07x06 - Flambe, Bike and Dust Devil

[bunniefuu]

[Dallas Campbell]
This is the Science of Stupid.

[klaxon blaring]

Yes, this is the show

where stupid and science collide

with wanton abandonment.

Watch as everyday people meet chaos

and catastrophe head on,

all in the name of science.

We reveal what went wrong

and why

with the help of key
principles such as...

the Magnus effect,

the coefficient of friction,

and those oh-so-tricky turning effects.

Fight against science
and you're doomed to fail.

So watch out,
it's the Science of Stupid.

[electricity crackling]

In this show, we'll be discussing

the hot topic of the fire triangle...

[woman off screen screaming]

[Dallas] ...revealing how to use
your base of support

to find enlightenment,

and how to avoid embarrassment

with relative velocity.

But first, this.

[glass shatters]

[electricity crackling]

[glass shatters]

Driving into the eye of a storm
is something I would never do,

but it seems some people are drawn
to catastrophic weather events

like kids to candy.

Like this guy here.

[man off screen]
It's actually moving towards me!

Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo.

[Dallas] Ru-- run, it's a tornado.

Well, not strictly speaking.

That phenomenon is actually
something known as a dust devil.

The thing about them is
you never know exactly where

the pesky little sprites
are going to pop up.

[dog barks]

"There it is.

"Where's it gone?
Where's it gone? There it is.

Oh. Oh, there it is."

They might be called dust devils,
but they'll literally pick up anything

if it's light enough.

Oh, I just raked all that up.

Unlike tornados, these spinning vortices
appear out of nowhere

on hot sunny days,

but what is the science behind them?

Well, get ready to have
your tiny minds blown.

As air heated by the ground
starts to rise,

it pulls in more air beneath,

As the column of air
is stretched upwards,

any initial rotation is greatly enhanced

creating a spinning vortex
that acts like a huge vacuum,

sucking up air
and light objects like dust,

giving the dust devil its name.

To the parents of the world,
dust devils are a bit like children,

small and unassuming,
but they wreak havoc

and leave a mess behind them.

There you are, about to have
a nice picnic on your private beach,

then the next minute...

[wind gusting]

Right, picnic's off, but we can
still go out on the dinghy.

Dinghy's off.

[man off screen] It's still in the air!

[Dallas] But don't worry,
once the dinghy has left

the spinning vortex,
it'll come straight back down.

[man off screen]
I've never seen that happen here!

[Dallas] And dust devils can even ruin
a good game of football.

The dust devil isn't strong enough
to pick up the goal,

but the fast moving air
is able to spin it around.

That's the thing about dust devils,

always moving the goal posts.

Softball's canceled

and anyway, it's standing room only.

The suction created
by this dust devil's vortex

is wreaking havoc on the field,

but that might have made the game
a little more interesting.

[electricity crackling]

[metallic creaking, clanging]

Most people think that
escalators are merely a way

to get from A to B,

but others have learnt to use them
in some ingenious ways.

[man off screen] Oh my God.

[Dallas] There's the lazy dog walker.

A lady who's saving money
on her gym membership.

[man off screen] All right, Steve?

[Dallas] And the guy
who wants to use it as a slide.

[man off screen] Oh, that's a bad idea.

That's a very bad idea.

[man screaming]

[Dallas] Yeah, maybe
not so ingenious after all.

In fact, that was
extraordinarily dangerous.

Please don't try it yourself.

But why is going the wrong way
on an escalator so problematic?

Well, it's all about relative velocity.

If our man's walking speed
matches the speed of the escalator,

he'll seem stationary
to an outside observer.

But if he maintains a speed
greater than the speed of the escalator,

he'll be able to make progress.

At the top, he must transition
from steps to a flat surface

which requires a
readjustment of his gait.

Otherwise, his center of mass may end up
outside of his base of support.

To analyze the science
behind all of this,

I welcome you to the escalator Olympics.

Let the games begin.

[woman off screen laughing]

[Dallas] Our first competitor,

this chap appears stationary

but tell that to his legs.

