The cast/crew of the television series MythBusters performs experiments to verify or debunk urban legends, old wives' tales, and the like. This is a list of the various myths tested on the show as well as the results of the experiments (the myth is Busted, Plausible, or Confirmed).Template:Spoiler
The myths the show has tested for accuracy in Season 3 include:
Episode 38 — "MythBusters Revisited"
Original airdate: Oct. 12, 2005
Myth statement
Status
Notes
A body struck by a bullet will be propelled violently backwards.
Re-Busted
Even a .50 Caliber bullet doesn't have the kinetic energy to knock a person backwards. If it was possible, the shooter would knock himself backwards too.
After testing more variables, primarily the speed of the wind rushing past the open bullet-hole and its effect on the plane's pressure, it was found that it would still not be enough to cause an explosive decompression.
It's better to run, than walk in the rain.
Confirmed
When retrying the test in actual rain it was conclusively proven that the running test subject got less wet than the walking test subject. The use of artificial rain in the original test lead to a false negative.
Holding a large sheet of plywood will slow a fall from a building enough to make it survivable.
Re-Busted
After testing the speed of updrafts with a special rig on Tory's truck it was proven that you could not hold on to the piece of plywood if you were in free fall. A mere 45mph gust knocked it out of Tory's hands; updrafts from skyscrapers reach upwards of 90mph.
A black car heats up faster than an identical white car.
Confirmed
This myth was a spin off from the Biscuit Bazooka myth, which was already proven confirmed in two previous tests. A fan wrote in and asked a follow up question: "Does the color of a car affect the way it heats up?". The MythBusters used two identical cars, one black the other white and left them both out in the summer heat with thermometers in both. By mid-afternoon the black car had heated up to a temperature of 135ºF while the white car topped off at 126ºF, almost 10º cooler.
Running a car with air conditioning on is more fuel efficient than running with the windows down.
Confirmed
The fundamental flaw in the MythBusters' test was that the point where the drag becomes powerful enough to inhibit a car's performance with windows down was inside their 45-55mph margin at 50mph. Going less than 50mph it is more efficient to leave your windows down, but going greater than 50mph it is more efficient to use your A/C.
A gas tank will explode when shot by a bullet.
'Bustfirmed'
After a re-test the Mythbusters call it 'Confirmed', while it is 'Busted. However, there was a small explosion. So... let we say... ehhhhmmm... 'Bustfirmed'??
Episode 39 — "Chinese Invasion Alarm"
Original airdate: Oct. 19, 2005
Myth statement
Status
Notes
The ancient Chinese were able to detect an invading army tunneling beneath the ground by using a drum submerged in a shaft.
Plausible
Kari was able to hear Jamie and Tory's digging in an underground mine shaft in two of the three tests. She actually detected them by listening to the drum better than modern geophone equipment used by Grant.
The "Five Second Rule" is valid when it comes to food dropped on the floor.
Busted
This myth yielded a varied number of results, but in the definitive test where the only variable was time the myth was definitively busted. There was no real difference in the amount of bacteria collected from 2 seconds exposure as there was from 6 seconds exposure.
The toilet seat is the cleanest place in your house.
Confirmed
Adam tested this myth just out of curiosity and when the results were compared to the bacteria samples from the "Five Second Rule" tests, the toilet seat actually proved cleaner than all other surfaces tested.
A dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's.
Confirmed
The sample collected from Adam's mouth had much more bacterial growth than the sample collected from Lulu the dog.
While the MythBusters were able to construct and launch an albeit hybrid rocket in under two days using only properties available to Civil War-era engineers, the rocket was not two stage, as per the myth and did not travel 120 miles.
Episode 41 — "Compact Compact, Vodka Myths"
Original airdate: Nov. 02, 2005
Myth statement
Status
Notes
Two semi trucks that collided head-on welded together due to the accident. After being towed as a whole to the junkyard, workers were shocked to discover that the semis trapped a European compact car and its doomed driver between each other.
Busted
After obtaining two free semi trucks, their trailers, and a European sports car (a Fiat X1/9) from a fan, the Mythbusters rigged up the two semis to crash. After several mishaps and numerous technical problems, they manage to crash both semis and car, abeit one semi made it to the car earlier than the other semi, sending the car ricocheting to the side. The crash never "fused" together, instead resulting in a horrific mess of glass, metal, and fiberglass.
Comparison of a commercial foot powder wash vs. a Vodka wash showed that the odor was eliminated on both feet.
...can kill bad breath.
Confirmed
After a mixture of 1 cup Vodka and 9 tbsp. Cinnamon powder was left to sit for two weeks in a sealed flask and then strained, it managed to eliminate most odors on par with an over-the-counter mouthwash. The only bad breath smell not eliminated was smoke from smoking cigarettes.
Episode 42 — "Steel Boot Toe Cutter, Bottle Rocket Blast-off"
Original airdate: Nov. 09, 2005
Myth statement
Status
Notes
Steel-toe boots are more dangerous to your toes than normal boots when a heavy weight is dropped on them. Whereas a normal boot would just crush your toes, a steel toe would curl and crumple in, cutting your toes off.
Busted
Using similar tests to those used to test steel toe boot certification, Adam and Jamie determine that your toes are much safer with steel toe boots than without. There was no toe-cutting curling of the steel toe, and even using a blade attachment didn't work, only glancing off the steel toe to cut right above where it ended.
According to a Japanese trivia game show, it's possible to use fifteen 3-gallon sized water bottle rockets to launch a human 40 meters.
Busted
While bottle rockets, on their own, can launch 1/15 of Kari's weight a fair distance, combining them into one super-rocket did not have enough thrust to give the simulaid the trajectory or distance stated by the television show, and was considered too dangerous by paramedics to feasibly be used to launch a human being. More bottle rockets proved to only add to the difficulty and complications, and water cooler jugs were surprisingly weaker than standard soda bottles, failing at around 60 psi less than the soda bottles (90 as opposed to 150).
The arm bands had no effect on Adam or Grant. Some celebrities like Barry Manilow claim they work; they nonetheless do not operate on any valid scientific principles.
While Adam didn't fall for it, Grant was successfully tricked into thinking he had taken a store-bought sea-sickness medication and did not throw up. Unfortunately, by falling for the placebo all his test results had to be thrown out on the grounds of psychosomatic influence.
It is more fuel efficient to drive your pick-up truck with its tailgate down, rather than up.
Busted
Driving with the tailgate down actually increased drag on the pick-up and caused it to consume fuel faster than the identical truck driven with the tailgate up. It was later revealed that the closed tailgate creates a trapped vortex that prevents air from directly contacting the truck bed and creating drag. With the tailgate down the trapped vortex was dissipated and the drag increased exponentially.
A shotgun plugged by a human finger will backfire and explode injuring or killing the shooter instead of the intended victim.
Busted
In two tests, one done with a thin finger the other with a thicker finger, both test hands were completely obliterated by the shotgun blast. Neither had the volume or strength needed to plug the barrel to create enough pressure to cause it to explode. Even under ridiculous circumstances like having the barrel clogged with dirt, being sealed off by a 4 inch spike welded into the barrel and by being blocked by a squibed round, the gun still didn't explode. The best results seen were minor deformations in the gun barrel.
