Original subtitles

Don't try any of the

experiments you are about to see

at home.

You heard him. Don't do it.

Narrator: On this episode of

"mythbusters"...

Whoa!

Oh, the current is really

strong.

Narrator: It's bubble,

bubble, toil, and trouble...

[ Laughs ]

It's like riding a bucking

bronco.

Narrator: As the guys test

the fizzy fable that it's

impossible to stay afloat in

bubbly water.

You're just not trying hard

enough.

[ Laughs ]

That's more like it!

Yeah, baby.

Narrator: But will it be a

case of sink or swim?

Swim harder.

Aah!

Narrator: Meantime, kari,

Tory, and Grant take aim at a

myth that's got them quivering

with anticipation.

Okay, it's lit.

Narrator: Can an exploding

arrow cleave a mighty pine tree

in two?

With precision explosives and

the mother of all pine trees,

it's time to split.

I'm so ready!

Here we go.

3, 2, 1.

Who are the mythbusters?

Adam savage.

That's the spirit soldiers!

And Jamie hyneman.

[ Laughs ]

I'll be darned.

Narrator: Between them, more

than 30 years of special-effects

experience.

Joining them... kari Byron...

Aah!

That is messed up!

Narrator: Grant imahara...

Start the car!

Narrator: And Tory belleci.

Let's chop this car up.

Narrator: They don't just

tell the myths.

They put them to the test.

Captions by vitac... www.Vitac.Com

hangover?

No. I'm setting up a demo for

our next story.

Which is?

Well, there's a myth going

around that it is impossible to

swim in bubbly water.

Whether it's antacid tablets or

carbonated, as long as there's

bubbles in the water, you won't

be able to swim.

Really?

Yeah, the conventional wisdom

is that the bubbles make the

water overall less dense.

And so while you'd float in the

non-bubbly water, when you get

to the bubble part, you'd sink

like a stone.

Sounds like we're going for a

swim.

I think so.

Narrator: According to the

myth, when water is filled with

fizz, you supposedly sink

without trace.

[ Whistle! ]

But does the density difference

of bubbly water really mean that

swimming in it is impossible?

Well, since we used up all

our antacid breaking out of

jail...

What say we start with something

small, like a fish tank and make

a bunch of bubbles in it and see

what happens.

Sounds good. Let's do it.

Narrator: So, the myth is

that it is impossible to swim in

bubbly water, because the

aerated water is supposed to be

less dense than regular water.

Are you ready for some

experimenting?

"I don't think so."

So, I'm about to conduct some

scale experiments to see if

there is a change in density of

water when i run a crapload of

bubbles through it.

[ Whirring ]

[ Pop! ]

[ Laughs ]

All right, let's try that again.

Narrator: It's a great place

to start.

Adam and his 2-d mini-me will

test the science at the heart of

this myth... do bubbles make a

difference to the density of

water?

What I've made here is a

crude hydrometer.

It's actually floating at a very

specific depth, depending on the

density of the water.

If i increase the density of

this fish tank with, say, salt,

he would float a little higher.

If i decrease the density with

let's say, air bubbles, he'd

float a little lower.

Now, if this myth is true and i

put a whole bunch of air bubbles

underneath this guy, little Adam

there is gonna drown.

Narrator: So, now that 2-d

mini-me is neutrally buoyant,

it's time to see if he'll sink

like the myth suggests.

3, 2, 1.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: Someone's happy.

But aside from putting a smile

on Adam's dial, what are the

results?

I'm seeing almost no change

at all in the hydrometer's

level.

If anything, it's actually

rising a little bit.

And i must admit... i had a

little bias going into this.

I thought that as soon as i

turned on the bubbles, that

hydrometer was gonna... woop!...

Drop below the surface.

I'm fully in the camp of the

bubbles lower the density.

It's like there's something else

going on here.

At any rate, in the small-scale

test, it's not looking very good

for this myth.

Narrator: A conviction only

confirmed after Jamie gets a

demo.

So, i see you're fixing to

dump water all over my floor.

No, no.

I'm containing it in this lovely

tank.

So, what do you think's gonna

happen?

I think it's gonna sink.

Check this out.

[ Hissing ]

It's not sinking.

Not at all.

Not even a little bit.

If anything, it rises up a

fraction of an inch.

You would think that the

increased amount of air in the

water would make it less dense.

So it would sink.

But that's seems to be

counteracted and then some by

the upwelling current of the

movement of those bubbles.

It's not looking very good

for the story at this point.

No.

Narrator: Far from sinking,

the hydrometer rose slightly,

but it's too early to call this

myth yet.

After all, you can't test a

swimming saga without getting

wet.

Next up, a myth that's going to

blow you away.

All right, so, this myth come

from a viewer.

