE SMALL AND SIMPLE PLAN
WILL QUITE LITERALLY GO UP IN FLAMES.
FASTER! FASTER! FASTER! EVERYBODY OUT!
AND WHEN THE STORY ENDS WITH FULL-SCALE MAYHEM,
INEVITABLY IT BEGAN WITH BENCH TESTS IN THE BUNKER.
THE BASIC METRIC FOR ALL OF THIS
IS FIGURING OUT HOW FAST FUEL BURNS FROM "A" TO "B,"
SO WE'RE BASICALLY -- UNDER SLIGHTLY SAFER CONDITIONS --
GONNA SPRAY SOME FUEL ON THE GROUND, LIGHT IT,
TIME HOW FAST IT TAKES TO GET FROM "A" TO "B."
Narrator: THREE FUELS WILL MAKE UP THE SAMPLES FOR THIS FIRST TEST,
AND GASOLINE, DIESEL, AND JET FUEL
ARE THE MOST LIKELY CULPRITS TO BE FOUND
CAUSING A CONFLAGRATION IN AN ACTION MOVIE.
GASOLINE IS FIRST UP,
AND ADAM SQUIRTS A 7-FOOT TRAIL ONTO A SMOOTH METAL PLATE.
Adam: HERE WE GO.
1.7 SECONDS TO GO 7 FEET. THAT'S FAST.
AND DESPITE SEVERAL TESTS ADDING MORE AND MORE GASOLINE,
THAT TIME OF 1½ SECONDS SEEMS TO BE CONSTANT.
1.5 SECONDS.
YEAH, 1½ SECONDS.
IT'S THE SAME WHETHER WE USE
A TINY AMOUNT OF FUEL OR A WHOLE LOT.
WELL, THIS SEEMS TO BE A CONSTANT
IN THE TIMING OF THE GASOLINE -- 1.6 SECONDS.
IT'S REALLY, REALLY STEADY.
1.5, 1.6 -- WE'RE WITHIN 1/10 OF A SECOND.
BUT WE'RE GETTING A VERY CONSTANT SPEED,
AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE RELATED
TO THE AMOUNT OF GASOLINE WE'RE PUTTING DOWN,
SO I THINK WE CAN EXTRAPOLATE THIS OUT TO MILES PER HOUR
AND START WORKING WITH IT AS A BONA FIDE FIGURE.
ALL RIGHT, SO IT WENT 7 FEET IN...
THAT'S 4.6 FEET PER SECOND.
EQUALS 3.17 MILES PER HOUR.
THAT'S ACTUALLY, LIKE, A REASONABLE WALK SPEED.
Narrator: BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER FUELS?
DIESEL'S NEXT.
IT'S NOT LIGHTING.
BUT DESPITE LIBERALLY APPLYING THE BLOWTORCH,
IT DOESN'T WANT TO GO UP IN FLAMES.
THAT'S HARD STUFF TO LIGHT.
Jamie: IT ONLY LIGHTS WHEN IT GETS MISTIFIED.
Adam: THIS IS FAR OUT.
DIESEL FUEL DOES NOT LIGHT LIKE NORMAL GASOLINE.
APPARENTLY, IT'S FORMULATED
TO SPECIFICALLY IGNITE ONLY UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES,
AND ONE OF THEM IS DEFINITELY NOT LAYING IT OUT ON THE GROUND
AND LIGHTING IT WITH A MATCH.
NEXT UP IS JET FUEL.
JET FUEL IN 3, 2, 1.
Narrator: AND JUST LIKE THE DIESEL,
JET FUEL DOES ANYTHING BUT ROCKET ALONG THE TRACK.
IT'S NO BURN. IT'S NO BURN.
VERY SIMILAR TO DIESEL FUEL.
[ SIRENS WAIL ]
THE POLICE ARE COMING, SO LET'S GET OUT OF HERE.
WHILE ADAM TRIES TO EXPLAIN AWAY HIS PYROMANIA
TO LOCAL LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS,
JAMIE CAN GIVE US THE SCIENCE.
THE REASON THAT DIESEL FUEL AND JET FUEL
DON'T BURN ON THE GROUND IS THAT THEY'RE NOT AEROSOLIZED.
THEY NEED TO BE MIXED IN WITH THE AIR IN A VAPOR OR A MIST
FOR THEM TO BURN EFFECTIVELY.
Narrator: WHICH LEAVES JUST ONE CONCLUSION.
IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT, OF ALL THE THINGS WE TESTED,
GASOLINE'S THE MOST VOLATILE.
IF YOU WANT TO LIGHT SOMEONE'S GAS TRAIL ON FIRE
AND BLOW UP THEIR CAR,
YOU BETTER HOPE THEY'RE DRIVING A GASOLINE-POWERED VEHICLE,
NOT DIESEL OR JET FUEL.
Narrator: SO, GASOLINE'S PERFECT TRAILBLAZING PROPERTIES
MEANS IT'S THE FUEL OF CHOICE GOING FORWARD.
BUT WHERE TO NEXT?
WELL, THE MYTHICAL ACTION SCENE IN QUESTION
INVOLVES A LEAKING GAS TANK AS A RESULT OF A GUNSHOT,
SO TO FIND OUT HOW FAST FUEL FALLS FROM A BULLET HOLE,
FRANK TABOR HAS ANSWERED THE CALL
WITH A VERITABLE BALLISTIC BUFFET.
Adam: CAN I FIRE THIS ONE? CAN I?
DO YOU MIND? IS IT ALL RIGHT?
SURE. GO AHEAD.
AWESOME.
WITH THE GAS TANK IN POSITION
AT THE END OF THEIR MAKESHIFT GUN RANGE,
ADAM AND JAMIE ARE AIMING TO FIND OUT...
[ GUNSHOT ]
...THE SIZE OF A .22-CALIBER BULLET HOLE...
[ GUNSHOT ]
...AS WELL AS A .44.
Jamie: I'D ROUND THESE OFF --
SAY THE .22 IS A QUARTER-INCH AND THIS IS LIKE A 5/8.
ABSOLUTELY.
SHOOTING THE HOLE WAS ONLY THE FIRST PART OF THIS TEST.
NOW I WANT TO KNOW HOW FAST
FUEL WILL LEAK OUT OF THE HOLE THAT JAMIE SHOT.
SO I'VE GOT A ONE-LITER BOTTLE HERE.
I'M GONNA LET THE FUEL FALL INTO HERE,
COUNT HOW MANY SECONDS IT TAKES TO GET TO EXACTLY ONE LITER.
THEN I'LL KNOW HOW MANY LITERS PER MINUTE THIS HOLE WILL LEAK.
IT'S JUST OVER THREE LITERS A MINUTE.
THE RESULTS OF THIS TEST ARE PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
.22-CALIBER BULLET LEAVES A 1/4-INCH SIZE HOLE
AND LEAKS ABOUT 3½ LITERS OF FUEL PER MINUTE.
A .44-CALIBER BULLET
LEAVES A HOLE THAT'S A LITTLE OVER 1/2 AN INCH IN DIAMETER
AND LEAKS MORE THAN DOUBLE -- ABOUT 7½ LITERS PER MINUTE.
Narrator: SO ADAM AND JAMIE KNOW EXACTLY HOW QUICKLY
FUEL FLOWS FROM A GUN-SHOT GAS TANK
AND THE SPEED AT WHICH A TRAIL OF GAS BURNS.
AND WITH THAT INFORMATION, IT'S FULL SCALE AHEAD.
BUT SHOOTING THE GAS TANK OF A CAR ISN'T EXACTLY A SAFE OPTION,
SO ADAM BUILDS A RIG FOR THE BACK OF AN OLD PICKUP.
I'M GONNA HANG THIS GAS TANK OFF THE BACK OF THIS TRUCK
WITH A STEEL SHIELD BETWEEN IT AND THE PICKUP TRUCK
SO THAT I CAN EXPERIMENT WITH AMOUNTS OF LEAKING FUEL
COMING OUT OF THIS, IGNITING THEM,
AND POTENTIALLY BLOWING UP THIS GAS TANK
WITHOUT HURTING THE DRIVER OF THIS TRUCK WHILE DRIVING.
Narrator: ADAM AND JAMIE ARE ALL SET,
SO IT'S OFF TO THE ALAMEDA NAVAL BASE
TO HEAT THINGS UP.
READY, CLEAR!
IS THAT YOUR DEFIBRILLATOR?
