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Post by Cybermortis on Nov 5, 2013 17:28:16 GMT
Yes, The Simpsons. Yes, its a cartoon show. Yes, the laws of physics don't apply in cartoon land. Are we done with the snarls now? I'll give you a few moments more.... Right, here is the challenge; Can you come up with myths that come from the Simpsons TV Series? Sound impossible/stupid? Maybe not. Maxman posted an idea regarding wheel clamps that came from the Simpsons; citadelofmyths.freeforums.net/thread/786/homer-simpson-york-beat-bootThe Bottle Show idea included a myth from the Simpsons where Bart and Milhouse put a soda can in a paint mixer with explosive results. Just two ideas from The Simpsons that could be tested on Mythbusters - can you think up any more? |
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Post by ironhold on Nov 5, 2013 23:09:56 GMT
One episode of the series involves Bart smashing a "Magic 8-Ball" toy over Milhouse' head after the latter attacked him.
Could a stock "Magic 8-Ball" shatter like a bottle if that happened?
How much damage could it do to a person if that happened? (I see two experiments: a "numbers" experiment with a force gauge and an "observational" experiment against the gelatin brain container.)
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 6, 2013 9:52:48 GMT
"Container fit for shipping"
I cite this from many transport requirements.
Soda cans get the best workout of their life in the back of a truck going from one place to another, being delivered to the shop, tossed in the boot of a car, and bounced about on the way home....
An awful lot of engineering went into the modern soda can to find out just how little Aluminium they can use to make one that will survive the rigours of expected shipping....
In a way that the can is stronger when full of soda and sealed by design.
So Busted.
You can not cause a soda can to burst by shaking it alone.......
And trust me, I know people who have tried..
I used to deliver paint.
In vehicle paint yards, its common to introduce the newbie, greenhorn, or whatever, to humour, by presenting him with a can of pop that he will not know has spent a while in the pain mixer shaker thing......
Guaranteed if you do do that, the greenhorn on opening his can of coke will wear most of it.
In some paint yards there are actual notices to discourage/prevent this happening?...
Yeah, Right...
For consideration, the new paint mixers rely on ROLLING the can.
Shaking it all up is an old way, and as can lids had a habit of failing, they now use a much more gentle set of two rollers to mix paint with.
You get the same result, but less violence, and if it spills, it doesnt go all over the place.
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Post by ironhold on Nov 6, 2013 14:14:47 GMT
What actually happened was that it burst after Homer popped the top.
The idea was that once Homer opened it up, the soda shot out with such explosive force that Homer was left in the hospital.
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Post by the light works on Nov 6, 2013 15:59:22 GMT
our "shaker" style paint mixers usually clamped the can between the brackets - using the lid as one of the clamped surfaces. the newer ones are more like "wobblers" than shakers.I think they still use eccentric irregular movement, but not quite so vigorous as the old shakers.
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Post by the light works on Nov 6, 2013 16:02:09 GMT
the only simpsons episodes I remember supply only the myth that you can cut the head off a man (life) sized statue in a minimal amount of time with a standard hacksaw. - and that wouldn't take too long. a bronze pipe the diameter of the average human neck and a hacksaw. the key question would be whether the saw was large enough to cut it through.
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 7, 2013 8:50:30 GMT
Again, Busted.
The Co2 cant get that much pressure on the liquid before it starts to dissolve back into the liquid.?.
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Post by OziRiS on Nov 9, 2013 1:08:14 GMT
WUHUU!!! An excuse to rewatch all 24 seasons of The Simpsons!!! Sorry honey. Dancing with the Stars isn't gonna be on tonight. Research for the Citadel. Bummer...  |
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 11, 2013 9:08:18 GMT
Cartoon physics, its, well, Wiley Coyote wouldnt be as much fun if it stuck to REAL laws of physics?....
It is what it says on the tin.... Cartoon.
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Post by the light works on Nov 11, 2013 15:35:25 GMT
Keep in mind that Homer Simpson was capable of hitting himself in the eye with a claw hammer. It's entirely possible he managed to get injured from a soda eruption that nobody else would be harmed by.
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Post by Cybermortis on Nov 11, 2013 16:51:04 GMT
Wasn't there an episode where he manages to get shot in the head with a flower?
