MythBusters+Episode+Results

=MYTHBUSTERS RESULTS=

The MythBusters have tackled more than 700 myths since their 2003 premiere ... and we've never referred to someone as "a bull in a china shop" since. Anyway, welcome to the **Myth Files**, where we'll be compiling all the myths busted so far, along with the science behind each conclusion. But take it easy on us, OK? We're starting slow. There's a lot more to come. A //lot//.

=Here is some of the myths:= = = =MYTH: CAN YOU MAKE A BRIDGE OUT=

=OF DUCT TAPE?=


 * Finding: CONFIRMED**
 * Explanation:** MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage required not one — but two — episodes to test the full range of duct tape's legendary properties. During the second round of duct tape tales, the duo dared to take the tape's tensile strength to new heights by erecting a 100-foot-long (30.5-meter-long) bridge out of the sticky stuff. It took 196 rolls and nearly 400 pounds (181 kilograms) of duct tape to complete the MythBusters' bridge design. Jamie and Adam twisted long strips of tape into cord-like strands, weaving together more than 10 layers of them to construct the walkway portion of the bridge. Modeling the overall shape after a rope bridge, the duo molded handrails and suspension ropes out of duct tape to finalize a structure that stretched 50 feet (15.2 meters) above the ground. Stepping lightly, Jamie and Adam traversed the sticky territory one after another without breaking through. Neither volunteered to stroll across the duct tape bridge again, but one successful pass was all it took to cross the confirmed myth off their to-do list. [[image:http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/gallery/icon_video.gif caption="Watch video."]] //As seen in [|"MythBusters: Duct Tape Hour 2"]//

=MYTH: CAN YOUR CELL PHONE INTERFERE WITH A PLANE'S INSTRUMENTS?=

So why all the fuss about phones? When you make a call at 10,000 feet, the signal bounces off multiple available cell towers, rather than one at a time. That means too many phone-happy jetsetters might clog up the networks on the ground, which is why the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — not the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) — banned cell use on planes. If you're just dying to bust out your BlackBerry mid-flight, go international. Some airlines in Europe, the Middle East and Asia now allow cell phone use in planes, but don't hold your breath for the FCC to follow suit. //As seen in "MythBusters: Cell Phones on Planes."//
 * Finding: BUSTED**
 * Explanation:** Never mind what the chatterbox in the seat next to you says about cell phones messing with plane navigation -- those metallic birds are built airtight against foreign signals and operate on entirely different frequencies than cell phones.

=CAN 1,000 BEES REALLY MAKE A LAPTOP LIFT OFF?=


 * Finding: BUSTED**
 * Explanation:** MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage called in a swarm of bees to test whether a buzz-worthy viral video was actually real footage. The video shows a thousand or so bees lifting a lightweight laptop and whizzing it away into the air. A combination of honey and bee-safe glue supposedly attracted and attached the bees to the computer in the original scenario, so Jamie and Adam approached the myth with the same setup but achieved opposite results. Although hundreds of bees stuck themselves to the laptop, they couldn't lift it even a centimeter. To figure out the problem, Jamie and Adam calculated that a single honeybee could lift almost 100 milligrams, or roughly 80 percent of its own body weight. Applying that finding to the laptop's weight, the MythBusters deduced that it would take a terrifying 23,000 bees to achieve liftoff. However, the laptop's surface area could only make room for a maximum 2,300 bees, mathematically busting the myth. Tossing another bee in the myth's bonnet, physics principles wouldn't permit the buzzing army to fly away with the laptop because the airflow beneath their wings would push down on the laptop. Too much downward force, too much weight and too little space add up to a triple-busted myth. [[image:http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/gallery/icon_video.gif caption="Watch video."]] //As seen in [|"MythBusters: Bug Special"]//

