Re: [Phys-L] real-world physics

[Kirk Bailey <kirkbaile@gmail.com>]

Good Samaritan Laws have been generally upheld in court, but there are
notable exceptions.  Be careful.

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/dec/19/local/me-good-samaritan19

On Wed, Jun 6, 2012 at 10:24 AM, Paul Nord <paul.nord@valpo.edu> wrote:

> 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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-- 
Kirk Bailey
Never use a big word if a diminutive synonym is as efficacious.