YEAH.
HEY, WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE.
YES, BUT THE FANS HAVE A COUPLE MORE SHOCKING MYTHS
THAT THEY WANT CLEARED UP.
GET IT? "SHOCKING," "CLEARED."
OH, WE GOT IT. I'M PRETTY SURE WE GOT IT.
Narrator: LAST TIME THE TEAM SAID...
EVERYONE CLEAR?
...GRANT BUILT HIS VERY OWN DEFIBRILLATOR
AND THEN BUSTED THE MYTH THAT MEDICAL NITROGLYCERINE PATCHES
COULD GIVE YOU A SEVERE CASE OF BLOWN UP.
WHAT DO WE GOT THIS TIME?
BRAS AND *** RINGS.
YOU'RE A FREAK.
YOU MIGHT HAVE TO EXPLAIN THIS ONE.
OUR UNFORTUNATE PATIENT IN NEED OF A JUMP START
IS EITHER WEARING A METAL UNDERWIRE BRA
OR HAS *** PIERCINGS.
OH, AND THE DEFIBRILLATOR ARCS TO THE METAL,
AND THEY GET BURNED.
IT'S BAD ENOUGH THEY'RE HAVING A HEART ATTACK.
NOW THEY'RE GONNA GET BURNED, TOO.
WELL, WE'RE GONNA FIND OUT.
Narrator: SO, THE FANS WANT TO GET
A PAIR OF PARABLES OFF THEIR CHESTS,
AND THE FIRST TALE THE TEAM IS TACKLING IS,
WILL AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL PROCEDURE CAUSE A BRA BURNING,
OR IS THE BRASSIERE A BENIGN BYSTANDER?
USING THE SAME BALLISTIC-GEL TORSO AND HOMEMADE DEFIBRILLATOR
AS LAST TIME,
OUR INTREPID TRIO INTEND TO FIND OUT.
NOW, GRANT'S HEART-STARTER MAY NOT LOOK
LIKE THE HIGH-TECH GIZMO YOU SEE ON A MEDICAL DRAMA,
BUT IT IS RIGGED TO DO EXACTLY THE SAME JOB.
SO, THEY HAVE THE EQUIPMENT AND PATIENT.
NOW ALL THEY NEED IS A 40AA BRA.
NOW, WHO'D WEAR A BRA THAT SIZE?
APPARENTLY I AM CLOSE TO THE SIZE OF THE BALLISTICS DUMMY.
THEREFORE I HAVE TO GO AND SHOP FOR A BRA.
ONCE AGAIN, MAKING MY FAMILY PROUD.
Narrator: A GIRL'S GOT TO DO WHAT A GIRL'S GOT TO DO.
GRANT, HOWEVER, IS THERE FOR FUN.
I CAN'T LOOK.
I JUST DON'T KNOW IF THESE EXPRESS ME.
I THINK I MIGHT WANT ANOTHER COLOR.
COLOR IS NOT REALLY THE ISSUE HERE, MY FRIEND. IT'S SIZE.
WE DON'T WANT IT TO CUT INTO THE BALLISTICS GEL,
SO MAY--
MAYBE WE'LL GET IT A LITTLE BIT LARGER AND, UH...
AND GO FROM THERE.
IS THIS AS DISTURBING AS I THINK IT IS?
IT'S EVEN MORE DISTURBING THAN YOU THINK IT IS.
THERE'S NO DOUBT IT'S DISTURBING.
THERE'S ALSO NO DOUBT WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU MORE.
YO, WHAT UP?
I CAN'T GET THIS THING ON.
AFTER A HALF AN HOUR OF NOT-SO WONDERBRAS...
NEED SOME HELP, BIG GUY?
NO, GOT IT. I'M BECOMING A PRO.
...OUR ODD COUPLE FINALLY MAKE A DECISION.
THIS IS A FANCY ONE. OOH!
I THINK THAT'S OUR WINNER, ACTUALLY.
FANCY.
I THINK WE GOT A WINNER.
TORY HAS LIBERATED HIS FEMININE SIDE
AND FINALLY FOUND A BRA THAT FITS.
WAIT A MINUTE -- LIBERATE, FEMINIST, BRA-BURNING?
SO, SPEAKING OF BURNING BRAS,
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE PHRASE "BRA BURNER"?
ACTUALLY, I HAVE,
AND THE FUNNY THING IS IT'S AN URBAN LEGEND.
THE ENTIRE THING STEMS
FROM A STORY MISREPORTED ON A NEWSCAST.
YEAH.
IN 1968 AT THE MISS AMERICA PAGEANT, THERE WAS A PROTEST.
THE ORGANIZERS WANTED TO BURN BRAS. COULDN'T GET A PERMIT.
SO, THE WHOLE THING NEVER HAPPENED
BUT EVERYONE THINKS IT DID.
HMM. FASCINATING.
WELL, LET'S GET BACK TO THE EXPERIMENT.
WHERE'S THE BRA?
NEXT, KARI FITS OUR PATIENT WITH THE UNDERGARMENT,
BUT DESPITE HER BEST ATTEMPT TO BANISH THE THOUGHT,
SHE CAN'T HELP WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED AT THE BRA STORE.
YOU DIDN'T TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT, DID YOU?
NO. WHAT ARE YOU, NUTS?
[ WOMAN SCREAMS ]
ALL RIGHT, DO UNDERWIRE BRAS CONDUCT?
YOU GOT THE DEFIBRILLATOR.
YEAH, WE GOT IT. WE'RE READY TO CHARGE.
Narrator: OKAY, THIS IS THE SCENE. YOUR HEART HAS STOPPED.
WE GONNA DO MAXIMUM, 360 JOULES?
LET'S DO IT.
Narrator: THE MEDICS IN A HURRY
PLACE THEIR HOMEMADE BARBECUE-TONG DEFIBRILLATOR
IN THE RECOMMENDED POSITION
AND PREPARE TO DELIVER A LIFESAVING SHOCK.
IN 3, 2, 1.
CLEAR.
[ THUD ]
NOTHING.
WE MAY HAVE SAVED HER LIFE, BUT WE DIDN'T BURN HER BRA.
Narrator: CLEARLY, NO UNDERWEAR WENT UP IN FLAMES,
SO IS THE BURNING-BRA MYTH BUSTED?
TO GIVE IT THE BEST CHANCE POSSIBLE,
DO YOU WANT TO OPEN UP THE BRA SO THAT THE WIRE'S EXPOSED
AND WE CAN SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING?
SURE -- MAYBE IT WAS A SLIGHTLY OLDER BRA.
AND THE WIRE WAS PEEKING OUT.
Narrator: SO IT'S TAKE TWO
WITH AN UNLIKELY BUT CONCEIVABLE SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES.
IN 3, 2, 1.
CLEAR.
[ ELECTRICITY CRACKLES ]
OOH, A SPARK FLEW.
OH!
WE GOT A BURN!
Narrator: YEP, THE SPARKS FLY,
AND OUR UNLUCKY PATIENT TAKES A HOT HIT.
Grant: SO WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE MYTH IS,
IF THEY HAVE THE PADDLES IN THE WRONG POSITION
AND YOU'VE GOT A SLIGHTLY OLDER BRA
WITH SOME OF THE METAL EXPOSED,
YOU COULD BE IN FOR A FEW BURNS IN YOUR TENDER REGIONS.
THE BRA DIDN'T BURST INTO FLAMES
AS SOME OF THE STORIES I'D HEARD,
BUT THERE'S AN OBVIOUS BURN ON THE SKIN.
SO I'D SAY THIS ONE IS PRETTY PLAUSIBLE.
WELL, WE'VE CREATED THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO FOR THIS MYTH,
AND STILL IT'S NOT LOOKING VERY PLAUSIBLE.
TRUE. BUT WE ACTUALLY FOUND
A STORY OF A WOMAN THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO.
YEAH, BUT THAT WAS OVER 20 YEARS AGO,
AND THAT'S BACK WHEN DEFIBRILLATORS
WERE TWICE THE POWER THEY ARE NOW, AT 600 JOULES.
BUT IT DID HAPPEN AND HER BRA DID CATCH ON FIRE,
AND THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE A BARE TORSO NOW WHEN THEY NEED TO DEFIB YOU.
WELL, 600 JOULES WOULD PACK A PUNCH,
AND BRA TECHNOLOGY HAS ADVANCED QUITE A BIT OVER THE YEARS.
