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Registered Member #509
Joined: Sat Feb 10 2007, 07:02AM
Location:
Posts: 329
I can watch mythbusters just fine, I just don't make it very pleasant for others, I find their science not quite scientific enough...
Their testing of propane cylinders to see if they could make them explode, involved firearms of increasing power to find what would penetrate, unfortunately their idea of a step was 9mm to 30-06 armor piercing. Not exactly a small step.
On the episode about the exploding pants they were nitrating denim, and they just showed a quick swipe of the cloth though the solution, and then wondered why it didn't explode when they held a lighter up to it. Later when they tried to nitrate a whole pair of jeans into guncotton, they had a 1 gallon glass container full of the acids and just threw the pair of jeans in. Whole time I was thinking "they aren't gonna just do that are they? They have to know better..." But they did, and sure enough tons of lovely red fumes and cracked glass from the heat.
I haven't done any nitrations myself, but on every site referring how to, they always caution to keep the quantities small or risk a runaway... even the some of the crappy and pretty shady looking sites mention the need to cool larger batches.
Also, the episode on the salami rocket motor. where the meter they used to measure impulse would only measure peak, and then half way though the experiment they decide to throw on a different nozzle(Nice scientific method... *sigh*) which was blowing off on every trial, undoubtedly hitting the meter and causing a high peak...
Future weapons gets me going to but I can usually bite my tongue on that for the most part. Anyone else feel similar?
Registered Member #160
Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 02:07AM
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 938
Yes!! Mythbusters used to do my head in, they're idea of "scientific testing" is laughable at best. Now, I just don't watch TV, but if I do catch it at the odd time, I realize that it's just a bit of fluff and not to take it seriously. We can be too serious sometimes.
Registered Member #599
Joined: Thu Mar 22 2007, 07:40PM
Location: Northern Finland, Rovaniemi
Posts: 624
Its just television entertainment and it should be viewed like one.
I think part of this 'problem' is that they must do tens and tens of experiments and that means quite many hours of raw video material. And when someone (guy who maybe doesn't know a thing about science) cuts them and makes hour long episode, there will be continuity errors. Many shows suffer from this, like TopGear. I personally don't mind or even notice most of these things but i know they are present.
Registered Member #659
Joined: Fri Apr 20 2007, 09:14AM
Location: SW Hertfordshire, UK
Posts: 75
Yes, I can seldom watch such a programme like that without adding my own commentary - a lot of the time I'm actually seriously annoyed at the people for making basic errors.
Also, as you mentioned, their "steps" in experiments are very large. It goes from reasonable parameters to just ridiculous in one go: "Oh, 100 grams of such explosive didn't work. Lets add several kilos and try again."
Nor can I watch a film without seeing continuity errors, plot holes or mistakes they've made.
Registered Member #1262
Joined: Fri Jan 25 2008, 05:22AM
Location: Maryland, USA
Posts: 451
Well the Mythbusters do manage to screw up a fair amount of stuff, however it never really effects the overall outcome of most stories. They might get something totally wrong (like saying 6mA is fatal or risking thier lives with nitric acid) however it always seems to turn out the same regardless. I do think they are FAR less then scientific at times however atleast they try and hit the mark a fair amount. Overall I'd say we should be glad that theres a show thats even SOMEWHAT scientific on TV these days. Cut Adam and Jamie some slack, they do a damn good job of making science interesting!
Too bad they didn't use cesium on episode 100, that might have given a nicer bang.
A ton more screw ups of theirs would come to mind if it wernt 1am...
And don't get me started on the Hydroflouric acid in the tub scene on Breaking Bad episode #2, why they didn't opt for the more believeable Sodium or Potassium hydroxide is beyond me...
Registered Member #10
Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424
Just a little word from the other side... Nothing appeals less to Joe Public than a dry reproduction of a scientific experiment by a man in a white coat in which some small thing gets done and a nice graph is generated.
The whole theatrical process is why MythBusters is successful. I've only ever watched 2 or 3 episodes myself but the formula is there. Ask a simple question, throw in an element of danger and unpredictability and have things go wrong. Have some charismatic crazy personalities. Have a big bang ending that answers the question. Have some real science but don't let it get in the way of the fun.
I have been considering just how to adopt some of these principles to my stuff. My first proposal to Discovery USA from Creative Differences was rejected for some of those reasons.
I was a bit taken aback by some of the safety aspects - but people probably say the same about mine. Some of the science was dodgy too - as it was on a couple of mine due to the narrators assumptions which I didn't have control over.
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