A guy in Iowa wrote in and said

his uncle used to take a bow and

arrow, strap a stick of dynamite

to it, light it, fire it into a

tree, and when it would explode,

it split the tree up the middle.

Okay, are you sure this is a

viewer myth and not, like, a

Tory belleci family history?

No, I'm serious.

He wrote it in.

All right, well, I'm willing

to try it.

Sounds like we need a stick of

dynamite, an arrow, and a tree.

Narrator: As any William tell

fan will, uh, tell you, the

trick of splitting an apple with

an arrow is a blast.

But according to this myth, an

arrow coupled with dynamite can

split a much bigger apple.

But is this fan fable bow

baloney?

[ Arooga! ]

Okay, for this experiment, i

think we need to just go for it,

get the biggest log we can find,

and just anchor it to the

ground at the bomb range.

But remember, we're trying to

split this tree down the middle

with explosives.

We don't want to just blow it

into pieces.

Right.

Narrator: Full-scale testing

means finding the right tree.

We're here at the bomb range

to find out if our dynamite

arrows can split a tree.

These are our trees.

They are pine trees from a

recycler.

Now, they're 20 feet long and

almost 6,000 pounds.

So, the first step... dig a

hole.

Narrator: The pine trees tech

specs match the viewer myth

almost to the letter.

All right, how's about right

here?

Narrator: While kari gets on

with step 1...

So much better than a shovel.

Narrator: Getting to grips

with the pine's parameters is

Grant.

And we've chosen the pine

tree because it's one of the

most common trees in America.

In fact, there are over 35

varieties in north America

alone.

But there are two reasons that

might make it easier to split

down the middle.

One... they have vascular

bundles that run the entire

length of the tree, and these

are tiny tubes that carry water

and nutrients to the top.

And two... it's got a spiral

grain, which goes parallel to

the axis of the tree.

Those things together might just

help us get a split.

Narrator: That's the theory.

And with the target tree now

standing tall...

Now, that's what i call a

real stick in the mud.

Narrator: The guys turn

their attention to the weapon,

setting up a remote

bow-and-arrow firing mechanism.

So, we need to fire a lit

stick of dynamite from a bow and

arrow into a tree.

Now, that is way too dangerous

for us to do, so we brought out

our remote arrow-firing

mechanism.

Narrator: With the bow ready

to go, that just leaves the

payload.

We're not gonna use dynamite,

'cause actually, it's a fairly

unstable substance.

Instead, our experts frank Doyle

and j.D. Nelson have given us

this.

It's a binary explosive.

It's a lot more stable, which

mean it will go off when and

where we want it to.

And it has exactly the same

amount of energy as a stick of

dynamite.

Narrator: After a quick test

fire to make sure their remote

bow and arrow is on the money...

It's time to take aim at this

myth.

It's time to load up our

arrow-firing machine, shoot it

into the tree, and see if we can

split it down the middle.

Do i think that's gonna

happen?

Sure. Absolutely.

[ Record scratches ]

[ High-pitched ] If we lived in

a cartoon.

Narrator: Wile e. Coyote kari

has her doubts, but there's only

one way to find out.

All right, so, the dynamite's

lit.

Let's see if we can cleave this

tree.

Okay, this is

"dynamite arrow."

Take it.

Here we go.

In 3...

2...

Narrator: The arrow gets

triggered, the fuse burns

through, and then...

All: Oh!

And the tree still stands.

That was a good blast.

Narrator: It sure was a hefty

blast, but when the smoke

clears, it's clear it wasn't

hefty enough.

The tree appears to be pretty

well undamaged.

All right, well, the tree is

still in one piece.

Yeah, i don't even see a

crack.

Well, maybe we need more

explosives.

Maybe this was more than just,

like, a stick of dynamite.

Maybe it was extra-powerful

dynamite.

That is a great idea.

Narrator: After a

surprisingly feeble first test,

the myth is already on thin ice,

so it's time to up the ante.

We're gonna double the amount

of explosive that we're

attaching to the tip of the

arrow.

Same as before.

We're gonna light the fuse,

remote-fire it into the tree,

and see what happens.

Narrator: Later on

"mythbusters," splittin' time

with a super dynamite arrow.

But next, bubble, bubble, Adam's

in trouble.

Oh, the current is really

strong.

I don't know, man.

It's not looking very good for

this story in the water.

It rose.

Well, you know, sometimes

things as basic as air and water

just doesn't scale that well.

Let's say we bump it up a notch

and go larger.

All right.

Hey, that you know irrigation

tank we used for

"whirlpool of death"?

What say we fill that full of

water and put a bubbler at the

bottom of it?

I think we've still got it.

I think we do. Let's do it.

Narrator: Yep, the small

scale wasn't particularly

promising.

It's not sinking.

Narrator: But the myth hasn't

sunk just yet.