YEAH. THEY'RE ACTUALLY A LOT EASIER TO TAKE OFF NOW.
[ GASPS ] HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!
Narrator: SINCE AROUND THE TIME
JAMIE STARTED GOING TO THE MOVIES IN THE EARLY 1900s,
A BLAZING TRAIL OF FLAMMABLE FUEL
HAS BEEN A HOLLYWOOD STAPLE.
NO ACTION HERO'S CV WOULD BE COMPLETE
WITHOUT A LIT FUSE OF GASOLINE BLOWING UP THE BAD GUYS.
ON THE TRAIL OF THIS FLAMMABLE FABLE,
JAMIE AND HIS PARTNER IN FLAME, ADAM,
HAVE FOUND THAT GASOLINE BURNS IN A CONTIGUOUS LINE.
[ LAUGHS ]
AND THEY KNOW HOW MUCH AND HOW QUICKLY
FUEL LEAKS FROM A BULLET HOLE.
Adam: IT'S JUST OVER THREE LITERS A MINUTE.
Narrator: SO, ON LOCATION AT THE ALAMEDA NAVAL BASE,
IT'S TIME TO TAKE THINGS UP A NOTCH.
KIND OF DARK IN HERE.
MAYBE WE NEED TO LIGHT A FIRE.
[ LAUGHS ] YOU LIKE IT?
WE GOT A SEALED FLOOR, TOTAL CONTROL, NO WIND.
IT'S THE PERFECT EXPERIMENTAL SPACE,
AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SAYS -- PROVISIONALLY --
WE CAN LIGHT SOME GASOLINE IN HERE.
I LOVE IT.
YEP, THE SEALED FLOOR AND CONTAINED ENVIRONMENT
IS PERFECT FOR...THIS MYTH.
OH, NO.
[ LAUGHS ]
OKAY, LET'S GET STARTED WITH WORK.
AND IT JUST GETS BETTER BECAUSE THE NEXT STEP INVOLVES
A PERFECT PIECE OF JAMIE STYLE INVENTION.
AT THIS POINT, WE'VE LEARNED WHAT GASOLINE DOES
WHEN YOU LAY IT OUT IN A STREAM AND LIGHT IT,
BUT WE HAVE YET TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN IT'S COMING OUT OF SOMETHING THAT'S MOVING,
LIKE A VEHICLE.
SO I FIGURE, LIKE WE NORMALLY DO,
WE LIKE TO START OUT SMALL TO SEE WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH,
AND, THEREFORE, I'VE INVENTED THIS THING
WHICH I CALL THE FIREBUG.
Narrator: WHICH -- LET'S FACE IT --
IS A REMOTE-CONTROLLED FIRE HAZARD ON WHEELS.
THAT'S ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.
WELL, YOU WANT TO JUST START HIM RUNNING AROUND,
AND I'LL LIGHT THE BACK END AS IT GOES?
YEAH.
WITH A FULL SQUEEZY BOTTLE OF GAS ON BOARD,
THE FIREBUG IS READY.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER. I'M TOTALLY READY.
Narrator: AND BY TURNING THE NOZZLE DOWN TO SIMULATE A LEAKING GAS TANK,
JAMIE IS ALL SET.
OKAY, READY?
YEP.
THE FIREBUG TAKES OFF,
LEAVING A PERFECT TRAIL OF GASOLINE IN ITS WAKE,
WHICH ADAM HAPPILY SETS ABLAZE.
HERE WE GO.
[ LAUGHS ]
Jamie: THIS LITTLE THING
IS ABOUT THE COOLEST RC TOY THAT I'VE EVER SEEN,
BUT IT'S EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
YOU CAN'T DO THIS AT HOME.
YOU MAY HAVE AN RC CAR, SOME GASOLINE, BUT YOU COULD DIE.
YOU COULD BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN.
THIS IS THE COOLEST REMOTE-CONTROLLED CAR
I'VE EVER SEEN!
[ LAUGHS ]
Jamie: WE'VE GOT FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND E.M.T.s AND EVERYTHING.
WE'RE PREPARED.
YOU'RE NOT. DON'T TRY IT AT HOME.
Narrator: REALLY -- LEAVE THIS ONE TO THE EXPERTS.
AFTER ALL, WHO NEEDS TO MAKE THAT CALL TO YOUR PARENTS,
EXPLAINING YOU JUST BURNED THE HOUSE DOWN?
THAT WAS AWESOME. OKAY.
THAT WAS ACTUALLY A PRETTY GOOD TEST.
IT TOLD US A LOT OF WHAT WE NEEDED TO KNOW.
WE WANTED TO KNOW IF WE COULD LAY DOWN A LINE OF FUEL
OUT OF A MOVING VEHICLE AND IT WOULD REMAIN CONTIGUOUS.
THE ANSWER IS YES.
AND IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE WE NEED THAT MUCH FUEL,
SO I THINK WE'RE READY TO GO FULL-SCALE.
WE'VE LEARNED WHAT WE WANTED TO KNOW,
ALTHOUGH JAMIE STILL SEEMS TO BE ENJOYING SETTING STUFF ON FIRE.
Narrator: FULL-SCALE IT IS,
AND FOR THAT THEY NEED FIREBUG'S BIG BROTHER...
SAY HELLO TO THE FIREBEAST.
Narrator: ...THE FIREBEAST,
A TRUCK WITH A LEAKING-GAS-TANK ATTACHMENT.
DON'T EXPECT TO SEE ONE OF THESE IN A SHOWROOM NEAR YOU.
THIS IS THE PATENTED "MYTHBUSTERS" 10-MINUTE SOLUTION
FOR CONTROLLING THE FUEL FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT.
RATHER THAN A COMPLEX SOLENOID-DRIVEN VALVE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
IT'S A ROPE.
PULL ON THE ROPE...
NOZZLE LIFTS ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE FUEL.
LET IT GO AND IT STARTS TO RUN OUT.
IT'S JUST THAT SIMPLE.
Narrator: MYTHBUSTER INGENUITY --
ALSO USEFUL FOR TIME-SAVING HOME INVENTIONS.
I USE ONE OF THOSE WHEN I GO TO THE BATHROOM.
I'M DONE.
SO ON THIS TEST,
ADAM AND JAMIE WILL GET A GOOD FEEL FOR THIS MOVIE MYTH.
THEY ALREADY KNOW A GAS TRAIL BURNS
LIKE IT DOES IN THE MOVIES.
THEY'VE GOT .44- AND .22-CALIBER-SIZED BULLET HOLES
IN THEIR GAS TANK,
AND THEY'VE SEEN IN SMALL SCALE
A CONTINUOUS GAS TRAIL LAID BY A MOVING VEHICLE.
HYAH! I AM THE FIRE NINJA.
Narrator: AND YOU COULD SAY ADAM IS EXCITED.
OW.
Narrator: AND SORE.
Adam: SO, OUR GOAL HERE IS JUST TO FIND OUT
IF THE .22-CALIBER-SIZE HOLE OR THE .44-CALIBER HOLE
LEAVES ENOUGH FUEL BEHIND THE TRUCK
FOR THE FIRE TO FOLLOW, RIGHT?
AND AT WHAT SPEED IT'LL SORT OF KEEP UP WITH IT.
SO I'M JUST GONNA LISTEN FOR YOUR CUES ON THE RADIO,
AND YOU TELL ME TO SPEED UP OR SLOW DOWN.
THAT'S WHAT I'LL DO.
OKAY, START WITH A BASELINE OF FIVE MILES AN HOUR,
A GOOD, BRISK RUN.
'CAUSE THAT SEEMS TO BE WHAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING --
3½, 4 MILES AN HOUR FOR THE FUEL.
IN THIS ACTION-MOVIE SCENARIO,
JAMIE'S PLAYING THE PART OF THE ESCAPING BAD GUY
WITH A .22-CALIBER BULLET HOLE IN HIS GAS TANK.
IT'S TIME TO BURN FOR SCIENCE.
LET'S GO.
AND ADAM IS STANDING IN FOR THE HERO
WHO'S GOING TO LIGHT UP THE GAS TRAIL
JAMIE'S LEAVING BEHIND.
JAMIE, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY,
LOWER DOWN THE FUEL AND START DRIVING.
JAMIE THE VILLAIN MAKES A RUN FOR IT.
I'M LIGHTING THE FUEL NOW.
YOU CAN SLOW DOWN, JAMIE.