=MYTH: IS THERE REALLY A "BROWN NOTE"?=


 * Finding: BUSTED**
 * Explanation:** The brown note, also known as the disco dump, is a subsonic frequency around 9 Hertz (Hz) that supposedly rocks so hard, it causes people to lose control of their bowels. Conspiracy theories about this nauseating tone go back to before World War II, and some people believe government forces belt out inaudible brown notes to disable unsuspecting audiences. MythBusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman tracked down some alleged brown-note audio files online and blasted them at various frequencies, attempting to hit the not-so-sweet spot. Adam sat at the center of the 24-speaker brown-note symphony, and his body absorbed all the brown-note vibrations projected at an undetectable 5 Hz up to 20 Hz. When none of those frequencies struck a chord with Adam's stomach, the MythBusters team pumped up the volume to a deafening 128 decibels. Adam could feel the music pumping against his chest, but it had no physical effects below the belt. All of the brown-note frequencies failed to stir the MythBuster's bowels, busting the myth — and preserving Adam's dignity. //As seen in "MythBusters: Brown Note"//

=MYTH: CAN A SNEEZE REALLY TRAVEL 100 MPH?=

The duo each sniffed some snuff to muster up strong sneezes, but even those gargantuan gesundheits clocked in at less than 100 mph. Make that //way// less than 100 mph. Adam's achoo erupted at 35 mph, and Jamie barely beat him at 39 mph. As for whether a sneeze can go the distance, neither MythBuster could break the 20-foot mark. Instead, Adam's and Jamie's flying phlegm landed 17 and 13 feet away, respectively. So while sneezes still spew snot fast and far, the busted myth proves their much-advertised speed and distance stats are full of hot air. //As seen in [|"MythBusters: Flu Fiction"]//
 * Finding: BUSTED**
 * Explanation**: Armchair medical science maintains that the involuntary respiratory convulsion known as a sneeze launches mucus from the body at 100 miles per hour, landing it 30 feet from the source. In pursuit of the right diagnosis, MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage cranked up their ultra-high-speed camera to witness the phlegmatic physics of sneezing in action.

=MYTH: IS FOOD THAT'S BEEN ON THE FLOOR LESS THAN FIVE SECONDS=

=REALLY SAFE TO EAT?=

When MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage bit into the same popular presumption, they realized that different foods produce a smorgasbord of results. Comparing the bacteria colonies picked up by dry saltines and wet pastrami after the sodium-rich snackshung out on a contaminated floor for a few seconds, Jamie and Adam noticed the moist sausage scooped up far more flora. When the MythBusters then analyzed food-free contact plates that had spent two- and six-second intervals on a contaminated surface, the "five-second rule" quickly crumbled. Even if something spends a mere millisecond on the floor, it attracts bacteria. How dirty it gets depends on the food's moisture, surface geometry and floor condition — not time. That spells sad news for clumsy eaters everywhere: The "five-second rule" myth is busted. //As seen in "MythBusters: Chinese Invasion Alarm"//
 * Finding: BUSTED**
 * Explanation**:Whoever came up with "five-second rule" had probably just dropped an entire cookie on the ground and needed a sanitary excuse to save it. But according to research from Clemson University food scientist Paul Dawson, that cookie could've picked up toxic salmonella bacteria during that brief time window, especially on a tiled or wooden surface.

=IS THERE A SPECIFIC FREQUENCY THAT WOULD CAUSE A BRIDGE TO COLLAPSE?=


 * Finding: PLAUSIBLE**
 * Explanation:** On April 14, 1831, a brigade of soldiers marched across the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England — and broke it. MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage wondered whether bad vibes were to blame for the architectural disaster, so naturally, they built a miniature bridge and small army of mechanized feet to stomp across it. Theoretically, if the vibrations from the footfalls matched the bridge's natural vibrations, the structure would break down. By that same science principle, glasses can shatter if someone belts out the correct high-pitched note. While the MythBusters' bridge indeed collapsed under the 12 pairs of fake feet, it wasn't the vibrations from the synchronized marching that did it in. Since the suspension cables failed to quiver and snap, Jamie and Adam initially concluded that the broken bridge could only be blamed on over weighting, not violent vibrations. But when the MythBusters later retested the breakstep bridge with a simpler structure, and with Adam as the lone soldier, the results changed. Adam lightly bounced along a plank bridge to find that elusive resonant frequency. As Jamie removed the planks from the bridge one by one to amplify the oscillations from Jami's bouncing, the bridge eventually broke, deeming the redone myth plausible. //As seen in "MythBusters: Breakstep Bridge"//