[woman off screen]
He'll get there in about ten minutes.

[Dallas] Wrong. If he doesn't increase
his speed, he won't get there at all.

Five minutes later
and he's beaten the odds.

[woman off screen] He stopped it.

[Dallas] But only because they've
turned the escalator off for him.

[woman off screen] That's a pointless
security guard I've ever seen.

[laughter]

[screams]

[Dallas] Oh, dear.
Still hasn't quite made the finish line.

Our second competitor bucking trends
is going down an up escalator

instead of going up a down escalator.

Confused?

I know I am...

but not as much as he is.

Because his speed perfectly matches
the speed of the escalator,

he appears stationary.

Oh, yes. He's bedding in
for what could be a long race.

We've a big crowd in today
for the senior stair climbers race.

Our front runner's found a burst
of speed to carry him over the line.

-[man grunts]
-[Dallas] And he's down.

He failed to adjust his gate at the top,

but will second place make
the same mistake?

Yes, it was a rhetorical question.

But using a range of climbing styles,

they drag themselves across the finish.

Table for two
very tired gentleman, please.

[woman] Excuse me!

[man off screen] Faster, faster!

[Dallas] Yup, still going.

[woman] Excuse me!

[man off screen]
All right, come on. Let's go.

[Dallas] It's quite therapeutic really.

[woman] He's gonna hurt himself.

[electricity crackling]

[creaking]

[clattering]

[leaf blower whirring]

[Dallas] Ah, a nice autumnal afternoon
blowing leaves about,

but can you guess
what scientific principle

our gardener is about to demonstrate?

[glass shatters]

[electricity crackling]

[glass shatters]

[Dallas] So, did you guess
what science we're about to see?

-[man] Ah!
[boy laughing]

[Dallas] Ah, it's a monster,

but the science is aerodynamic drag.

Here our leaf-blowing dad
is having a lovely time.

The leaves with their large flat surface
are moved by aerodynamic drag

until the blower hits something
heavy enough not to be moved.

[boy] Ah! [laughing]

[Dallas] In this case,
some hibernating children,

thus blowing his heart rate
through the roof.

[glass shatters]

[electricity crackling]

[glass shatters]

You know what? Everyone reacts
slightly differently to extreme danger.

Take kitchen fires, for example.

[man] Put a bit of butter in there.

It's just...

[laughter]

[Dallas] Some just laugh it off.

[laughter continues]

Well, he does... maybe too much.

But others are a little more panicky.

[woman off screen] What are you doing?

[woman] I was trying to make dinner.

[Dallas] Yes, whether
it's frying or flambéing,

the difference between searing your
steak and burning your brows

is a fine line,

but a little understanding
of the fire triangle

can save a lot of skin.

Fire needs heat, fuel, and oxygen.

Without any one of those,
it just won't burn.

To fry, our chefs add a little oil
and then the food.

The oil helps transfer the heat
to cook the food fast.

To flambé, he adds
a small amount of alcohol,

that's the fuel.

As it's heated past its flash point,
it produces flammable vapors.

He then lights it, that's the heat.

And if it gets too fiery,

he removes the oxygen
by simply putting the lid on.

Fires in the kitchen are often due
to overheating pans and cooking oils,

and believe you me,

when things go wrong,
they go wrong fast.

[people screaming]

[Dallas] He's heated his pan
way beyond the alcohol's flash point,

so as soon as he lights a match,

the fire erupts and finds
another fuel to burn,

the curly kindling on top of his head.

Hmm, boiling hot apples in one dish
and flaming alcohol in the other.

[woman off screen]
We have flames in the kitchen.

[Dallas] It's okay. He wouldn't be
stupid enough to mix them together.

[woman off screen] Rob, are you going
to pour that on the apples?

Is that what's happening here?

[Dallas] No, tell me
that's not what's happening.

[woman screaming]

[Dallas] It's okay. Robert's got this.

I mean, Robert hasn't got this.