IT'S MOVING QUITE SLOWLY.
BUT THERE'S NO NEED TO HURRY.
[ LAUGHS ]
THAT'S MOVING REALLY SLOWLY.
NOT EXACTLY THE HIGH-SPEED BLAZING TRAIL OF FIRE
WE'RE USED TO SEEING ON THE SILVER SCREEN.
OKAY, YEAH, YOU CAN STOP IT.
Jamie: I HAD TO PUT MY BRAKES ON.
I WASN'T GIVING IT ANY FUEL TO GET IT TO GO THAT SLOW.
I WAS JUST, LIKE, IDLING WITH MY BRAKES HALF ON.
YOU COULD PRETTY MUCH PUSH A CAR
FASTER THAN GASOLINE BURNS.
KIND OF SORT OF.
SO DOES THAT PUT THE BRAKES ON THIS MYTH?
OR WILL THE .44-CALIBER-SIZED HOLE MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Adam: MY PREDICTION IS,
FROM WHAT I SAW IN THE BUNKER TEST,
VOLUME DIDN'T AFFECT SPEED THAT MUCH.
NOW, THIS IS A MUCH BIGGER TEST
THAN WE WERE ABLE TO DO IN THE BUNKER,
SO THIS WILL BE PRETTY DEFINITIVE,
BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA PROVE ANYTHING DIFFERENT
Narrator: JAMIE MOVES OFF,
GENTLY IDLING ALONG AT LESS THAN FIVE MILES AN HOUR,
EASILY STAYING AHEAD OF THE LIT TRAIL...
Adam: IT'S LOOKING GOOD, JAMIE.
IT'S KEEPING PACE WITH YOU ABOUT 10 FEET BACK.
Narrator: ...UNTIL ADAM HAS A LAPSE IN CONCENTRATION ON RADIO DUTIES
AND FAILS TO WARN JAMIE THE FLAMES ARE GAINING ON HIM.
FASTER! FASTER! FASTER!
LIFT IT UP.
Jamie: IT WAS GOING ALONG FINE
UNTIL IT STARTED TO CATCH UP A LITTLE BIT,
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, ADAM'S SAYING, "GUN IT."
AND I TOOK OFF, BUT IT WAS TOO LATE.
IT ACTUALLY STAYED WITH ME,
AND IT CAUGHT UP WITH THE TANK AND COULD HAVE SET IT OFF.
Narrator: TRAVELING AT THE LOWER LIMIT OF THE SPEEDOMETER,
JAMIE IS UNSURE OF HIS SPEED,
BUT IT SEEMS AS THOUGH
THE FRESHER THE TRAIL, THE FASTER IT BURNS.
HOWEVER, ANOTHER RUN TO TEST THAT HYPOTHESIS
IS BROUGHT TO AN ABRUPT END WHEN JAMIE GETS HEMMED IN.
Jamie: GUYS, I'M GONNA STOP.
WE'RE GONNA START TO HAVE CROSSOVER.
Narrator: AS ANOTHER BAND OF 'BUSTERS ONCE SAID,
IT'S A BAD IDEA TO CROSS THE STREAMS.
PEW, IT STINKS IN HERE!
WE'RE WAITING FOR THE SMOKE TO CLEAR IN THERE,
BUT PROVISIONALLY, I'LL SAY THE .44-CALIBER HOLE TEST
WAS REALLY EDUCATIONAL,
SPECIFICALLY NOTICING THAT
THE CLOSER THE LINE OF GAS GOT TO THE SOURCE,
I.E. THE GAS TANK,
THE FASTER THE FLAME TRAVELED.
AND REMEMBER, IT IS NOT THE LIQUID GAS THAT'S BURNING.
IT'S THE VAPOR GAS ABOVE THE LIQUID,
SO IF IT'S HAD A LONG TIME TO SETTLE, THAT VAPOR SPREADS OUT,
AND IT'S GOT A LOT OF WIND RESISTANCE LIKE A WEATHER FRONT.
BUT THE CLOSER IT GETS, THE FASTER IT TRAVELS.
THERE MAY ACTUALLY BE SOMETHING TO THIS.
THAT WAS PRETTY GOOD FOR A BEST-CASE SCENARIO.
YEAH. YOU KNOW, EXPOXY-SEALED FLOOR,
NO WIND, PERFECTLY FLAT AND SMOOTH.
I THINK WE GOT TO GO OUTSIDE NEXT.
I THINK WE DO. LET'S COME BACK TONIGHT.
OKAY.
3, 2...
Narrator: KARI, GRANT, AND TORY HAVE BURNED THEIR BRA
AND PROVED IT'S PLAUSIBLE
THAT UNDERWIRED UNDERWEAR CAN BE TOO HOT TO HANDLE.
BUT THE TEAM HAVE THEIR EYE ON ANOTHER DEFIBRILLATOR MYTH.
SO, THIS MYTH IS ABOUT
DEFIBRILLATING SOMEBODY WHO HAS *** PIERCINGS.
THEY'RE METAL, AND THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT,
WHEN THE PADDLES GO TO THE SKIN AND THEY DISCHARGE,
THAT IT COULD ACTUALLY ARC TO THE METAL IN THE PIERCING.
Narrator: OUR BALLISTICS-MEDIA TORSO
IS GOING THROUGH A REBELLIOUS PHASE
AND WANTS TO UPSET HIS MOM.
I'M PRETTY SURE THIS ISN'T HOW THEY DO IT.
A BARBELL IN EACH *** SHOULD DO IT.
Kari: THIS LOOKS REALLY WEIRD.
YOU THINK?
LET'S JUST -- YEAH, LET'S JUST DO THIS ONE.
LIKE A WELL-OILED MACHINE, OUR TRIO OF HIGHLY UNTRAINED MEDICS
PREP THE PATIENT AND ADMINISTER THE SHOCK.
CLEAR.
AND JUST LIKE THE BRA TEST,
WITH THE PADDLES IN THE RECOMMENDED POSITION,
THERE'S NO SIGN OF THAT MYTHICAL SPARKING.
BUT THIS TIME, THEY KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO REPLICATE THE RESULTS.
THEY'RE USING 40 TIMES THE VOLTAGE OF A HOUSEHOLD SOCKET
REAL CLOSE TO A CONDUCTIVE METAL OBJECT
IN THE LEFT *** OF THE PATIENT.
AS ELECTRIC SIX ONCE SAID, "DANGER, DANGER, HIGH VOLTAGE."
*** PIERCING DEFIBRILLATION TEST
WITH THE PADDLES RIDICULOUSLY CLOSE TOGETHER
TOUCHING THE PIERCING.
3, 2, 1.
CLEAR.
Tory: OH!
OW!
THAT WAS GOOD.
THE END OF THE PIERCING IS BLACK,
SURROUNDED BY AN INDENTION
THAT TOOK THE COATING OFF OF THE PIERCING.
WHOA.
THAT SEEMS LIKE IT'D BE ENOUGH TO BURN YOU.
YEAH, I THINK THE KIND OF HEAT
THAT WOULD MELT THE COATING
WOULD DEFINITELY BURN YOUR SKIN.
Narrator: SO, ARE THE FANS RIGHT?
IS THIS ANOTHER PLAUSIBLE RESULT?
OKAY, GUYS, WHAT ARE WE CALLING THIS ONE?
THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
WELL, WE DID GET SOME SCORCHING
FROM ARCING BETWEEN THE DEFIBRILLATOR PADDLES.
BUT THAT'S WHEN THE PADDLES WERE PRACTICALLY TOUCHING.
DURING DEFIBRILLATION,
THERE'S NO WAY THEY WOULD BE THAT CLOSE.
AND THE METAL OF THE UNDERWIRE BRA WOULD HAVE TO BE EXPOSED.
AND MEDICS ARE TRAINED TO REMOVE ANYTHING
THAT'S GONNA IMPEDE THAT PROCEDURE ANYWAY.
SO WE'RE CALLING THIS ONE PLAUSIBLE?
YEAH, BUT TOTALLY UNLIKELY.
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.
Narrator: ADAM AND JAMIE ARE NO STRANGERS
TO TESTING TALES ABOUT BLAZING TRAILS.
WHEN THEY PUT HOLLYWOOD ON TRIAL,
THEY STUBBED OUT THE MYTH
THAT YOU CAN LIGHT UP FUEL ON THE FLOOR WITH A CIGARETTE.
Adam: I'M ROLLING IT IN THE GASOLINE.
