(S03E13) This episode actually covered an
interesting myth I'd wondered about maybe once or twice before: if someone fires a bullet straight into the air, will
it fall back to Earth with deadly force? The MythBusters also grace us with a few more vodka myths, and thankfully I'm
not sure there are a whole mot more they can waste our time with.Speaking of vodka myths, let's start with those.
Can vodka cure poison oak? Busted. The thing is, I'm very allergic to poison ivy/oak/sumack and if I know I've been
exposed to any of it and I wash down those areas with rubbing alcohol, the oils are washed away. I guess vodka just
doesn't have enough alcohol to do the job.
Can vodka act as a bandage remover? Plausible. Though I think
it was mostly due to the bandage being wet more than anything else.
Here's one I've read a lot about
lately: can filtration make crappy vodka top shelf quality? Busted. The MythBusters try filtering some rotgut through a
Brita filter several times, and though it makes the vodka better, top shelf beats it out.
Now, the bullet
test. Here we have an interesting result: confirmed, plausible AND busted. How can that be, you ask? Confirmed, since
there are clear cases of bullets fired at a trajectory killing people miles away. Plausible, since it's possible a
bullet fired straight up may have some trajectory to it, just enough to maintain its killing velocity. Busted, since a
bullet truly fired straight up will fall to Earth with barely enough velocity to give you a bruise.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-21-2006 @ 3:55AM
Gary Nash said...
Re the bullet test; last paragraph from Keith on Thursday evening: My comments on the 3 conclusions.
Confirmed: It might be that there have been cases of high powered [rifle] bullets fired at 40-50 degrees that have resulted in death. But then, that is not a bullet fired "straight up" [90 degrees], which is the issue here, isn't it? So "Confirmed"??? I don't think so.
Plausible: To me the definition of "straight up" is 90 degrees; i.e. perpendicular to the earth surface at that point, from all directions. So I disagree with Keith stating that it IS possible that a bullet fired straight up could have curve (or "trajectory" per Keith) to its path, not considering wind. So "Plausible"??? I don't think so.
Busted: OK, maybe so. But what about a large caliber, very heavy slug fired with a "magnum" type powder load? It would go very high and resist air friction much more [than a .22, e.g.]. So "Busted"??? Maybe not . . . .
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4-22-2006 @ 9:31PM
Duane said...
Maybe I misunderstood the filtered-vodka one, but didn't the professional taster basically rank it right next to the best stuff on his scale? And the chemical analysis they did showed that it was identical to the good stuff? And they still busted it? I missed something there.
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4-23-2006 @ 6:36PM
Dan McMurray said...
On bullets fired vertically, Julian S. Hatcher (Major General, U.S. Army, Retired) published data on the subject in "Hatcher's Notebook" in 1947. The experiments were carried out between WWI and WWII with essentially the same experimental results as you found.
When fired vertically (or near vertically), there is little chance of a bullet causing serious injury or damage on the ground.
I am amazed at how many "Authorities" can ignore empirical evidence to arrive at their own conclusions.
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4-23-2006 @ 6:44PM
Dan McMurray said...
For the last 5 years, I have suffered with CRPS. As part of the condition, the skin on my left arm and hand is extremely sensitive. The adhesive on "Band-Aids" removes hair and surface skin leaving raw spots. The adhesive can be removed without causing damage by applying a couple of drops of lighter fluid or mineral spirits on top of the adhesive portion of the "Band-Aid" about 30 seconds prior to removal.
You might want to add a note about this the next time you air a show on using "Vodka" or Alcohol to remove adhesive.
Reply
4-29-2006 @ 10:12AM
Jim Sanchez said...
While I was working for the DOD in the 70s, I had an example of a weapon that had been used in Vietnam called the "Lazy Dog". It was nothing more than an approx 30 cal steel projectile with some small sheet metal fins on the rear. These things were dropped by the millions and were supposedly pretty effective. A more current example is the concrete filled "bombs" that are being used in Iraq to eliminate "collateral damage".
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5-16-2006 @ 9:10AM
Richard Montgomery said...
In reference to that "Lazy Dog", I bought one in 1961, as my first purchase, ever, at a gun show. The story was that they were first used in the Korean War and were ejected from low-flying jets. They had to have some forward velocity to do any good and were used mainly against vehicles. At least that is what I was told by the seller.
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5-16-2006 @ 9:16AM
Richard Montgomery said...
----------------------------------------------
Your comments: In reference to that "Lazy Dog", I bought one in 1961, as my
first purchase, ever, at a gun show. The story was that they were
first used in the Korean War and were ejected from low-flying jets.
They had to have some forward velocity to do any good and were used
mainly against vehicles. At least that is what I was told by the
seller.
Reply
6-13-2006 @ 5:21AM
leigh said...
I have a qestion about a myth on the exploding sea hawks. Its if you feed a sea hark a paracetamol it will explode and if you feed uncooked rice and water to a sea hawk it has the same reaction and the myth that swallowed gum stays in your system for 7 years. An apple is better then brushing your teeth. Also the same with 1 and a half cups of milk. Is 3 minites in a super market is healthier than a 5 minute drive in the truck. Please do more soda myths. Feel free to mention my name. leigh
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