And as Adam won't fit in that

tank, the team is upsizing

everything, starting with the

bubble maker.

So, this assembly of aquarium

bubblers worked pretty well for

this test, but if we're gonna do

this in a larger scale, i don't

want to have to do all the

plumbing.

And you can buy a thousand of

these little aquarium thingies.

I need to figure out some more

efficient way of creating lots

of little bubbles.

Narrator: And the method is

typically Jamie-esque in its

practical simplicity...

Compressed air pumped into a

canvas pillow case, forcing

thousands of tiny bubbles

through the fabric.

Oh, that is very cool.

Narrator: Very cool, indeed.

With the proof-of-concept pillow

case bubbling away, Adam's on to

the next task.

Well, let's start figuring

out how to go full scale with

this, 'cause I'm dying to get in

the water with this.

Narrator: If the myth is

true, dying could be right.

But Jamie doesn't seem too

bothered by the prospect.

It's gonna be fun.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: But before the fun

begins, Jamie has to upscale his

prototype into a heavy-duty

working model.

So, all we've done here is

welded together a couple of

heavy steel frames, and we've

sandwiched, inside the frames, a

pillow case.

We're pumping air into that

pillow case, and as it

pressurizes, it comes through

the weave of the fabric...

That's great.

And makes little bubbles.

Narrator: But not in the

shop, it won't.

For that, they're heading for

some familiar queasy scenery.

[ Chuckles ]

Brings back memories, don't it?

[ Laughs ]

Not very pleasant ones.

Narrator: Yep, the last time

Adam took a dip in the

irrigation tank...

Stop it.

Oh, that's great.

Narrator: Things did not

go quite to plan.

I'm done with science for

today.

We've done our small-scale

tests, and we've learned a thing

or two.

But if we're gonna find out if

it's possible to swim in fizzy

water, we're gonna have to swim

in fizzy water.

So we've come back out here to

Alameda to this 10,000-gallon

tank that we installed a few

years ago.

And we're gonna put a larger

bubbler in it, and Adam's gonna

go for a swim... Or not.

[ Chuckles ]

Narrator: Now comes the

tricky bit... getting the giant

bubbler up and in.

All right. Take it on up.

[ Beeping ]

So, our bubbler is just about

ready to be put in place.

That's a tight fit. Okay, stop.

What happens next is that we

hook up the air supply.

Okay, go ahead and give it

some air.

[ Hissing ]

Nice!

And then we slowly lower it the

20 feet to the bottom of this

tank, which is full of

reasonably clear but quite cold

water.

Then i will put on some scuba

gear, and then we're pretty much

ready to do this test, which i

hope happens quickly, because

this water right now is about

50, 51 degrees.

[ Hisses ]

Narrator: As plans go, it's

pretty straightforward.

I'm aboveground, and yet I'm

going scuba diving.

Bon voyage.

All right, here we go.

How's the water?

The water is so cold i got an

instant headache.

But you know what's really cool

in here?

What?

Looking out the portholes.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: But before Adam can

unhook the bubbler, it needs to

be in the right position.

Is that good enough?

I think so.

Will you start to lower it very

slowly?

Will do.

Narrator: The aim is to get

the bubbler perfectly level to

have an even spread of bubbles

at the surface.

Fire up the generator,

please.

[ Motor revs ]

Slowly bring it up to the mark.

[ Hissing ]

Narrator: As the rig roars

into life, a perfect hubbub of

bubbles bursts forth.

It's a gorgeous stream of

bubbles.

Can't wait to get into it.

Okay, well, I'll pull the

chain out.

Narrator: With their full

functioning rig in the right

position, what's next?

This test is pretty much the

same as our small-scale

experiments, except this time,

we're gonna have a human

hydrometer... namely, Adam.

Now, we're gonna try and weight

him so he's neutrally buoyant

and just his head is floating

above the water.

And when we turn the air on, if

he goes up or down, that'll tell

us what's really happening.

Narrator: It's time to sink

or swim.

Kari, Tory, and Grant are

testing the myth that a dynamite

arrow can split a tree down the

middle.

But so far, it's got the team

well and truly stumped.

Well, the tree is still in

one piece.

Yeah, i don't even see a

crack.

Narrator: Today's solution?

Double the dynamite.

So this is two times the

explosives that we used on the

first test.

Let's see if this is enough to

split the tree down the middle.

All right, we're lit, we're

lit.

All right, grantie, call it.

So, this is "splitting a tree

with dynamite: Double the

explosives."

In 3, 2, 1.

Whoa-ho-ho-ho!

Yep. That was a good blast.

Well, I'd say this is looking

pretty bad for the myth.

Yeah, i mean, we used twice

the amount of explosives as the

myth calls for, and still, we

did not get any cleaving

whatsoever.