NOTHING'S HAPPENING.
BUT THIS TIME,
THEY'RE TESTING WHETHER THE TRAIL LIT BY G.I. JAMIE
WILL BLOW UP AN ESCAPING CAR'S GAS TANK.
AND FOR A DEFINITIVE ANSWER,
THEY'VE RETURNED TO THE RUNWAY AT ALAMEDA.
THIS IS PERFECT.
THE SUN IS SETTING. THE WIND'S DYING.
WE GOT IDEAL REAL-WORLD CONDITIONS HERE.
AND JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, IT'LL BE DARK SOON,
MEANING THEY'LL BE ABLE TO CLEARLY SEE THE FLAME.
FIRST THING WE'RE GONNA DO IS SORT OF A CONTROL.
WE'RE GONNA PUT A .44-CALIBER-SIZED HOLE
IN THE TANK.
GASOLINE'S GONNA COME RUNNING OUT OF THE TANK
AS THE TRUCK IS MOVING.
Narrator: REMEMBER, THE PREVIOUS TESTS TOOK PLACE
ON A SEALED FLOOR OUT OF THE ELEMENTS.
SO THIS FIRST TEST IS A CONTROL
TO SEE IF THE LIT TRAIL BURNS CONTINUOUSLY
JUST LIKE IT DID INDOORS.
ADAM, I CAN'T SEE A THING BACK THERE.
SO I'M TOTALLY IN YOUR HANDS
AS FAR AS WHAT I'M DOING WITH THIS TRUCK.
THE FIRST THING I AM GONNA DO
IF I SEE THE FIRE GETTING TOO CLOSE TO YOU
IS TELL YOU TO PULL UP THE NOZZLE.
OKAY.
OKAY. GOT IT.
[ ENGINE TURNS OVER ]
JAMIE AT THE START POSITION LOWERS THE HOSE,
LETTING THE FUEL SPILL OUT.
Adam: AND GO!
AND ADAM, ONCE AGAIN FANNING THE FLAMES OF HIS PYROMANIA,
LIGHTS HER UP.
MORE, MORE, MORE.
MORE, MORE.
GOOD. GOOD SPEED. GOOD SPEED.
AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL SHE WROTE.
Adam: FOR A REAL-WORLD CONTROL,
THAT TEST WENT ABOUT AS GOOD AS I COULD HAVE HOPED.
JAMIE DROVE AT A REASONABLE SPEED.
THE FUEL LINE HE LAID DOWN BURNED TOTALLY CONTINUOUSLY.
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR HERE
IS NOT WHETHER OR NOT THE FUEL LINE WOULD CATCH UP TO JAMIE.
IT'S REALLY, ACTUALLY,
JUST WHETHER OR NOT IT'LL BURN IN A SINGLE LINE.
AND FOR A CONTROL, COULDN'T HAVE GONE BETTER.
Narrator: A GOOD CONTROL, BUT REALLY, IT'S A CASE OF SO FAR, SO SLOW.
Jamie: IN THE TESTING SO FAR,
I'VE BEEN DRIVING SO SLOWLY
THAT IT'S NOT EVEN REGISTERING ON THE SPEEDOMETER.
THIS NEXT TEST, I'M GONNA GET UP TO 20 MILES AN HOUR
BEFORE I HIT THE STARTING LINE.
RIGHT AT THE STARTING LINE, I'LL BE DROPPING THE HOSE,
STARTING TO LEAK FUEL OUT,
AND MY GUESS IS THAT IT'S GONNA BE SUCH A THIN STREAM
THAT ACTUALLY CONTACTS THE PAVEMENT
THAT IT'S NOT GONNA LIGHT MORE THAN A FEW INCHES.
IT IS STILL MOVING TOWARDS HIM.
OH, BUT IT'S PETERING OUT.
Narrator: WHICH MEANS THE FLEEING FUGITIVE
IS FREE AND CLEAR.
THAT WAS INTERESTING.
YOU DID THAT PERFECTLY.
THE GAS STARTED BEFORE THE FIRST TWO CONES
AND ENDED AFTER THE SECOND.
WHEN I SET IT ON FIRE,
IT BURNED LONGER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD --
ALMOST 100 FEET --
AND THEN IT JUST COULDN'T CONTINUE
AND IT PETERED OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, THE GAS HAD ALREADY EVAPORATED.
THE LINE WAS TOO THIN. IT WASN'T GONNA GO.
AND 20 MILES AN HOUR ISN'T THAT FAST.
NO, NOT LIKE AN ACTION-MOVIE CAR CHASE.
IT WOULD BE A LOT FASTER.
SO IT WOULD ONLY GET WORSE FOR THIS MYTH
AT ANY SPEED ABOVE 20.
NO, IT'S NOT.
YEP, IF OUR VILLAIN TAKES OFF AT ANY KIND OF REASONABLE SPEED,
THE TRAIL SIMPLY BURNS OUT.
AND ALTHOUGH THE FAT LADY IS PREPARING HER TONSILS,
ADAM AND JAMIE AREN'T READY TO CALL IT.
AFTER ALL, THERE'S TWO PARTS TO THIS MYTH.
EVEN THOUGH WE PROVED
THAT IT IS EXTREMELY UNLIKELY UNDER MOST CIRCUMSTANCES
FOR THE LINE OF BURNING GASOLINE TO GET TO THE TANK,
NOW IT'S TIME TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS IF IT ACTUALLY DOES.
WE'RE REMOVING THE RUBBER HOSE.
WE'VE GOT JUST A HOLE STICKING OUT OF THE GAS TANK.
WE'RE GONNA LET THE FIRE GET ALL THE WAY TO IT.
AND JAMIE WILL ACTUALLY ONLY BE CRAWLING FORWARD
TO KEEP ANY FUEL OR FIRE
FROM GETTING TO HIS TRUCK SIDE OF THE METAL SHIELD.
Narrator: ADAM, IN FULL SAFETY GEAR, LIGHTS UP THE POOL OF FUEL,
AND JAMIE CRAWLS FORWARD, LETTING THE FLAME CATCH UP.
Adam: OKAY, IT'S REACHED THE TANK.
IT'S REACHED THE TANK.
IT'S BURNING UP THE LINE, BUT IT'S NOT EXPLODING YET.
STAY AWAY FROM IT.
IT'S JUST RUNNING OUT AND BURNING.
IT'S NOT IN ANY DANGER OF GETTING UNDER YOUR TIRES.
DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN YET.
DON'T WORRY.
Adam: THAT WAS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED OUT OF THAT TEST.
YOU KNOW, IN EVERY MOVIE,
EVERY BULLET OR CIGARETTE EQUALS AN EXPLODING GAS TANK.
THEY SEEM TO BE ON HAIR TRIGGERS,
AND IN THIS CASE, WE HAD GAS POURING OUT OF A TANK ON FIRE
FOR ABOUT A GOOD SIX OR SEVEN MINUTES.
THE WIND STARTED TO WHIP UP THE GASOLINE AND THE FLAMES.
THE FLAMES GOT UNDER THE TANK, WHICH HEATED IT UP,
AND ONCE THEY HEATED IT UP, THE AIR INSIDE STARTED EXPANDING
AND I STARTED WATCHING THE GAS SPEWING OUT OF THE HOLE.
AT THAT POINT, THE FLAMES GOT SO VIGOROUS,
THEY ENGULFED ONE OF OUR CAMERAS,
AND I DECIDED TO PULL THE PLUG AND EXTINGUISH EVERYTHING.
MOVE! CAMERA! LET'S PUT IT OUT!
DESPITE BEING COOKED TO WITHIN AN INCH OF ITS DIGITAL LIFE,
THE CAMERA CAME THROUGH AND GOT THE SHOT.
[ LAUGHS ]
Jamie: WELL, THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM.
OH, THAT'S AWESOME!
SO, WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
WELL, I THINK WE'RE BACK TO OUR OLD FRIEND AND NEMESIS,
AIR/FUEL MIXTURE.
I THINK WE NEED TO KNOW
EXACTLY WHEN WE'RE AT THE CORRECT EXPLOSIVE LIMIT.
AND I THINK WE DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THAT.
LET'S POP OFF THOSE PORTS ON TOP,
LET'S GET SOME AIR MOVING AROUND IN THERE, PUT SOME GAS IN --
DO THE SAME THING WE DID BEFORE BUT WE DON'T LIGHT IT
UNTIL WE HAVE A METER THAT TELLS US
WE'RE AT THE RIGHT EXPLOSIVE LIMIT.
