Re: [Phys-L] real-world physics

[Paul Nord <paul.nord@valpo.edu>]

Bob, 

You misunderstand my intention.  I love Mythbusters.  They're great.  And you are correct that they do a marvelous job of promoting science and scientific inquiry.

I think that our freshman physics students can also have a great deal of fun looking analytically at a problem like deceleration over a space of 4 inches and quickly estimate that this is a huge deceleration no matter what the material does.  The experimental approach of the Mythbusters is great for TV.  I can't imagine doing this experiment without first making an analytical prediction.

I also wanted to share my warning that students don't find good sport in questioning the Mythbusters.

Paul



On Jun 5, 2012, at 10:36 AM, LaMontagne, Bob wrote:

> I have been following the postings on this topic and am a little surprised at the derision heaped on Mythbusters. In this episode, do they ever claim to demonstrate that 4 inches of bubble wrap will protect a falling person? Do they actually demonstrate the opposite?
>
> Instead of long "chalk and talks" they go out and actually test "myths" and "old-wives tales". Isn't that a great way to get people interested in physics and other sciences? They are not approaching things as scientists - rather they act as the "man on the street" who just goes out and tries things to see if they are really true.
>
> The arrogance and stuffiness shown on this list is a good reason why students are bored to tears with "science".
>
> Bob at PC
>
> ________________________________________
> From: phys-l-bounces@mail.phys-l.org [phys-l-bounces@mail.phys-l.org] on behalf of Paul Nord [paul.nord@valpo.edu]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 9:31 AM
> To: Phys-L@Phys-L.org
> Subject: Re: [Phys-L] real-world physics
>
> Bernard,
>
> Yes, so many episodes of Mythbusters just make me want to grab them and shout, "Impulse Momentum Theorem," in their face.
>
> The most recent episode is yet another failure along these same lines.  They're testing whether 4 inches of bubble wrap can protect you from a 35 foot fall.  It should be clear that decelerating from that speed over a space of 4 inches requires enough force to be lethal.
>
> Be careful in presenting this to your students.  We did an exercise last fall where we "busted" Mythbusters on some similar shaky science.  Students were excited about the topic, but were VERY disappointed to learn that the Mythbusters were wrong.
>
> Paul
>
> On Jun 4, 2012, at 7:10 PM, Bernard Cleyet wrote:
>
> > On 2012, Jun 04, , at 15:02, John Denker wrote:
> >
> > > Another example:  Their analysis of "killer cable snap" was verrry incomplete.
> > > Hint:  Good science-fair project ... but do it on a tiny scale and be careful.
> >
> >
> > Read comments for amputations:
> >
> > http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2006/10/episode_62_killer_cable_snaps.html
> >
> >
> > bc a bit queazy.
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