Narrator: Even with two

sticks of modern dynamite, the

tree was left with hardly a

scratch, let alone a cleave, and

Grant thinks he knows why.

Now, my theory is that the

dynamite is outside, and when

you explode it, all that energy

just gets dissipated away from

the tree and not where we

actually need it to be focused,

which is right on the trunk, in

order to split it.

Narrator: And without that

focus, the myth, unlike the

tree, is looking busted.

So what's next?

Well, any more explosives

strapped to that arrow, it's

gonna mess with the

aerodynamics.

There's no way it's gonna fly.

So why don't we just push an

arrow into the tree, put as many

explosives on it as j.D. Will

allow, and just see if we can

get anything.

Now you're talking.

[ Bell dings ]

Narrator: For round 3, the

mythbusters are going

gangbusters, strapping an arrow

with as much dynamite as can be

crammed on, but too much for it

to actually fly.

So, how much is too much?

J.D. Says the amount we can

use out here is six sticks of

dynamite.

Is that gonna split the tree

down the middle?

I don't know, but we're gonna

get a big bang.

I like big bangs.

Six drops of essence of

terror and five drops of

sinister sauce.

Narrator: With the mother of

all explosive arrows prepped and

embedded in the tree...

Mega arrow is in place.

Narrator: The team is

taking no chances.

They'll hunker in the bunker,

because this is going to be big.

Fire in the hole!

Fire in the hole!

Fire in the hole!

This is "splitting the tree

with dynamite: Six sticks."

In 3...

2...

[ Laughs ]

That was a good explosion.

Let's go see if we split the

tree.

I don't think so, man.

But we rattled the bunker.

[ Laughter ]

Narrator: There's just no

"timber!" On the timber.

Even with six sticks of

dynamite, the shock wave barely

scratches the surface, let alone

causes a cleave, so it's back to

the drawing board.

So, right now, this myth is

looking busted.

We used one stick of dynamite,

two sticks of dynamite, finally

six sticks of dynamite.

It was not enough to split a

tree up the middle, like the

myth talks about.

But this is "mythbusters."

We're gonna go deeper and not

stop here and we're gonna figure

out... is there a way to use

nothing but explosives to split

that tree?

Narrator: Next up, Adam, the

human hydrometer.

It's like riding a bucking

bronco.

Narrator: But will he sink

without a trace?

Narrator: In "bubble

trouble," Adam is about to find

out if decreasing the density of

water with air means you'll sink

without a trace, and to do that,

Adam's ditched the scuba tank

and turned himself into a

neutrally buoyant human

hydrometer.

My wet suit makes me quite

floatacious.

I've overly buoyant, so I'm

putting weights around my waist

so that i will be neutrally

buoyant, ideally floating right

around here.

Then we'll be able to see the

best effect that the bubbles

might have on me.

All right, let's try it.

I think that's perfect.

Narrator: It's a simple test.

Let's fire up the compressor.

Narrator: When Jamie turns on

the bubbler, if Adam sinks, the

myth is looking good.

Okay, open the valve to the

mark, please.

[ Hissing ]

Whoa! Here they come!

Narrator: With the bubbles

on, Adam does go under, but not

quite as planned.

Whoa!

Narrator: He first gets

pushed to the side, and only

then does he sink.

[ Laughing ] Whoa-ho-ho!

I'll tell you... it's not making

me sink like a stone, but it is

creating this really strong

current that throws me to the

side, and i feel like it's

dragging me down a little bit.

You don't seem to be able to

stay right there.

No, i definitely can't stay

on top of this.

It's very, very... it's a

super-strong push.

And if i...

narrator: "Get pushed to the

side, i get dragged under," is

what he was going to say.

[ Spits ]

Narrator: It seems Adam is

being lifted up and away from

the central column of bubbles,

and then, just like a convection

current, there's a downward drag

at the outer edge.

Where to from here?

Well, i think if we're seeing

this kind of effect, where it's

an upwelling that drags me down

on the outside, let's turn it up

and see if the effect gets more

pronounced.

[ Chuckles ]

My kind of thinking.

Narrator: Of course, it's the

one instruction that fits all

"mythbusting" occasions... ramp

it up.

Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!

Narrator: And as they turn it

up again...

Let's move it up another

notch.

[ Hissing ]

Narrator: The bigger

current pushes Adam to the side

faster.

I'm on top of the bubbles,

ma!

Narrator: In fact, the

upwelling associated with the

rising bubbles...

Whoa!

Whoa, the current is really

strong.

Narrator: Is pushing him

upwards until he reaches the

sides, leaving just one further

test.

We need more power, Scotty.

Jamie just made a "Star Trek"

reference.

[ Chuckles ]

Awesome!

Narrator: And with the

compressor giving us all she's

got...

