MythBusters Jr.
Six of the nation’s most talented kids team up with Adam Savage. Together they’ll tackle a variety of myths and decide if they’re… BUSTED, PLAUSIBLE, or CONFIRMED! Find out on the all new series, MythBusters Jr.
Wednesdays at 9p on SCIENCE
Episode 8: Bug Special #
The Big Stick: Can a bug glue-trap trap a human runner? #
If you had a human-scaled bug trap, would you be able to run across it?
First up, Adam and the MBJr's demonstrate the properties of the sticky stuff in question, without hurting any innocent bugs (or Adams!) Next, the MBJr's split into teams and learn about adhesive and cohesive forces and how glues work. They come up with the strongest, safest formula they can, set up their human-scaled bug trap, and take a run at it!
Is spider silk really as strong as steel? #
While a spider is not technically a “bug”, they’re definitely cousins. Bugs and spiders are both in the arthropod family and that’s good enough for us — these eight-legged silk spinners are just too cool to ignore.
It’s been said that the silk of the golden orb spider is twice as strong as Kevlar and five times as strong as steel. Is this really true? The MBJr's set out to stage multiple, precision one-to-one tensile strength tests to see how this miracle silk really stands up to the strongest materials humans have to offer.
A“maze”ing Ants: An ant won't walk across a line of chalk. True or False? #
It’s a classic household remedy: you can stop ants from traipsing into unwanted areas by drawing a line of chalk across their path. Does this really work? Consultation with an entomologist quickly leads to the procurement of a few ant colonies housing the best species of ants available for this test.
The MBJr's study the ant's normal activity up close and personal with macro photography. Small-scale tests are conducted with condensed sugar water set at a distance from the ants to observe how they locate the sweet food source. Once the route to the sugary treat is established, the MBJr’s draw a line of chalk in the ant's path and chart the results!
Try it out! 🐜🐜 Draw lines of chalk to keep the ants at bay and away from your burgers!
Episode 9: Deep Space Hollywood #
"In space, no one can hear you scream." True or False? #
Adam and the MBJr's set out to test this famous tagline from the 1979 sci-fi classic — does sound transmit in the vacuum of space? With “vacuum” being the key here, the MBJr’s build a vacuum chamber that will be used throughout the episode.
With Adam’s guidance, they also build an analog “voice box”. They test sound results outside the chamber, but quickly realize that the device works by moving air, an interesting conundrum to be overcome in a vacuum. They then test the sound transmission in the vacuum chamber using microphones to record the results.
Can a fire extinguisher be used as a jetpack in space? #
Sandra Bullock made this maneuver famous in the movie when her character used a fire extinguisher to make a space jump from her capsule to a distant space station. Is this possible?
Adam and the MBJr's conduct a number of small scale experiments using CO cartridges in a vacuum chamber to observe results. Propulsion seems possible, but could you actually use a fire extinguisher to navigate between two points in the zero G vacuum of space?
They scale up the idea by constructing a hovercraft-type device to be used on an ice rink to achieve as frictionless a simulation as possible.
Try it out! 👩🏻🚀💨 Blast through the cosmos and avoid space junk to get to the escape pod! Can you make it in time before your fire extinguisher runs out?
Episode 10: Breaking Bad Blow-Up #
Magnet Caper: Is it possible to use a monster junkyard magnet to erase a room full of data on computer hard drives through a concrete wall? #
It’s a famous scene from one of Adam’s favorite shows, . When potentially incriminating evidence on a computer hard drive is placed a police station’s evidence room, Walter White pulls up in a panel van and uses a powerful junkyard magnet to wipe the drives inside. In the process, it pulls over shelves, sending metal objects flying, and almost tips over the van itself.
Is that a real world possibility or just television fantasy?
The MBJr's will set out to test this myth to the very last detail! Along the way, they'll study the amazing power of magnets and even stage a spectacular collision between two extremely powerful neodymium magnets.
Furniture Barricade: Can you barricade a room by blocking an unlocked door with furniture? Or can the old “chair under the door knob” technique work too? #
We’ve all seen it in cartoons, TV shows and the movies: our hero is on the run from a bad guy and tries to block the door with a chair jammed under the door knob or by using pieces of furniture. Can this really work?
It seems like common sense: the heavier the object blocking the door, the more effective it will be. But even lighter objects could work if they’re put in the proper configuration! The MBJr's test floor material and learn about friction, drag, and resistance as they test scenarios with a huge stunt man to obtain their results.
Try it out! 📄✂ Can you move the shredder to the documents in a room of magnetized furniture? Oh, it won't be as easy as you think!