AND THIS TIME, LET'S TAKE THE CAMERA AWAY FROM IT.
I THINK SO.
Narrator: IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET THAT HOLLYWOOD-STYLE BIG BOOM,
ADAM AND JAMIE OPEN UP SEVERAL PORTS ON THE TANK.
BUT WHY ARE THEY EVEN NECESSARY?
GASOLINE OR GASOLINE VAPOR BY ITSELF IS NOT EXPLODING.
IT NEEDS A SOURCE OF IGNITION, AND IT NEEDS AIR.
IN FACT, IT NEEDS A VERY SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF AIR
FOR IT TO BLOW UP.
THAT RANGE IS ABOVE 1.4% VAPOR TO AIR
OR BELOW 7.6% VAPOR TO AIR.
IF IT'S OUTSIDE THAT RANGE, IT'S NOT EXPLODING.
IF IT'S WITHIN THAT RANGE AND IT HAS A SOURCE OF IGNITION,
IT CAN BLOW UP.
NOW, WE'RE GONNA USE THIS METER HERE
TO DETERMINE WHAT WE'VE GOT IN THE TANK
AND WHETHER WE CAN GET IT TO THE BUTTER ZONE OR NOT.
Narrator: SO, THE MIX OF AIR AND FUEL VAPOR IN THE GAS TANK
HAS TO BE JUST RIGHT.
IN A VAPOR-RICH ENVIRONMENT,
THERE HAS TO BE THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF AIR
TO BE IN WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE FLAMMABILITY BAND.
AND IN A CONTAINED ENVIRONMENT WITH AN IGNITION SOURCE,
YOU'RE IN PRIME TERRITORY FOR AN EXPLOSION.
AND TO DETECT THAT CRUCIAL AIR-TO-FUEL RATIO,
THE GUYS ARE USING A PORTABLE GAS MONITOR.
IT'S GOING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN 4 AND 4.5.
THAT'S FANTASTIC.
AND SO WE'RE RIGHT IN THE BUTTER ZONE.
AWESOME. LET'S GO. LET'S DO IT.
WITH THE ADDED THROUGHFLOW, THE AIR/FUEL MIXTURE IS PERFECT.
AND WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT...
GO AHEAD!
...IF THOSE SPECTACULAR CINEMATIC EXPLOSIONS
ARE BASED ON REAL-WORLD PHYSICS...
CAREFUL, YOU GUYS. NOT TOO CLOSE.
...OR SIMPLY MOVIE MAGIC.
GOOD. STOP.
IT'S BURNING IN THE TANK.
BUT IT'S STUBBORNLY REFUSING TO DETONATE.
Adam: THE FACTS HERE ARE PRETTY SIMPLE.
WE WERE AT 5%.
THAT IS EXACTLY THE BUTTER ZONE WE WERE LOOKING FOR.
WE GOT PERFECT IGNITION.
THE TEST WENT REALLY WELL, AND WE DID NOT GET AN EXPLOSION.
DON'T GET ME WRONG --
IF MY CAR'S ON FIRE, I'M GOING TO BE RUNNING AWAY FROM IT.
ALL I'M SAYING IS,
THE WAY MOVIES LOOK AT GAS TANKS AND EXPLOSIONS IS JUST WRONG.
HEY, ADAM?
YEAH?
SHOULD I JUST LAY DOWN SOME FIRE AND WE CALL IT A DAY?
Jamie: THIS IS ACTUALLY REALLY FRUSTRATING TO LOOK AT,
BECAUSE IF THE TANK IS ENCLOSED,
IT VERY QUICKLY GOES ABOVE THE EXPLOSIVE LIMIT.
IF IT'S OPEN LIKE WE HAD IT, THEN IT'S JUST BURNING.
IT'S JUST FLAME. IT'S NOT AN EXPLOSION.
NO EXPLOSION! THAT'S A RESULT.
HOW DO YOU WANT TO WRAP UP VAPOR TRAIL?
THE FLAME DID FOLLOW RIGHT ALONG THAT TRAIL OF GASOLINE
AS IT WAS LAID DOWN.
IT WENT ALL THE WAY UP TO THE TANK.
BUT IT WENT SO SLOWLY, MAN.
MAN, IT WOULD NEVER CATCH UP TO ANY CAR.
YOU COULD PUSH A CAR FASTER THAN THAT GASOLINE TRAIL BURNED.
AND ONCE IT GOT TO THE TANK, IT NO BLOW UP!
I GUESS WE GOT TO CALL IT BUSTED.
BUSTED IT IS.
Narrator: JAMIE AND ADAM HAVE BUSTED
THE MOVIE MYTH THAT A BLAZING TRAIL OF GASOLINE
WILL CATCH A CAR AND EXPLODE THE GAS TANK,
BUT THIS FIERY FABLE IS STILL ALIGHT.
I KNOW IT'S A BIT OF A SEGUE,
BUT I DON'T FEEL LIKE WE'RE ALL THE WAY DONE
WITH HOLLYWOOD PYROTECHNICS JUST YET.
WHY IS THAT?
BECAUSE I'VE GOT ANOTHER ONE I WANT TO TRY,
AND IT IS AN OLD COWBOY MYTH THAT INVOLVES GUNPOWDER.
YOU MEAN WHERE THE BAD GUY LAYS DOWN THE TRAIL OF GUNPOWDER
THAT GOES TO THE KEG --
HE LIGHTS IT, BUT THE GOOD GUY RUSHES IN
AND PUTS OUT THE FLAME RIGHT BEFORE IT REACHES THE KEG?
IT'S LIKE YOU'RE A MIND READER ON SOMETHING.
THAT'S EXACTLY IT.
SO IT'S TRAIL BLAZERS, PART TWO.
BUT THIS MOVIE MYTH COMES FROM WAY BACK YONDER
WHEN YOUR AVERAGE ACTION SCENE INVOLVED COWBOYS AND GUNPOWDER,
NOT CARS AND GASOLINE.
[ SCREAMING ]
A LIT TRAIL OF GUNPOWDER IS HEADING FOR A POWDER KEG,
AND IF IT CAN'T BE STOPPED, DISASTER.
BUT OUR HERO SAVES THE DAY
BY LEAPING AHEAD OF THE SPARKING FUSE
AND KICKING OUT THE TRAIL.
BACK IN THE BUNKER, THE TEAM BEGIN TESTING
TO FIND OUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE.
Adam: I DON'T THINK THIS IS GONNA WORK.
THE WHOLE PREMISE WE'RE TESTING,
WHICH IS, CAN A COWBOY LAY OUT A LINE OF BLACK POWDER,
AND IF I SAW IT AND TRIED TO KICK OUT THAT POWDER
BEFORE IT GOT TO SOMETHING IT WAS GONNA BLOW UP,
WOULD I HAVE ENOUGH TIME?
I DON'T THINK I WOULD.
I THINK THE BLACK POWDER IS GONNA BURN TOO FAST.
EVERY TIME WE'VE EVER NOODLED WITH IT ON THE SHOW,
ITS DEFINING CHARACTERISTIC IS THAT IT'S SUPERFAST.
Narrator: SO, LIKE THE VAPOR TRAIL,
ADAM THINKS THIS MOVIE MYTH IS JUST ANOTHER SPECIAL EFFECT.
MY GUESS IS, IT'S GONNA BE LESS A "Shh"
THAN A "SHABOOM" KIND OF MOMENT.
WE'LL SEE -- WITHOUT THE BOOM.
WE'RE NOT ADDING IN ANY BOOM JUST YET.
THIS IS ALL ABOUT THE "Shh."
Narrator: ON SITE SUPERVISING, IT'S PYROTECHNICIAN ROB CLOT,
AND HE'S GOT THE SHABOOM-MAKING MATERIALS.
Adam: THIS IS BLACK POWDER.
YOU CAN BUY THIS IN MOST GUN SHOPS,
AND IT'S ACTUALLY THE CLOSEST THING WE HAVE
TO WHAT WOULD BE PERIOD-CORRECT FOR A COWBOY MOVE.
IT'S WHAT WE'VE USED WHEN WE FIRED OUR CIVIL WAR ERA MUSKET,
WHEN WE FIRED OUR PERIOD AMMUNITION.
THIS IS PERFECT FOR THESE TESTS.
