All language subtitles for Mythbusters.S09E11.Let.There.Be.Light.1080p.AMZN.WEBRip.DD2.0.x264-CasStudio_track3_[eng]

Do not try what
you're about to see at home.

We're what you call
"experts."

Narrator: On this illuminating
episode of "mythbusters"...

Ah.

There went his first glass.

Narrator: Adam and Jamie
have a smashing time...

I can see nothing!
This is insane!

As they reflect
on something truly enlightening.

Adam: It looks great. I didn't
think it would be this good.

Narrator: Can you really use
mirrors and the sun...

Behold!
I am the master of the sun!

Narrator: As a form
of ancient lighting?

There it is. Doink!
Man, that's bright.

Then Tory, Grant, and kari...

Grant: Ha!
Tory: That was hairball.

Investigate a freeway fable...

Grant: I think there are
some law-enforcement people

who would be very interested
in talking to us.

Narrator:
That you can slow down
an out-of-control vehicle...

Kari: Your idea of a safe stop
is to shank me?

Narrator: By playing
bumper cars on the blacktop.

Tory:
We're on the road to madness!

Narrator:
Who are the mythbusters?

Adam savage...
Whoo!

What more do you need to know?

And Jamie hyneman.

When in doubt, c-4.

Between them, more than 30 years
of special-effects experience.

Joining them...
Grant imahara...

It's lethal, people!

Kari Byron...
Jamie just doesn't
look right.

And Tory belleci.
And touchdown.

They don't just tell the myths.

They put them to the test.

Captions by vitac...
www.Vitac.Com

captions paid for by
discovery communications

I've got a story
for you to reflect on.
Hit me.

I will hit you...
With the sun's rays.

In the film "the mummy,"
there's a scene

in which the hero has
to go deep into a dark tomb,

and in order to light his way,

he kicks into gear a system
of ancient Egyptian mirrors

which bounce the sun's rays
from outside

deep into the bowels
of the cavernous tomb

so that they can
navigate safely.

How enlightened.

Well, that's the question,
isn't it?

That's the question.

And here's the clip.

Sunlight is bounced
into the mummy's tomb.

And then there was light.

But is this ancient illumination
really possible?

So, what do you want
to do first?

Well, look, this myth is all
about lighting up the darkness

with the sun's rays reflected.

We need to answer
the question...

What does it mean
to light up the darkness?

We need to define that...
What's the minimum amount

of light necessary to move
around in an unfamiliar space?

Exactly, and i think I've got

just the procedure
to test this out.

Okay.
Oh, don't worry.
You're gonna love it.

Before we start bouncing light
around the shop with mirrors,

we need to determine
a couple of benchmarks

that we'll be aiming for
in these tests.

The first one we've determined
is the Hollywood benchmark.

This is the amount of lighting

that they used
while filming the film

that properly tells the story
of a light

being bouncing around with
mirrors and lighting up a room.

The second benchmark
is what i consider

to be the heart and soul
of this story,

and it is,
what is the minimum amount

of ambient light required
to see?

Narrator: So, step one
is finding the minimum

benchmark light level needed
to see by,

and Adam's brain wave to test it
is a makeshift maze.

Adam:
We are going to try and make it
through this obstacle course

under very low-light conditions

to determine
the minimum light conditions

you can make it
through this obstacle course

without breaking anything.

[ Glass shatters, clinking ]

That's the sound of failure.

Narrator:
With the course set,

the guys focus
on benchmark one...

The Hollywood level
of illumination.

Jamie: I'm all set.

That means
playing with the light level

until it matches
that of the movie...

Jamie:
Okay, that works for me.

And then record the Lux level.

We're gonna measure
our ambient-light level

using a meter like this one,

which receives light
in through the sensor here

and converts that
to an electrical signal.

Now, our computer
converts that signal

into what is known as Lux.

Narrator: In the days
when candles were king,

scientists determined
that one Lux

is the amount of illumination
that falls over one square meter

if a candle is set
one meter away.

