MythBusters Episode 123: Prison Escape
Air Date: June 3, 2009
You can use dental floss to cut through the steel bars of a prison.
plausible
Grant built a flossing robot, applied toothpaste to the bars (the grit used to clean your teeth, they reasoned, could be used to aid the floss), and let it run for a week. After a week, the bar had been worn away a fraction of an inch, which, by Grant’s calculations, mean that you can cut through one bar in less than 300 days if you flossed 8 hours a night.
An 18th century prisoner placed the ball from his ball-and-chain into the prison’s ceremonial cannon, fired himself over the prison wall, and survived.
busted
After getting the specifications of a ball-and-chain for a 170 pounds (77 kg) person (what the dummy weighed) from an expert, Tory built a homemade cannon for the ball. Using one shotgun shell full of black powder, they launched just the ball 80 yards (73 m), well over the fence. After attaching it to Buster and using two shells, he flew an unspectacular 6 feet (1.8 m). Using rope to simulate hip ligaments, they fired again. Buster’s leg was completely separated from his hip, leaving this myth busted.
A person can hold onto the roof of a car with the windows down while the car is zig-zagging.
confirmed
A safety rig was constructed in case Jamie couldn’t hold on, but he was easily able to hold onto a car going 45 miles per hour (72 km/h).
A person can hold onto the roof of a car with the windows up while the car was zig-zagging.
busted
Jamie could not hold on when the car was going 45 mph. The windows were up for all tests after this.
A person can hold onto the roof of a car while the car is making a big turn.
busted
Jamie fell off when the car was going at just 15–20 miles per hour (24–32 km/h).
A person can hold onto the roof of a car when it makes a sudden stop.
busted
Jamie lost his grip and almost blacked out after a 45 mph stop.
A person can hold onto the hood of a car while the car is zig-zagging.
busted
Adam fell off after the first swerve at just 20 mph.
A person can hold onto the hood of a car while the car is making a big turn.
busted
Adam fell off immediately at only 20 mph.
A person can hold onto the hood of a car when it makes a sudden stop.
confirmed
Adam was able to hold onto the hood at both 20 and 45 mph stops.
A driver can shake someone off of the roof of a car by going through a car wash.
busted
The car wash had no effect on Jamie except for the chilly 55 °F (13 °C) water.
A driver can shake someone off of the hood of a car by going through a car wash.
busted
Adam easily held on to the hood.
Newer: Episode 124: Curving Bullets
In the old wild west, how can it always happen when the good guy shows up to stop a good ole fashion linching at the last minute he is able to shoot the rope that is being used in half with one shot with his pistol ?
June 19, 2009 at 11:10 AMI would like a to see you test a if a bullet in a dryer could actually be ignited. My mother would always freak when my Dad would leave them in his pockets and then doing wash it would start BIG arrguments when she would hear them rolling around in a hot dryer?
June 25, 2009 at 11:31 AMhello mythbusters I will present them an experiment that I could never put it on approval but I would like that you if. for the experiment it is necessary to put 10 kg of an alkaline metal (they prove which is but strong), they have to prepare a box it shields with a metal cover they put the whole alkaline metal inside the box it shields then for the cover they add him water and they leave running then if the box explodes it will be true otherwise it will be false.
greetings: mythbusters
July 8, 2009 at 6:55 PMAngela, the reason the bullet fires is because the metal pin is what hits the center of the shell, igniting the propellant. It could be plausible I believe, but only if the shell of the bullet hit the metal in the dryer just right.
July 13, 2009 at 4:52 PMola adam e jemi queria que voces testasem o mito de que muitos atores de filmes de açao fazem eles pegam uma arma e fazem um circuo perfeito no cham e escapam dos viloes . o circulo e de mais ou menos uns 1m por 1m
August 12, 2009 at 9:02 PMwhy not do some more comparative videos
September 18, 2009 at 8:16 AMDear Mythbusters,
Is it posible for a car to flip if another object
September 27, 2009 at 7:17 PMis moveing fast enough beside it?
when i was a whee bit lad i actually had a friend who kept throwing 22 cal shell at the ground till it went off… IT WENT OFF! no one was hurt luckily but could easily have been… MOM is right bout the dryer.
October 30, 2009 at 5:07 AMUmpity squat-
That is because .22 shells are rimfire cartridges, not center fire. You can strike the rim of the shell anywhere to get it to ignite. Center-fire cartridges can only be struck it the very center to have the primer ignited.
January 5, 2010 at 2:18 PMwhat would happen if a small fire broke out on the paper in a printer would the printer explode? thats my question
January 20, 2010 at 8:58 AMHello, guys. I have some remarks towards a man on the roof of the car. I have noticed that you made a test using a THICK PROTECTIVE GLOVES, which reduces the grip VERY MUCH. For example, you can’t climb a cliff even with the thin gloves, but you can do it easily without them. Of course it’s the matter of how strong is your fingers, but I believe that it could be done.
January 31, 2010 at 3:13 PM