[ Laughs ]

Whoa-ho-ho-ho!

It's like riding a bucking

bronco.

Narrator: Jamie and Adam

are ready to wrap it up.

Well, i don't feel like we

can call it on the basis of this

tank.

I think it's actually too small.

This current being everything,

it's sort of overwhelms the

original story, which is about

bubbles.

So i feel like we need to create

more bubbles in a much bigger

space.

The myth is that you can't swim

in bubbles.

There's no swimming going on in

there.

Wait! Oh!

It's treading.

We need to go someplace we can

do some swimming.

Narrator: The close proximity

of the tank's walls has rendered

the results unreliable.

To truly test the myth, they'll

need somewhere with much more

room to make a splashing.

This was a great test.

It was also an excellent proof

of concept for my prototype

bubble maker.

It put thing in a human scale

and showed us a lot about

bubbles and how they interact

with water.

But given that this myth is

about swimming and bubbles, to

test it properly, we're gonna

have to go up yet more in scale.

Narrator: After three big

booms, the myth of a dynamite ax

is, well...

100% busted.

You're not gonna split a tree

using one stick of dynamite, let

alone six sticks of dynamite.

Yeah, all the energy is going

outward.

It's completely external.

I think to actually cleave the

tree, you need something inside.

All right, well, what if we

tried reconfiguring the

explosives, get it closer to the

core?

Maybe that will split the tree

up the middle.

Yeah, let's go to a smaller

scale so we can experiment with

different kinds of explosives.

Great idea.

Narrator: Much as they love

blowing things up, this myth is

about dividing the tree, not

destroying it.

So in small scale, the guys are

going to start by putting two

explosives head-to-head.

The first time is tnt, or

trinitrotoluene.

Now, this is a faster-moving,

more tearing explosive.

The other kind of explosive

we're gonna be using is anfo.

That is a slower-moving

explosive, but it has more

pushing power.

We're gonna see if either of

those is able to split our tree

up the middle, just like the

myth.

Narrator: But switching the

explosives and using tiny

quantities aren't the only

changes they're drilling down

for this test.

So, what we've done here is

solve what i think is the

biggest problem of our previous

test, which is getting the

explosive to where it needs to

be, which is the strength of the

tree... the core, the hardwood.

Narrator: But will this

internal placement cause the

cleave the dynamite arrow

couldn't?

Well, to find out, they're

starting by embedding

explosive 1... the tnt.

Smoke. We're good.

All right, this is

"tnt in the little pine tree."

Whoo-hoo!

Let's do it!

Narrator: It's a tense wait

for the fuse to burn down,

until...

Oh!

Narrator: It might have had

the boom...

But did it give the team the

kind of break they need?

I see some cracking going on,

but not what i would call a

split.

Yeah, it seems like it's

shredding more than anything.

Narrator: Tory's on the

money.

Traveling at more than 21,000

feet per second, the shock wave

from the tnt simply ripped the

tree to pieces.

Will their low-velocity

explosive do any better?

This is anfo, which stands

for ammonium nitrate fuel oil.

It's a lower-velocity than tnt,

which means it has a higher

likelihood of actually splitting

the tree without shredding it.

What I've just done is cut

some vertical grooves in the

bark of the tree.

That way, we can lay up our

explosives along the grain,

the vascular bundles of the

tree, 'cause what's happening

now is... we have an explosive

at the base, and it's

cross-cutting.

What we want is a vertical

split.

So, this way, we put the

explosives up the line of the

tree, and that force punches

through, and hopefully we get

that vertical split that we're

looking for.

All right, the grooves are

loaded.

We're going hot!

All right, we're lit.

Okay, so, this is

"cutting a tree in half with

explosives: Zipper technique."

Narrator: It didn't go

completely to plan, but at least

the team gets slightly more than

a toppled trunk.

It's kind of a split in the

right direction.

Wow! That is definitely a

better technique.

Finally, we got a split.

Narrator: Of sorts.

It's still not the clean cleave

they wanted, but promising

enough to warrant one more go at

a mighty grand finale.

What did we do right?

Well, on this test, we got our

explosive in a line that's

parallel to the grain of the

tree.

Instead of focusing on one spot,

we went all the way up the tree,

and i think that is what made

the difference.

Now, this is a small tree, but

that's fine.

We proved the concept here.

Now it's time for us to go on to

a big tree and try it full

scale.

Narrator: Coming up, almost a

ton of runaway rogue steel

heading Adam's way.

This is where things get

dangerous.

Do not try what we do on

this show at home.

We're what you call experts.

Stay safe.

Narrator: So far, bubble

trouble is looking like a bust.

Wow!

I feel it totally lifted me.

Narrator: But Adam and Jamie

aren't done yet.

Ow! [ Laughs ]

I took a pin in the leg.