There was another where he changed his name to 'Max Power' (being Homer he took the name of a hair dryer...presumably it belonged to Marge) and everyone treated him differently. It does make you wonder 'what's in a name' and if/how differently people may be treated based entirely on their name.
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Post by the light works on Nov 11, 2013 16:58:13 GMT
That would be challenging to test.
double blind studies would be problematic.
"hey, you look just like that other guy I just met."
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Post by ironhold on Nov 11, 2013 17:11:19 GMT
That would be challenging to test. double blind studies would be problematic. Not entirely. Back when I was taking Psychology 101, our semester project consisted of designing and conducting a small-scale experiment. Mine involved seeing how people reacted to me based upon how I was dressed. For the experiment, I went to a local shopping mall on three different occasions (control, "positive" outfit, "aggressive" outfit) and noted how people reacted to seeing me. (positive reaction, negative reaction, neutral reaction) I essentially repeated this same experiment for one of my graduate marketing seminars. We were to purchase two of the same item from a local store, and then attempt to return one of the two items on different occasions; each time, we had to dress in a different fashion and see how the return staff reacted based on how we were dressed. As my tests showed, the team doesn't need to meet each person in the test each time they want to use a new name; all one has to do is keep the location relatively consistent. If anything, as you yourself note, meeting the same people each time can foul the results. |
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Post by Cybermortis on Nov 11, 2013 17:11:39 GMT
Maybe not.
Get an actor in to give an educational speech (one that is really utter nonsense) to two different groups. In one they identify themselves by some 'cool' or serious sounding name, in the other something like 'John Smith'. Ask each of the groups about the speech and see if the cooler sounding name results in a more positive response.
The same set up could be used to test another idea - In one episode Homer manages to get a treatment that regrows his hair, at which point everyone starts to take him seriously. As soon as his looses his hair no one takes him seriously. You could run the same set up as above, with the only difference being using a speaker who is bald when talking to one group and has a full head of hair for the other.
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Post by the light works on Nov 11, 2013 17:19:26 GMT
The bald dynamic is harder to quantify - because the degree and nature of the baldness is a significant factor.
they could test a bad combover compared to a more dignified look.
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Post by OziRiS on Nov 13, 2013 20:45:24 GMT
I think with both names and looks it'll all very much depend on the demographics of the test. As human beings we have a strong need to be among those who resemble us the most. Putting a bald John Smith in with a crowd of 40-50 somethings would probably give a better result than putting him in with a bunch of 20 somethings. If the subject of the speech was changed there'd also be a different reaction. If our actor was talking fine art to a crowd of craftsmen then he'd probably be perceived as boring no matter what his name was and how he looked. Get him to talk power tools and you're more likely to get a positive response. Or make it an attractive woman in a tastefully revealing outfit and she could be named Rowline Rancid and talk about the wonders of button collection and she'd still get their attention  Point is there are a lot of factors in this that could be interesting to test. Maybe too many to handle in any way that would yield credible results...? |
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 17, 2013 14:20:40 GMT
I have noted quite well that if I wear my "Biker" gear, I get left alone.....
If I try to engage staff, as long as I keep it polite and well mannered, as is my usual way, I get treated with Respect more than if I just turn up in "Working" gear....
This surprised me.
But then again, would YOU argue with a "Biker" shaped and possible hells angel type person?...
First impressions count....
The first impression I may be giving out is "Someone not to be messed with"...
Most Bikers I know are usually pleasant people anyway.
Unless you do something to REALLY pizza them off?...
But we all accept that the "Uniform" we wear is getting some kind of respect?....
Fear of messing you about, well, thats just par for the course?...
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Post by the light works on Nov 17, 2013 15:51:04 GMT
I used to habitually wear a "uniform" that I was told left people wondering whether I was a country singer or a professional assassin.
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 19, 2013 9:11:40 GMT
For me, it isnt a "Uniform", its padded in the right places for a reason... they are Kevlar pads, for sliding along roads, should the worst happen, and leather, because it wears out less painfully than my own skin.
You have the Bike, you pick the right gear, leather or Wax Cotton, or both, the pine overcoat is an optional extra?....
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Post by maxman on Nov 20, 2013 7:27:31 GMT
What actually happened was that it burst after Homer popped the top. The idea was that once Homer opened it up, the soda shot out with such explosive force that Homer was left in the hospital. Plus it was a can of beer. |
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