[woman continues screaming]

[Dallas] Unfortunately for Robert,
the second pan was very hot

and had a larger surface area

which resulted in a sudden increase

in the amount of flammable vapors

released by the alcohol.

Robert redeems himself in the end.

He puts the lid on the pan
cutting off the oxygen

and putting out the blaze.

[Robert] Oh my God. [chuckles]

[Dallas] That is good
fire triangle know-how, Rob.

[bell rings]

[liquid splatters, glass shatters]

[bubbling, hissing]

Pay attention class, it is time
for today's science lesson

where we slip
a particular scientific principle

under the microscope
for in-depth analysis.

See if you can guess today's theme

with the help of these cryptic clues.

It can be demonstrated with your dog.

[man off screen] Yaaa!

-[man off screen] Faster!
-[Dallas] With your body.

[man off screen] Oh.

[laughter]

[Dallas] And even with tables...

though not really advisable.

Yup, we're looking at
inverted pendulums.

Like a normal pendulum
but the other way up.

And here's the science as demonstrated
by a man on a wheel.

And inverted pendulum
is inherently unstable

because as its center of mass
moves out of line with its pivot point,

the wheel of the unicycle,

gravity will accelerate it
further away from equilibrium.

To counteract this,
the pivot point is moved

in the same direction as the fall

producing a turning effect
in the opposite direction.

The more complex
the pendulum's motion...

the harder it is to maintain equilibrium

and the more adjustments
are required to remain stable.

Okay, class. It's time
for a little pop quiz.

What needs to be created
for an inverted pendulum

to stay balanced?

You know that teacher we all had
who was down with the latest trends

and literally too cool for school?

[man] Feels kind of good.

[Dallas] Yeah, it wasn't him.

To keep an inverted pendulum balanced,

you need to create a turning effect
to counteract gravity.

In this case, the hover board's wheels
are the pivot points,

and the board is also controlling
the turning effect required

to keep the teacher balanced.

But as sir is trying
to balance it himself,

he confuses the board.

Sir, you've now set
two very bad examples.

Time for question two.

If an object starts to fall,

which direction should
the pivot be moved in?

Ah, look at this.

So graceful, so poised, so...

-[girl] Ah!
-[laughter]

[Dallas] ...pivotal.

The answer is the pivot must be moved

in the same direction as the fall.

In this scenario,
the girl's body is the pendulum

and her feet the pivot.

She starts well but becomes unbalanced
and fails to move her feet, the pivot,

enough in the direction
of the fall and...

-[girl] Ah!
-[laughter]

[Dallas] I do love
a good kitchen sink drama.

Now it's time for your third
and final question.

If an inverted pendulum is more complex,

will it make balancing easier or harder?

He's about to stack
multiple pivot points,

which I would say
is overcomplicating things

and so...

[man screams in pain]

-[Dallas] ...makes balancing harder.
-[laughter]

Having a pivot between
the boy and the ball

and between the ball and the beam

makes balancing particularly hard.

[man screams in pain]

[Dallas] Hard in a way that
that beam is hard.

Class dismissed.

[man] Oh! [laughs]

[Dallas] Every parent remembers
that coming-of-age moment

teaching your little one to ride a bike,

and I've heard balance bikes are
a great way to start,

providing you find
the right surface to do it on.

Take case in point number one.

[man off screen] Go fast.

[Dallas] Doting dad and young boy
on his first balance bike.

[man off screen]
Keep going, it's alright.

[Dallas] Grass good.

Hole not so good.

Or case in point number two.

[woman off screen] Go for it.

[Dallas] Yeah, go for it.
Nothing to worry about here.

Slope, gravel. I could go on.

[woman off screen] Whoa.

You alright?

[boy] Yeah.

[woman laughing]

[boy] Oh yeah!

[woman] Oh yeah!

[Dallas]
You got away with that one, Mum.

Why do all these little kids
keep falling off?

Let's find out.

Balance bikes don't have pedals,
and brakes are optional.