=MYTH: DID ANCIENT PEOPLE USE BATTERIES?=


 * Finding: PLAUSIBLE**
 * Explanation:** MythBusters Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and Scottie Chapman recreated history when they tested whether an ancient urn found in Baghdad could've been used as some sort of battery. Discovered in the 1930s, the urn dated back to sometime between 250 B.C. and A.D. 250, long before modern batteries were invented in the 19th century. The artifact contained a copper pipe with an iron rod in its center — which could've served as the battery's electrodes — and had an asphalt cork at the top. Still inside the urn was the residue of an acidic liquid that could've provided the electrolyte element to bring the battery to life. The MythBusters fashioned 10 terracotta replicas of the mysterious urn, complete with lemon juice as the electrolyte agent. The batteries stunk as standalones, barely mustering up 0.5 volts of electricity apiece. However, the team hooked the 10 primitive batteries together, and the resulting mega-battery registered around 4.5 volts, generating enough buzz to deem the myth plausible. Compared to modern batteries, the voltage is pretty wimpy, but for the ancient world, it would've been a shocker. //As seen in "MythBusters: Cooling a Six-Pack"//

=MYTH: CAN DUCT TAPE KEEP A CAR=

=FROM GOING TO PIECES?=


 * Finding: CONFIRMED**
 * Explanation:** MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage once built a boat out of duct tape, but could the sticky stuff work as well on land as it did in the sea? To find out, Kari Byron took a sledgehammer to a car and tasked Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci with putting it back together, Humpty Dumpty style — using nothing but duct tape. Since the tape has a waterproof vinyl outer later, a tough fabric structure and rubber-enhanced adhesive strength, Grant and Tory were able to reconstruct the car's battered body with surprising ease. And when Kari took the duct tape mobile out for a fast, curving, bumpy ride on an obstacle course, not even the hood ornament fell off. In a surprising myth confirmation, duct tape transformed the broken-down junk jalopy into a speeding silver bullet. [[image:http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/gallery/icon_video.gif caption="Watch video."]] //As seen in [|"MythBusters: Duct Tape Hour 2"]//

=MYTH: DID BEN FRANKLIN REALLY DISCOVER ELECTRICITY WITH A KITE AND A KEY?=

The American legend likely sprang from an article Franklin wrote for the //Pennsylvania Gazette// in 1752 describing a theoretical kite-lightning experiment. Supposedly, the genius of yore picked a stormy day to fly a silken kite, complete with a lightning rod and a key dangling on the end of the string. When the lightning struck the kite, the powerful bolt travelled down the string and charged the metal key. Franklin then touched the key and got zapped, thus proving the existence of electricity. To test the stunt, MythBusters Kari Byron, Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci reanimated Ben Franklin in the form of a ballistics gel dummy with a resistor nested in his torso to match a human's natural electrical resistance. They also outfitted Ben with a heart monitor to detect the amount of electricity the shocking key sent into the fake body. Any reading above 6 milliamps — the maximum charge of the average stun gun — would mean Ben's death sentence. They then attached a kite to Ben, flew it inside a power-plant testing facility and jolted it with half a million volts of fake lightning. For comparison, a real lightning bolt may contain several hundred million volts. Even with that fraction of electricity from the simulated lightning, that key would've been far too hot for the real Ben Franklin to handle. The heart monitor reading exceeded the 6 milliamp threshold, effectively killing off the myth. //As seen in "MythBusters: Franklin's Kite."//
 * Finding: BUSTED**
 * Explanation:** Just like George Washington never chopped down that precious cherry tree, the venerable Benjamin Franklin probably didn't fly his famous kite, either.