I must say that watching the glee with which they polished the poo was more thrilling than the actual outcome. I think the SF Zoo should sell giraffe poo necklaces (just don't wear them while swimming or in the rain).
In the myth hit the ground running the control subject was completely wrong. For a proper control subject all tests must be started the same way. For example they should have started the bicycle in the control subject off of the drop stand but with out pedaling. For the car it should have been dropped without the wheels turning. I would recommend a retry on this myth.
while i understand how awesome the molten car thing was, i have to say the bang was better. Scientifically the nonbang was probably more interesting, but seriously, who doesn't like blowing stuff up?
Thermite bang was BY FAR the best explosion. Just an incredible amount of energy. 1,000lbs of thermite ignited on top of a car? I say YES! oh and did i mention thats a lot of thermite.
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i have no idea where the mythbusters got their definition or should i say interpretation of the idiom "hit the ground running" the phrase does not mean that it is better to hit the ground running compared to running. but rather that that it is better to cut that middle step between hitting the ground and beginning to run. in other words starting the task before the task reaches you.
Just a comment on hitting the ground running. I've been riding horses since I was 10 years old. I did a very little bit of gymkhana in my teens. One of the things we had to learn to do was a running dismount (AKA, getting off the horse while its trotting or cantering... never was crazy enough to do it at a gallop). Now when getting off a moving horse, the thing is, you can't just jump off. If you try to land stationary, you're likely going to go down face first. You need to... hit the ground running. This doesn't involve flailing your legs like our mythbuster friends did on the zip like... if you did that, you'd kick you're poor horse in the head and he'd likely go veering off across the ring. The idea is hitting the ground in a step and pushing forward to continue the forward momentum.
I have no idea if the idiom came from running dismounts from horses or not. But in many gymkhana games I played in around my local barn, you were required to end the race by dismounting and running to the finish leading the horse. If you stop to dismount, you're going to lose the race. If try to do a running dismount without hitting the ground moving forward, and somehow manage to stay on you're feet, you still lose the vital momentum and will likely be beat. By hitting the ground running, you keep you're balance and forward drive, and don't lose the precious fractions of a second between you and the other team.
So my critique of the mythbusters is they didn't try to hit the ground in balance. They took this that one needed to have their leg spinning in the air... hitting the ground running just means landing in a forward step. You can stay still, land with one foot pushing forward, and that's still a run.
i like your comparison but it did not it came from: 'An early citation of it is found in a whimsical story which was syndicated in several newspapers, including The Evening News, 23rd April 1895, in a piece headed 'King Of All The Liars' (and should their readers have not got the picture from the text, they were kind enough to provide one):
"I turned to run and figured to a dot when he shot. As he cracked loose I jumped way up in the air and did a split, just like what these show gals does, only mine wasn't on the ground by six foot. The bullet went under me. I knew he had five more cartridges, so I hit the ground running and squatted low down when his gun barked a second time."'
I found it fascinating that a mini-van could be bombed and only a few scraps remained. However, I couldn't help but think about people who experience explosions near their homes and work places. These explosions not only destroy property; they kill, maim, and injure adults and children.
In Parkour it's better to roll while you're about to hit the ground while running. When Grant tripped which he's doing the momentum run it is because his legs couldn't absorb all of the shock from the force when he is about to hit the ground. This is where the roll come in. With the roll you can absorb the shock and continue running with constant speed.
I took issue with the way they busted the poop polish myth, not because I maintain it's possible, just that they seemed to stray from the core of the idiom.
Yeah yeah, before you all freak out, look at it.
"You can't polish poop."
In the literal sense this myth was clearly busted, as both hosts achieved a high gloss using particular varieties of dung. But the message behind the idiom is a short and sweet version of the Law of Conservation of Matter.
E.G. Nothing created, nor destroyed.
If you start with crap, you may end up with a lot of things, but one of them, forever and ever, will be crap. And as pretty as Jaime's ball was, it was still a poo sphere.
This is one of those rare myths that should receive both a bust and plausible.
On the other hand, those guys have kept me happy with every other episode I've ever seen so what do I know.
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I think i have a reason for the "Big Bang" when you combine the Thermite with the ice. I was reminded of a 7th grade science experiment while watching. My teacher took Na and dropped it into water. it skittered around the water then exploded (Only a small piece). Any of the elements on the far left side of the periodic table of elements will react violently with water... with the execption of H. I was thinking that either trough the process of burning or just in the thermite itself these one or more of these elements are created or present. Granted i should have done the research on what is in thermite... but i was lazy this morning and i assume that another geek out there knows enough to confirm or blast this theory.
There has been so many spectacular explosions on Mythbusters and the exploding moped didn't utterly amase me. The thermite, however, was unique. I've never seen thermite in action before and accoarding to Jamie, this had never been tested in that way before, so my vote goes to the thermite.
OK The "Hit the ground running" tests where not done very well. The expresion to "HIT THE GROUND RUNNING" means to hit the ground running. It does not mean to dangle in the air swinging your legs, which only makes you look a bit silly, nor does it have anyhtng to do with cars and push bikes. Now if you jump from a moving surface to the ground you had better hit the ground running or you do a "face plant". You fall hevily and usually land prety much on your face as your arms flail in the air to try and regain balance and you do not have time to stop your face hitting the ground.
As a yong man and a boy I spent a lot of time on farms, it was not uncommon to ride on a trailer being towed by a slow moving tractor, or on the back of a utility (pick up). Often one of the passangers was required to go open and close gates and in wet, or muddy ground, they did not want to stop for fear of getting bogged.
Someone would jump off of the back and run ahead open the gate the vehicle would go through they would close the gate and run and jump on the back before the driver would accelarate again.
Now when you jump off of the back of a Utility, or any moving platform on a farm you do not want to have a face plant. Not only is this embarasing, especially when your big brother tells all his friends, but you often face plant in to a cow pat. So to avoid this you literaly hit the ground running, matching your leg motion to the ground speed the vehicle is doing. increasing speed as you go so you get to the gate first.
If you get this wrong and the utility has to stop and it does get stuck, the person who failed to open the gate will be the first one to be pushing it out of the mud. So hitting the ground running is not optional it was a nesecity.
Personal experience: I used to ride around with a group of friends in which there wasn't enough room in the car for everyone. It was short trips with max speed of 10mph, so I figured I could ride on the trunk and just hold on. (I was 15 and stupid, ok?) Turns out I couldn't. Test number 1... we went around a curve and I had no surface to maintain a grip, so I went sliding off, but was able to turn my body as I felt the slip start so that I landed on my feet and immediately started running until I could slow myself down from the forward momentum. End result: A little winded (had to start at a sprint) but otherwise fine. You figure I'd have learned after the first time right? No, that would be far too easy. So here we ago again, about 3 days later. Exact same scenario (it was a camp that I worked at and we were constantly going from the same point A to the same point B.) Test number 2: Again I slide, only this time I couldn't turn my body fast enough so I landed on my feet but sideways. Momentum immediately threw me into a direction my feet were not planning on going and I did a face plant/flip/tuck and rollas my body started to turn to the direction of the momentum. End result? 9 band aids (not telling the parents to take me to the hospital because then I'd have to explain how I got injured... not happening) a lot of neosporin, and pain for a good week or so where my back bent in a way it's not meant to bend. I think I also hit myself in the face from my limbs flailing in an effort to stop my movement. The true idea of hitting the ground running, and not what they "tested," truly is effective.
BTW, I liked both the bang and the thermite, but I preferred the thermite since it was so different than their typical "let's blow up everything in sight" mentality.