Narrator: To put this myth to

bed, they're going to sink or

swim in a full-sized pool with a

supersize bubbler, one that's

4 feet wide and 16 feet long.

And to get the job done in

double time, Jamie welds the

massive steel frame while Adam

sews the giant canvas bubbler

bag.

Well, based on what we saw at

the big tank, this new bladder

ought to be perfect for the

swimming pool.

[ Chuckles ]

Do you know what it looks like?

It looks like the world's

largest whoopee cushion.

[ Laughing ]

Narrator: With both bubbler

components ready to roll, the

truck gets loaded and locked.

So, the myth is that it is

impossible to swim in bubbly

water.

And so far, we've tested that in

small scale in a fish tank...

It's not sinking.

And in a 10,000-gallon

irrigation tank in what is now

only medium scale.

I'm on top of the bubbles, ma!

In both cases, we found evidence

of upwelling and currents that

really make us feel like we

haven't fully answered this

question, so now it's time for

mondo scale, full-sized swimming

pool.

Yeah. That's in.

We built a bubbler that will

give us a swath of bubbles 4

feet wide and 16 feet long.

I'm gonna get in it and see if i

can swim.

[ Laughs ] Yeah.

We recognize that you have a

choice of myths, and we thank

you for flying "mythbusters."

[ Laughs ]

That's nice and stable.

Remember those little

fish-tank bubblers and then that

little bag that i tested out

in the shop?

That's not bad.

Well, this is the final result

of all that testing, the

granddaddy bubbler.

We've got i-beams on it to hold

it down against the flotation.

We've got a massive, steel

frame, the big bladder, and not

one, but two air pumps to supply

all the air we need.

We drop it in the pool.

You've got yourself a big-ass

bubbler.

Narrator: It's big, but will

it be big enough to eliminate

those supposed edge effects?

Well, to find out, Adam,

designated to do the wet work,

goes under to guide it into

position and make sure it's

level.

It's within one or two

degrees to level, and I'm

inclined to start up the pump

and see what it looks like.

Come on in.

Okay.

Okay.

Go ahead and let some air in.

[ Hose hissing ]

Narrator: With the air pump

on, things seem to be proceeding

smoothly, until...

Cut the air.

Narrator: Luckily, Adam was

clear of the rig when it made an

unexpected and dangerous break

for the surface.

And make no mistake, despite the

muffled noise and subaqueous

slow motion, that was 1,600

pounds of runaway, rogue steel.

Not enough weight?

Not enough weight.

The whole thing started to

float.

Narrator: Well, that's a...

Bummer.

Narrator: But the solution is

simple.

It could simply be a matter

of just placing the barbell

weights in the corners.

Well, that's why we brought

the barbells.

I'll start to break them out.

Narrator: With an additional

100 pounds on each corner,

totaling 2,000 pounds, surely

they've got this covered.

Cue test number two.

[ Hose hissing ]

I see little bubbles starting

to come up.

Narrator: And at first, it

all seems to be working

beautifully.

But once again, the astonishing

force exerted by the buoyancy of

the trapped air is evident.

Stop. Cut the air.

Narrator: And that's

another...

Bummer.

Yeah.

It was looking so good.

It was looking so good, but

now the whole rig is [Bleep]

Yeah.

Narrator: So far, the team

has selected option "f" for

"failure," but it takes more

than 2,000 pounds of runaway

steel to throw the mythbusters

off their game.

This is just a minor setback.

All we need are heavier i-beams

or bars of steel of some sort to

put on this thing.

We'll be able to weight it down.

We'll fix it.

Look, when you want to rescue

big things from the bottom of a

body of water, you use what are

called lift bags, these

airtight, canvas bags you fill

with air, and the air lifts

stuff off the bottom.

What we've essentially made here

is a captured air bladder.

And we're trying to keep it on

the bottom, which is proving

more of a challenge than we

surmised.

That's a workout, huh?

Oh [Bleep]

This is where i think it's

getting dangerous... late in the

day.

[ Breathes heavily ]

Let's test it out.

Yeah.

Right in place?

Yeah.

I'm gonna stay far away from

this rig while you pressurize

it.

Narrator: Their first

unsuccessful test of the rig

weighed in at 1,600 pounds.

This time, they've have 4,200.

But will this be enough?

There they come.

Yeah, baby!

So, that may have been about

halfway.

That's perfect.

Nothing's budging.

It looks gorgeous.

Excellent.

So, we had a few bugs to work

out, so sue me.

We added more weight.

It took care of the buoyancy

problem, and we're all tested,

good to go.

I think we're ready for

tomorrow.

Narrator: Next, the big bang

on the mother of all pine trees.

That is one big tree.

Fire!

[ Explosion ]

Now, we've already busted the

myth that you can use a dynamite

arrow to split a tree in two,

but we wanted to find out if you

can use explosives to create

that perfect cleave, so we did a

few experiments.

