MythBusters Episode 5: "Hammer Bridge Drop, Buried Alive, Cola"
Air Date: October 24, 2003
A high fall over water can be survived by throwing a hammer ahead of oneself and breaking the surface tension.
busted
Dropping a hammer in front of you may break the surface tension, but it will not save your life because water is still too viscous to move out of the way quickly.
Cola is able to remove bloodstains.
confirmed
The cola was able to emulsify bloodstains.
Cola is able to clean rust.
busted
The cola was unable to break down rust deposits.
Cola is able to clean chrome.
confirmed
It surprisingly cleaned the chrome better than the commercial chrome polish used for comparison.
Cola is able to dissolve a tooth overnight.
busted
The tooth did start to dissolve, indicating that with enough time it could be completely dissolved. However, the acidic solution used for comparison was much more effective in dissolving the tooth.
Cola is able to dissolve steak.
busted
The cola just gave the steak a soft, pasty consistency.
Cola is able to clean a penny.
confirmed
Results were good. The only part of the coin that was not cleaned was an area where a bubble had formed.
Cola is able to clean battery terminals.
plausible
It works, but it was hard to tell if plain water did not perform just as well. The cola did not do anything spectacular.
Cola is able to remove greasy stains in your laundry.
busted
No effect at all.
Cola is able to degrease engines.
busted
The cola did not remove any of the grease.
Cola is able to kill sperm.
busted
The MythBusters added cola to some slides and saline solution to others. They counted the number of live sperm they could see through a microscope camera in one minute, and found that the number of live sperm in both saline and cola was relatively the same. With the help of Dr. Turek they determined that cola doesn’t do much more than dilute the sperm.
It is possible to stay alive when you are buried alive.
busted
Jamie risked his own life for this myth. While without the dirt Jamie stayed in the coffin for 50 minutes, he maintained just thirty minutes when the dirt was factored in. Suffocation from the lack of outside air would have claimed the life of anyone buried alive. There is also the possibility of the coffin being crushed by the weight of the dirt pressing down on it. The risk of sudden collapse was the main reason the test was aborted after only 30 minutes. After the coffin was uncovered, it was found to have buckled significantly.
Newer: Episode 6: "Lightning Strikes Tongue, Tree Cannon, Beat the Breath Test"
Older: Episode 4: "Penny Drop, Deadly Microwaves, Radio Tooth Fillings"
It’s amazing to me that anyone would be willing to be buried alive. Even if it is their work. Ever since an unfortunate fascination with E. A. Poe’s work during my teen years being buried alive is fear of mine. Cremation for me. ASAP.
August 9, 2007 at 7:51 PMcan a man stop a bullet with a hand
August 29, 2007 at 4:18 AMin movie xXx2: State of the Union
August 30, 2007 at 12:18 AMnear the ending, the charater survived jumping into water from a bridge by a shot at water with his grade launcher to break the surface tension
is this possible?
in the one with the hammer when falling i think they should have tried holding the hammer infront of you. just like diving you should just slide in
September 10, 2007 at 5:20 AMIf you believe anything from a xXx movie you need to have your head examined lol. But they have done water tests with firearms, although with standard munitions. It would depend on the type of round fired, the type of grenade launcher used and also when the grenade actually would explode. See the episode where they threw a grenade in a water bucket for standard grenades, see the episode on firing into water for standard munitions, combine your thoughts, use best judgement, and pray you never have to really try either.
September 13, 2007 at 7:37 PMOf course a man can’t stop a bullet with his bare hand. … Unless somebody tossed it to him. But I doubt that’s what your talking about. I think they tested that one… In season … something.
September 19, 2007 at 6:09 AMNicole, if you were falling from a high enough distance into water to die, wouldnt your arms brak on impact if you held the hammer in front of you?
October 9, 2007 at 2:20 AMyour shoulder bones wouldprobably break/dislocate and then you may pass out from pain and drown
It is possible to stay alive when you are buried alive. Some states require the coffin to be placed in a concrete vault with a lid then covered with dirt, thus eliminating the possibility of the coffin being crushed. The extra space would help prolong the possibility of staying alive longer. the concrete lid ends up being only a couple of feet under the dirt, enough to allow air to penetrate the soil???
October 17, 2007 at 8:50 PMIf you held the hammer in front of you, your arm would crumple with the impact of the hammer on the surface of the water. Keep in mind that you don’t actually ‘break’ surface tension - you simply pierce the surface with an object, and if you pass through the surface before that piercing closes (essentially instantaneously) then you avoid the effect: unless you are immediately behind an object that can cleave the surface tension, and do so symmetrically, you are going to be arrested at the surface, whether you are a hammer, or a human. At least, I would expect…
January 29, 2008 at 4:40 PMI can’t believe nobody asked which one provided the sperm for the coke experiment.
August 12, 2008 at 3:07 PMThe reason the hammer experiment as well as anything you could ever through in front of you when falling would not cushion your fall is that breaking surface tension still will do nothing to keep the water from acting like cement. You have to reduce your speed when falling or not matter what you do the impact will be the same. When you break surface tension, the water does not magically change get softer, the water continues to be water and act like water. Surface tension is a silly word to use because it misleads people and makes them think breaking surface tension will make the wall of water your about to impact become soft. Your best bet is to throw a grenade a head of you and hope when you get to the water the ploom of water that shoots up provides ‘resistance’ and slows you down before you hit
August 26, 2008 at 12:44 AM