Narrator: YEP -- BLACK POWDER AND THE MYTHBUSTERS GO WAY BACK.
IT'S BEEN PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR PERIOD REALISM
IN A NUMBER OF BALLISTIC MYTHS.
AND AS AN ADDED BONUS, IT DOES THIS.
Man: FIRE!
FIRING! 3, 2, 1...
AND SEEING IT'S AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SHOW,
LET'S FIND OUT SOME MORE.
WE USE BLACK POWDER IN A LOT OF OUR EXPERIMENTS.
YEAH, BLACK POWDER ENGINE, KILLER CIGARETTE BUTTS,
AND SALAMI ROCKET.
DO YOU KNOW WHO INVENTED IT?
THE CHINESE, RIGHT?
YEAH, THE CHINESE WERE SEARCHING
FOR THE SECRET OF ETERNAL LIFE.
AND THEY SOMEHOW CAME UP WITH BLACK POWDER.
ETERNAL LIFE? I DID NOT KNOW THAT.
WELL, OBVIOUSLY THEY DIDN'T ACHIEVE ETERNAL LIFE,
AND IN FACT, THEY DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE
THAT THEY'D CREATED A WEAPON.
THEY WERE USING BLACK POWDER
ON THINGS LIKE SKIN IRRITATIONS, LIKE FUNGUS.
[ LAUGHS ]
NOW, THAT IS ONE SKIN TREATMENT
I WOULD NOT WANT TO HAVE ON MY SKIN,
STANDING CLOSE TO AN OPEN FLAME.
REGARDLESS, I THINK WE FOUND SOME USES FOR IT.
Narrator: FIRST UP, THEY'RE STARTING SMALL --
A TRAIL JUST A FEW FEET LONG.
Adam: I THINK THAT'S GREAT.
THIS IS JUST TO SEE WHAT IT DOES.
JUST TO SEE HOW IT FEELS. OKAY.
Narrator: TO LIGHT IT SAFELY,
ADAM HAS PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS TO IMPRESS ROB.
THIS IS A STANDARD INDUSTRY REMOTE LIGHTER.
THIS IS YOUR BUTANE TORCH
ON THE END OF A COUPLE TIE STRAPS
ON SOME STRUCTURAL ALUMINUM,
PROVIDING SOME DISTANCE BETWEEN ME AND THE FLAME
SO I CAN LIGHT WHILE I'M SAFELY AWAY FROM THE EXPLOSION.
ALL RIGHT.
EVERYBODY READY?
HERE WE GO.
[ LAUGHS ]
THAT'S A LITTLE TOO FAST.
Narrator: YEP, AND THE MYTH THAT YOU COULD RUN AHEAD OF THE BURNING FUSE
LOOKS LIKE IT'S GONE UP IN SMOKE ALREADY.
Jamie: GUNPOWDER, BY DESIGN, BURNS VERY QUICKLY.
WHEN YOU HAVE IT INSIDE A GUN, IT BURNS EXPLOSIVELY QUICKLY.
WHEN WE LAY IT OUT IN A LINE, IT JUST BURNS FAST.
WELL, IT BEHAVED EXACTLY THE WAY I THOUGHT IT WOULD BEHAVE.
IN FACT, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE RATING FOR THIS IS "FFFFG,"
WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH THE SOUND IT MADE WHEN WE LIT IT,
AND THAT'S WHAT IT'S BASED ON.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WE DO NOW?
I THINK WE NEED TO COME UP
WITH A MORE CONTROLLED WAY OF LAYING DOWN THE POWDER --
SOMETHING VERY CONSISTENT --
AND MAYBE A LITTLE LESS OF IT.
Narrator: JAMIE, BASING HIS DESIGN ON AN OLD-FASHIONED POWDER HORN,
SOON HAS A SOLUTION,
AND THEY'RE READY TO SEE HOW QUICKLY
A 3-FOOT LINE OF POWDER BURNS.
WOW, LOOK AT THAT.
THAT WAS REALLY NICE. THAT WAS MUCH SLOWER.
IT WAS LIKE -- [ HISSING ]
THAT WAS LIKE A REALLY SLOW WALK.
WE FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS NO EXPERIMENT TOO SMALL
FOR US TO BE WRONG ABOUT WHAT THE RESULTS ARE GONNA BE.
I THOUGHT THAT, IF WE LAID OUT A LINE HERE
AND IT WAS FAIRLY VISIBLE BLACK POWDER,
THAT IT WOULD GO -- [ IMITATES EXPLOSION ]
AND JUST GO REALLY FAST,
BUT IN FACT, IT SEEMS TO BURN AT A RATE NOT UNREASONABLY CLOSE
TO WHAT I'M USED TO REMEMBERING IN COWBOY MOVIES.
I'M STARTING TO THINK
THAT IF WE LAID OUT A LINE OF POWDER LIKE THIS,
MAYBE 20 FEET LONG
WITH A, YOU KNOW, KEG AT THE END THAT MIGHT BLOW UP,
AND I HAD A FEW SECONDS TO RUN OVER AND KICK THIS LINE
SO IT WOULD STOP IGNITING,
I MIGHT ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
I FIGURE I COULD OUTRUN THAT PRETTY EASILY.
IF YOU WANT TO TRY, I SAY WE GET OUT TO THE BOMB RANGE
AND DO IT FOR REAL.
OKAY. LET'S GET OUT OF HERE.
Narrator: ALAMEDA COUNTY BOMB-DISPOSAL RANGE,
ADAM AND JAMIE'S SECOND HOME.
ANOTHER DAY AT THE BOMB RANGE.
Narrator: AND, AS USUAL, THEIR HOSPITABLE HOST
KEEPING THEM OUT OF HOSPITAL IS SERGEANT J.D. NELSON.
THE BOMB RANGE IS THE PERFECT LOCATION FOR US,
'CAUSE WE CAN BLOW STUFF UP,
BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT ROCKY, AND IT'S DIRT.
WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE BLACK POWDER.
WE'RE GONNA LAY OUT, BASICALLY,
A DANCE FLOOR FOR DANCING WITH THE BLACK POWDER.
IT'S ABOUT 20-SOME-ODD SHEETS OF PLYWOOD OR CHIP BOARD
THAT WE'RE GONNA LAY OUT IN A LINE
APPROXIMATELY 80 TO 100 FEET LONG.
IT SHOULD BE PLENTY OF A RUN FOR OUR BLACK-POWDER TESTS.
[ WHIRRING ]
WELL, THERE YOU GO. DANCE FLOOR.
MY DANCE CARD IS EMPTY. LET'S GO!
ADAM'S JOB IS TO KICK OUT THE LINE OF BURNING POWDER
BEFORE IT REACHES THIS.
NOW, FOR SAFETY REASONS,
WE'RE NOT GONNA PUT ANY POWDER IN THIS.
WE'RE NOT QUITE READY FOR ADAM TO BLOW UP JUST YET.
Narrator: WHAT JAMIE MEANS IS,
FOR SAFETY REASONS, THE KEG WILL BE EMPTY.
BUT AT THE END OF AN 80-FOOT TRAIL OF BLACK POWDER,
ADAM CAN'T RESIST ADDING A CUPFUL OF EXTRA MOTIVATION.
I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO TRY IT FIRST. IS THAT ALL RIGHT?
OKAY, COOL.
[ English accent ] MY MOTIVATION FOR THIS IS REALLY, LIKE, YOU KNOW,
HUMANITY IS GOING DOWN THE WRONG PATH.
THAT'S THE GUNPOWDER LINE,
AND I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SEE THAT IT'S BURNING,
AND I'VE GOT TO KICK IT OUT BEFORE IT EXPLODES.
Adam: [ Normal voice ] OH.
2, 3...
HERE WE GO.
IT'S NOT THAT HARD TO OUTRUN IT.
HERE IT COMES!
[ CHUCKLES ]
I STOPPED IT!
LOOK AT THAT.
HERE, LIGHT THIS ONE.
IT'S LIKE A REALLY BRISK WALK, REALLY.
HERE IT COMES TO THE THING! BOOM!
[ LAUGHING ]
THIS IS A FUN JOB.
WELL, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT IT SEEMS TO ME
IT DOESN'T MOVE AS FAST AS I THOUGHT.
IT'S PRETTY EASY TO RUN DOWN A LINE OF GUNPOWDER
AND KICK IT OUT TO STOP IT FROM BLOWING UP.
YOU WANT TO GIVE IT A SHOT?