We tried tnt.

We tried anfo.

As you can see, it didn't quite

work from a singular point, so

we went and took it one step

further.

We made sort of a zipper by

perforating the tree with little

slots and filling them with

anfo.

And we did get a split.

So now it's time to take it to

full scale.

We've come out to the forest to

make a tree split "mythbusters"

style.

Narrator: Doing it

"mythbusters" style means

driving to an isolated tree

farm....

Man, this is way out there,

isn't it?

Narrator: And blowing the

biggest tree they can see with a

technique they sort of perfected

in small scale.

It's like a winter wonderland

out here.

You can't see the trees for the

forest.

Here's the tree.

Wow. That is one big tree.

Definitely.

This is a 100-foot-tall

ponderosa pine.

Now, you might be a little

freaked out that we're using a

perfectly good tree in our

experiment, but it's already

been earmarked for lumber, and

it will be recycled at the end

of the experiment.

Depending on how successful we

are, it will either be lumber

or, if we manage to split it,

firewood.

Narrator: Given their early

results, splitting this tall

tree seems like an even taller

order.

But Tory for one is confident.

Now, we learned from our

small scale that anfo was the

best type of explosive.

It was slower moving, more

pushy.

And what we also learned is

cutting grooves along the

vertical of the tree will give

us a better chance of splitting

the tree.

So we're gonna do just that.

We're gonna cut a bunch of

grooves up the length of the

tree, so that way, the force of

the explosion is vertical, and

hopefully we can replicate the

results.

Narrator: In other words,

going big means thinking small,

cutting lots of vertical slots

near the core to house small

bags of boom.

All right, so, we finished

cutting 15 slots up the length

of the tree.

Now what we're gonna do is we're

gonna fill those slots with

anfo, ignite them, and see if we

can split this tree up the

middle.

Narrator: But first, they

need to do a serious calculation

of just how much bang they need

for their buck.

Okay, now, when you usually

see explosives enter the

"mythbusters" scene, you're used

to seeing mass quantities, like

the 850 pounds we used in the

cement truck.

Oh!

Now, for this experiment, we

actually want a pushing rather

than a huge destruction, so

we're only gonna use about 25

pounds of anfo in small bags

strung evenly up the side of the

tree.

That way, hopefully, we get a

nice, clean cleave.

Narrator: It's a delicate

operation.

Too much anfo, and the tree will

be blown apart.

Too little, and the explosive

may not even detonate.

All right.

So, one-pound bags.

One-pound bags.

Narrator: Luckily, bomb

expert frank is on hand to take

charge of the charge.

Okay.

What do you think, frank?

Am i gonna be able to join the

bomb squad after this?

Hey, we're signing you up

right now.

All right.

Ready to decorate the tree?

[ Laughs ] Radio wire in.

Anfo?

There you go.

Narrator: Working somewhat

gingerly, kari and Grant

carefully place the 25 1-pound

bags along the entire trunk.

You know what?

The sap is a natural adhesive to

holding to bags in.

[ Laughs ]

So add wiring explosives at

heights to my résumé.

All right. You done?

I'm done.

Narrator: And as the saying

goes...

Let's make like a tree and

leave.

Going down on this level, we

have explosives, timber, and

ladies' lingerie.

[ Creak! ]

Hey, this is the very last bag

of explosives going in the tree.

We've wired them all the way up.

I think we might actually have a

shot at this one.

I mean, we've given it all the

advantage we possibly could

using this nice, low-velocity

explosive.

We've given it a perforation so

that it could go really, really

well.

I think we might get a nice,

clean split.

Narrator: But the guys, on

the other hand, aren't so sure.

So, do i think the tree's

gonna split?

There's a lot of factors that go

into it... too much explosive,

too little, the weight of the

branches.

Given all that, i think we are

gonna get a split.

Maybe not super-clean, but it's

gonna split.

Looking at all this anfo in

this tree, i have a feeling

we're just gonna blow this tree

into a bunch of pieces.

Yeah, this looks safe enough

here.

All right.

I guess we're all set.

You guys ready?

Oh, I'm so ready.

Fire in the hole!

Fire in the hole!

Okay, so, this is splitting a

tree with anfo.

Here we go.

In 3...

2...

1...

[ Buzzer sounds ]

Narrator: After the break,

sink or swim in the mythical

fable of fizz.

Aah!

Swim harder.

Aah!

Narrator: After double

trouble with the bubbler...

Cut the air.

Narrator: Adam and Jamie

are ready to test the myth that

it's impossible to swim in

bubbly water.

Okay. Swimming with bubbles.

In 3...

2...

1...

Go.

Narrator: On the first lap,

displaying all of his exemplary

style and technique, Adam powers

through the bubbles.