The velocity of the bike
is mostly determined

by how fast our little man
pushes with his feet.

Introduce a slope
and gravity pulls him down

increasing his velocity,
thus his linear momentum.

If he puts one foot down to brake,

increasing the friction
on just one side,

it can cause the bike to wobble...

separating the child and the bike

and turning linear momentum
into angular momentum.

Kids are like miniature
test pilots, aren't they?

Ready to unquestioningly
throw themselves into

scientifically challenging situations

and all because Mum
and Dad said it was fine.

[woman off screen] One, two, three, go.

[Dallas] This parent
must have a cunning plan

of how to stop this child.

I mean, look at the size of that hill.

[man off screen] Whoa!

[Dallas] Yeah, maybe not.

[woman off screen] One, two, three, go.

[Dallas] This little speed devil's
linear momentum is so great

that all he has to do
is put one foot down,

increasing the friction on one side,

and the bike quickly spirals
out of control.

Luckily soft grass equals soft landing,

which, um, I'm sure
was part of Dad's plan.

[man off screen] Whoa!

[Dallas] Now, this is more like it.
A smaller slope.

All we need now is a good bit
of fatherly advice.

[man off screen] Send it!

[Dallas] Pardon?

Okay, if Dad had been listening
to the science,

he would have known that even
a smaller slope can be hazardous

on a balance bike.

Putting one foot down
unbalances the bike,

turning linear into angular momentum.

Thanks, Dad.

This trike has three wheels,
which is technically cheating.

Looking happy, confident
that Dad has worked out how,

what with the lack of brakes,
he'll be able to stop

at the bottom of the hill

but quickly realizes he's on his own.

[man off screen] Ooh!

[Dallas] All the kids were fine,

but the parents did have
to shell out for extra ice cream.

[electricity crackling]

[clanging]

Everyone is searching
for a bit of enlightenment

these days, aren't they?

And yoga I've heard is
a perfect way to relax.

Ah, there we are.

The karma is good here.

Namaste.

[woman groans]

[Dallas whispers] Oh, sorry.

That upward bow pose is one
of the more advanced in yoga,

but how on earth do you pull it off?

Well, here's one advanced method

along with some advanced science.

As she leans back,
she uses her powerful core

to maintain control,

staying slow to avoid generating
too much angular momentum.

She keeps her center of mass
over her base of support

for as long as possible
before dropping for stability

and keeps her hands below her head

to create a new base of support

and land safely.

Getting all Zen with yoga
is all about doing it

in a relaxed environment.

Here our yoga practitioner yearns
to be at one with nature.

[woman] Ah!

[Dallas] She has succeeded

and now is transported to nirvana

or the water treatment plant downstream.

By lifting her hand, she reduces
the size of her base of support,

so her center of mass is outside it,

thus decreasing her balance

as she is literally... washed away.

I wonder if she's found herself yet.

Beach, check.

Sunset, check.

Tight lycra, check.

Could this place be any more Zen?

[woman grunts]

[Dallas] Yes, quite easily.

She leans too far outside
her base of support,

then she doesn't plant
her new base in time.

So instead of a graceful landing...

the feeling of Zen is replaced
by a sand-headed feeling of shame.

Don't worry, nobody was watching

except us, obviously.

Surely the house is a
much safer territory

to become a yoga master.

Turns out no, it's not.

She dropped too fast, thus generating
too much angular momentum.

Come on, yoga's supposed to be relaxing.

But I'm not going to sleep
for weeks after seeing that.

Make it stop.

Thanks, that's better.

[glass shatters]

[electricity crackling]

[glass shatters]

The people in this show
may have shown complete ignorance

for scientific principles,

but you are now the enlightened ones,

so don't try any of this at home.

And here's a little reminder as to why.

[people screaming]

[man off screen] Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo.

-[girl] Ah!
-[laughter]

[man screaming]

[man off screen] Whoa!

[woman off screen screaming]

[woman off screen] What are you doing?

[man off screen] Whoa!

[man screams in pain]

[boy] Oh yeah.