MythBusters Episode 96: "Lead Balloon"
Air Date: January 23, 2008
You cannot fly a lead balloon.
busted
Adam and Jamie constructed a cube-shaped balloon with approximately 2 meter edges using lead foil. Even without pure helium inside it (a mixture containing air was used), the balloon had enough buoyancy to lift a basket weighing several pounds.
You can surf on a wave generated by explosives.
busted
The Build Team tried several depths and found that you get the best waves from an explosion at a depth of 12 feet. They then used a couple hundred pounds of TNT and a mechanical surfer (built by Grant) to see if you could generate a wave large enough to be surfed. Even with two hundred pounds of high explosives, the wave wasn’t large enough for surfing. A consultant they asked about the survivability of the explosion stated that an explosion of that magnitude would likely kill you (from internal bleeding) within 24 hours if you were submerged in the water at the time.
you guys are awesome I’m ten years old and I love the ways you explain what your doing. adam, jamie, grant, karry and tory do such a great job on this show !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 28, 2008 at 9:15 PMYou should have created a shape charge on the “You can surf on a wave generated by explosives”. It seems to me that if the force was focused a larger wave could be produced with less explosives. Maybe it would be easier in rectangular body of water like a ditch where the force can’t easlly escape in all directions.
P.S. I think that you should ditch the surfing robot and tell Gran to “suck it up” Just stay out of the water and on the board to minimize internal organ liqufication. (: Just kidding Gratn.
January 29, 2008 at 12:26 AMOn the Lead Balloon, this proved nothing. A hot air balloon isn’t made of hot air, it is filled with hot air. If you fill your lead balloon with lead, I think you will have a different result.
January 29, 2008 at 5:40 PMhi i am 12 and just wanted to say u all r Kool
January 31, 2008 at 12:35 AMOops, missed again, guys! The pressure wave created by the explosive might produce a small, surf-able wave if the bottom of the pond was the correct shape. You tried to create a wave in roughly mid-ocean conditions. (Hint, there’s a reason why we don’t surf in the middle of the ocean!)
January 31, 2008 at 12:56 AMYou did a great job of reproducing the surfing video, don’t let them lead you astray with “not busting” their imaginary myth.
I’ve always heard the phrase as “Went over like a lead balloon” without reference to solid lead, or filled with lead. You did a beautiful job, but you have to admit that when it had holes, it did indeed “go over like a lead balloon” is supposed to, which is to say, down, heavily. Thanks for stretching the possible, and holding back the stupidity a little, which is all anyone can do.
February 3, 2008 at 4:21 PMhey u guys r funny love the show ttyl buzz
February 6, 2008 at 9:38 AMFor the surfing on explosives myth: the shape and depth water body would have a significant impact on the shape of the wave generated. Also, the energy dissipated in a linear wave (in a confined channel) versus a planar wave (unconstrained quarry lake) is the difference between inverse distance instead of inverse squared distance.
February 6, 2008 at 12:01 PMMy dad and I JUST LOVED the myths of: the
February 12, 2008 at 5:06 PMJAMES BOND speacial. The one that we liked
the most was when you jumped a speedboat.
Just an observation but the lead balloon episode had already been proven in 1968 by another couple of guys called Jimmy and Robert.
March 11, 2008 at 7:20 PMhey i am looking for an easy myth experiment to do for school, but it has to be with everyday materials and not be dangerous and i was wondering if you guys had any ideas..can you email me if you do
May 6, 2008 at 4:27 AMthanks
lisa xx
Guys - of course a piece of solid lead doesn’t float. It doesn’t matter whether it’s balloon-shaped or not! This is not a myth, it’s basic physics (buoyancy, relative densities). By making a lead balloon, they showed that it’s possible to make a BALLOON - that is, something hollow with gas inside - that floats. The maths is not hard, even Adam got it right! ;)
June 10, 2008 at 9:50 AMmythbusters is really interesting… KEep going!!
July 12, 2008 at 8:50 PMYea for the Explosives for surfing myth, you should see if you can find something more shallow and possibly smaller in width for a better wave.
I think this has a good chance of working with these conditions.
August 26, 2008 at 1:42 PMThe expression is:
” It Flies like a lead ballon”
or
“It Flies/Floats like a Brick”
The expression is a simile,
It’s not Busted you proved the point.
Lead balloons are not very good at flying.
September 21, 2008 at 3:21 AM