I'LL GIVE IT A SHOT. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
I WANT TO WAIT TILL IT GETS REALLY FAR DOWN THERE
AND THEN SEE IF I CAN CATCH UP WITH IT AND KICK IT OUT.
OKAY, DONE.
Adam: PUT THEM ON, LITTLE FEET.
THE REASON JAMIE'S FEET ARE SO SMALL
IS THAT HE ESCAPED FROM COMMUNIST CHINA IN THE '40s
DRESSED AS A WOMAN WITH BOUND FEET.
THEY'VE NEVER GOTTEN BIGGER AGAIN.
READY TO RACE SOME POWDER.
ADAM, WOULD YOU MIND LAYING THE POWDER?
I'M JUST GONNA SORT OF RELAX.
AND YOU CAN LIGHT IT. I GOT A GOOD VIEW.
Narrator: JAMIE'S IDEA OF RACING IS PRETTY LAID-BACK.
POWDER-KEG TEST NUMBER TWO.
GRANDPA HYNEMAN PRESIDING.
GO!
JAMIE, COOL AS A CUCUMBER, GIVES THE FUSE A GOOD HEAD START.
OF COURSE, HE'S THINKING HIS ONLY OBSTACLE
WILL BE COVERING THE GROUND IN TIME.
[ LAUGHS ]
OH, IT'S STILL GOING!
YEAH, YOU --
[ LAUGHS ]
HE PUSHED ME OUT OF THE WAY.
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?
I WAS GIVING YOU MORE OF A CHALLENGE.
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
Jamie: WE WANTED TO FIND OUT WHETHER IT IS POSSIBLE
TO OUTRUN A BURNING LINE OF POWDER,
BREAK THE LINE, AND STOP IT BEFORE IT REACHES THE BARREL
AND BLOWS UP THE BARREL.
IT TURNS OUT IT IS.
WE DID IT. IT'S NOT THAT HARD, REALLY.
Narrator: SO THE MOVIE MYTH
THAT YOU CAN OUTRUN A LIT TRAIL OF GUNPOWDER IS CONFIRMED.
BUT THE FUN DOESN'T END THERE.
THE FUSE IS STILL BURNING ON THIS FABLE.
JAMIE, DESPITE UNFORESEEN OBSTACLES,
IS CONFIDENT THAT YOU CAN OUTRUN AND KICK OUT
A BURNING FUSE OF GUNPOWDER.
BUT THE GUYS HAVEN'T QUITE SATISFIED THEIR BIG-BOOM QUOTA.
Jamie: THE NEXT THING WE NEED TO KNOW IS,
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL?
MAYBE SOMEBODY GOT IN YOUR WAY OR PUSHED YOU, YOU KNOW,
BEFORE YOU WERE ABLE TO DO YOUR JOB.
DOES THE BARREL BLOW UP?
WILL IT RUN UP THE STREAM OF POWDER COMING OUT OF THE BARREL?
ARE WE GONNA SEE A BIG EXPLOSION?
Narrator: IT'S A CARTOON CAPER CLASSIC.
THE LIT FUSE OF GUNPOWDER LEADS RIGHT TO THE POWDER KEG,
AND KABLOOEY.
BUT WOULD THE BARREL REALLY BLOW,
OR WOULD THE FUSE JUST FIZZLE OUT
WHEN IT REACHES THE END OF THE LINE?
GO AHEAD AND PLUG IT IN.
AND TO FIND OUT, THEY'LL NEED TO LIGHT THE POWDER REMOTELY,
AND OUR BRIGHT SPARKS HAVE JUST THE THING.
Adam: IT'S A 20,000-VOLT NEON TRANSFORMER.
I KNOW THAT THE ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE OF AIR
IS ROUGHLY 10,000 VOLTS PER CENTIMETER,
WHICH MEANS I ONLY NEED TO GET THE TWO ENDS OF THIS TRANSFORMER
WITHIN TWO CENTIMETERS OF EACH OTHER
FOR THAT ARC TO TRAVEL ACROSS THEM,
AND IT IS THE MOST IDEAL THING TO LIGHT THE GUNPOWDER.
[ ELECTRICITY CRACKLES ]
PERFECT.
Narrator: NEXT, WITH ADAM AND JAMIE
DISPLAYING ALL THE CHARACTERISTICS
OF KIDS WHO KNOW THE ICE-CREAM MAN IS COMING...
YET ANOTHER THING TO NOT TRY AT HOME.
Narrator: ...FILL THE KEG WITH POWDER
AND LAY DOWN THE ROAD TO EXPLODE.
AS SOON AS THE LINE GETS HERE, SHABOOM!
AT LEAST IN THEORY.
Narrator: IT'S A THEORY THEY CAN'T WAIT TO PUT INTO PRACTICE.
PLUS, THERE'S A BREEZE
AND A DANGER THE BLACK POWDER
WILL SOON BE BLOWING IN THE WIND.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S DO THIS THING.
SO IT'S DOUBLE-TIME DOWN TO THE BUNKER.
I'M GONNA COUNT IT DOWN. TELL ME WHEN YOU'RE SET.
I AM TOTALLY SET NOW.
OKAY, GOING IN 3, 2, 1.
[ ELECTRICITY CRACKLES ]
THERE IT GOES.
LOOK AT IT GO.
THE TRAIL IS ABLAZE, AND JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES,
IT RACES TOWARDS ITS DESTINATION.
COME ON, LITTLE BUDDY. DON'T BURN OUT!
GO, GO, GO, GO!
A BARRELFUL OF BIG BOOM.
GO, GO, GO.
AND...
[ LAUGHING ]
YEAH!
THAT WAS AWESOME!
THAT WAS THE BEST EXPLOSION WE'VE EVER DONE!
I SWEAR.
YEAH.
YEAH, IT TOOK ALL ITS TIME TO GET THERE.
IT WAS LIKE -- THAT'S THE WAY I ALWAYS EXPECTED IT SHOULD BE.
[ LAUGHS ]
AWESOME.
LET'S GET AN ALL-CLEAR AND GO INSPECT.
THIS IS ONE CINEMATIC AND CARTOON CLICHé
THAT DOES EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE LABEL.
Jamie: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A BURNING LINE OF GUNPOWDER
REACHES A KEG FULL OF GUNPOWDER?
EXACTLY WHAT YOU THINK.
IT'S GONNA BLOW UP, AND THAT'S WHAT IT DID.
EACH ONE OF THESE EXPANDED A LITTLE BIT.
AND LOOK AT ALL THE BURN STRIPES ON THE INSIDE.
IT'S QUITE CLEAR WHAT IT DID.
IT BLEW OUT BOTH ENDS. IT BLEW OUT THE WEAKEST PART.
IF YOU WATCH THE SHOW AT ALL, YOU KNOW I LIKE TO LIVE MY LIFE
HALFWAY LIKE AN ACTION-MOVIE HERO
AND HALFWAY LIKE A CARTOON CHARACTER,
AND THIS EXPLOSION SATISFIED
BOTH OF THOSE HALVES OF MY PERSONALITY.
I PROCLAIM IT MY FAVORITE-EVER "MYTHBUSTERS" EXPLOSION.
HOW ARE WE GONNA CALL THIS ONE?
LET'S GO DOWN THE LIST ONE BY ONE.
THE MYTH THAT YOU CAN LIGHT A LINE OF BLACK POWDER,
AND YET STILL SOMEONE CAN OUTRUN THAT LINE
AS IT'S ON FIRE AND KICK IT
AND BREAK ITS STREAM BEFORE IT GETS TO AN EXPLOSIVE THING.
PERFECTLY PLAUSIBLE.
AND THAT LINE OF BLACK POWDER,
IF IT GOT ALL THE WAY TO A POWDER KEG FULL OF POWDER,
WOULD IT EXPLODE THAT KEG?
ABSOLUTELY...PLAUSIBLE.
I TOTALLY AGREE. I THINK IT'S PLAUSIBLE.
I THINK WE'VE DONE SOME VERY GOOD WORK HERE TODAY.
ALL RIGHT.
GUESS WHAT.
WE'VE GOT ANOTHER VIEWER SPECIAL COMING UP.
SO IF YOU'VE GOT AN IDEA
FOR A MYTH YOU'D LIKE TO SEE US TEST,
LOG ON TO discovery.com/mythbusters
AND POST IT.
WE WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO SAY,
AND IT JUST MIGHT MAKE IT ON THE AIR.