But on the way back, it's not

so easy.

Just like the small-scale tests,

the upwelling currents pushes

him to the side and outweighs

any effect the lower density may

have.

Okay.

At this stage, it seems that the

myth that it's impossible to

swim in bubbly water is pretty

much busted.

It does, however, seem to be

more difficult to swim in bubbly

water, and the timings we've

been taking from my testing seem

to bear that out.

So, given that there might be a

grain of truth to this story,

that it might be more difficult,

but not impossible, to swim in

bubbly water, we're gonna ramp

it up as far as we can go and

see if we can't make that

artifact more pronounced.

We've done our testing at

one-quarter compressor capacity,

and the results were

interesting, but perhaps not

conclusive.

So i think now it's time to ramp

it up.

That's more like it.

And that mean we're gonna go

full power with those

compressors.

We'll see what happens.

Wow! That's a lot of bubbles.

Are you ready?

Ready!

All right.

Full-scale bubble test.

In 3...

2...

1...

Go!

Narrator: With the dial

turned to 11, the forces Adam

has to deal with are clearly

evident.

Despite looking quite serene

below, it's a broiling, frothing

volcano at the surface, and the

current is just too strong to

swim across...

Aah!

Swim harder.

Narrator: Meaning in this

case, it is impossible to swim

in.

Like any good myth, this one

has a grain of truth in its

heart, and that is when you mix

air with water, it is going to

make that water less dense.

The thing is that by taking it

to ridiculous extremes like we

have...

You're just not trying hard

enough.

Stop screwing around.

That decrease in density

relative to its surroundings

causes an upwelling and a very

vigorous current, in fact, and

that current is so vigorous that

it makes it virtually impossible

to swim through it.

I swallowed some water.

[ Spits ]

Narrator: After small scale,

medium scale, and full scale, it

wasn't until super full scale

that they got the result they

were looking for, and Adam, for

one, is buoyant.

This myth is a letter-perfect

case for why i love doing this

show.

We started out with the myth

about it being impossible to

swim in bubbly water, the

conventional wisdom being that

bubbles make the water less

dense, and thus you would sink,

when in fact it turns out that

the bubbles create this churning

upwelling of current as they

rise to the surface, and it is

the current and not the bubbles

that makes it in fact impossible

to swim in bubbly water.

I love being surprised by

results like that.

Well, that's pretty neat.

We had a build that was more

difficult than we thought, a

surprise ending, and a myth that

is i got to say plausible, but

not for the reasons we

originally thought.

And bubbly water is kind of

festive, isn't it?

Yes, yes, it is.

Narrator: Busting the myth of

the explosive tree split has

been a bit of a misfire...

[ Explosion ]

from big-scale failure...

The tree is still in one

piece.

Narrator: To some

small-scale success.

Wow!

Check it out.

That is definitely a better

technique.

Narrator: But now the moment

of truth.

Here we go.

Narrator: To replicate the

results of this myth, it all

comes down to this one-shot

wonder...

One monster pine tree filled

with 25 bags of explosives.

They're using the smallest

amount of anfo that will still

detonate, but will it be small

enough?

In 3...

2...

1...

Fire!

[ Buzzer sounds ]

Whoo! [ Laughs ]

Oh!

Wow!

That was a good one!

Well, the tree's down.

Let's go see if it split.

If there's anything left of

it.

Wow.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: Well, what's clear

is the anfo detonated.

But what is not clear is what

happened to the tree.

Wow. There are bits of tree

everywhere.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: With the smoke

gone, it's bad news for the

myth.

Instead of a split, the tree's

been diced into a nice pile of

kindling for bear grylls.

The result that we were

looking for for this experiment

was two pieces, one left, one

right, split right down the

middle.

What we got was 200 pieces.

The tree shattered all over the

forest.

There's bits everywhere.

It turns out the anfo was just

too much...

Even if the minimum amount to

detonate to sustain that crack

all the way to the top.

Narrator: And that leaves

only one conclusion.

All right.

No matter how you look at this

myth, this one is busted.

Busted.

Busted.

But at least we have all this

firewood and kindling now.

This isn't a split.

This is a shatter.

Narrator: The tree and the

myth are both shattered.

And let's face it, if this

method didn't work, then a

dynamite arrow is not even a

long shot.

All right, i got some

seedlings.

Okay.

Narrator: The myth might be

busted...

Let's do our part.

Narrator: But at least the

team has given something back to

the forest.

Sort of the strange

"mythbusters" circle of life.

That is strange.

I think it's a good deal for

the forest.

I mean, three for one.

So, do you want to know why we

did what we did and didn't do

what we didn't do?

Well, go to discovery. Com/

mythbustersaftershow and watch

our after-show.

Keep those questions and

comments coming in.