Using this scale,

about 300 Lux is the minimum
level needed to read by.

But how many Lux
is the movie scene?

To find out,
it's trial by tweaking

as the mythbusters crank up
the levels bit by bit.

201 Lux.

And with a benefit
of a jump cut or two...

That ought to do it.

They soon find the level

they think is a Lux look-alike
for "the mummy."

Adam: This looks great.
It looks just like the movie.

Okay. That gives us
an average of 200 Lux.

Narrator: So, that's
the Hollywood level sorted.

How will benchmark two compare?

Adam's got a plan.

Since the archaeologists
in this myth

went from the bright sun
into the tomb,

we're gonna do the same thing.

Here i am
in Jamie's electronics room

with two lights
simulating the bright sun.

I will then leave
the electronics room

and walk down
the tunnel of osiris,

otherwise known as Jamie's
battery-and-wire storage shelf.

I will then enter the main shop
area, which will be pitch-black,

and I'll use this rope
to guide myself

out into the middle of the shop.

And when i hit the knot...

I turn and start to walk
the obstacle course.

The question is, what is the
minimum amount of light required

for me to walk
this obstacle course...

[ Glass shatters ]

without breaking anything?

It's not gonna be easy.

Narrator: To find out, Adam set
his overhead light source

to its bare-minimum setting.

Okay, Adam.
Go ahead and do your thing.

Adam:
All right. Here i go.

Jamie monitors progress
on an infrared camera.

Holy crap.

There he is.

I can see nothing.
[ Glass shatters ]

Narrator:
And for those of you

who find the sound
of breaking glass disturbing,

now might be a good time
to switch your set to "mute."

Oh [Bleep]

This is... I'm the worst
archaeologist ever!

[ Glasses shattering ]

Narrator:
It's a bruising encounter,

as Adam...

This is insane!

Stumbles his way
through the wineglass maze.

Here i am.
I made it to the end.

And it's clear this light level

is far too low
for the human-eye test.

[ Laughs ]
That was a horror show.

Jamie:
You pretty much broke every
glass that was in your path.

Yeah, i think we need to turn up
the lights a little bit.

Let's make it a little brighter

and see if i can't make out
some of these shapes.

Okay.

I'll replace the glasses.

Adam tries a slightly increased
light level...

There we go.
One notch up.

And sets off again.

Okay, Adam.
You're good to go.

All right. Here i go.

Man, i cannot... ah.

I can't make out...

[ glass shatters ]
Ah.

There went his first glass.

I'm starting to be able
to see things.

Oh, my eyes are adjusting.

Yeah, he's doing
a lot better, actually.

It's still a blur. Ohh!
[ Glass shatters ]

There's number two.

Oh!
[ Glass shatters ]

Number three.

[ Glass shatters ]
Four, five...

Narrator: And after
a disappointing start...

[ Glass shatters ]
Seven.

It soon becomes another
catacomb catastrophe.

So they increase
the light level again...

[ Glass shatters ]

and again...

[ Glass shatters ]

and again.
[ Glass shatters ]

But it's not until light level
six that Adam finally makes it.

This is it.
This is the light level.

I'm gonna make it the whole way.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

Hunh!

I made it.

Narrator:
So, they break out the luxmeter

to shed some science
on this final setting.

What's the verdict?
How dim was it?

I get .389 of a Lux.

Of ambient light?
Yeah.

That is amazingly dim.

At 0.39 Lux,
the minimum human-eye level

is 500 times dimmer
than Hollywood.

And with both benchmarks
in the bag,

the question now is,

can bouncing light with mirrors
beat either benchmark?

All right.
Let's turn out the lights.
[ Fingers snap ]

All right, so, this next myth

is all about driving fast,
out of control,

and it's totally dangerous.

I love it already.
What is it?

Could you...
If a car was out of control,

could you overtake them,
get in front of them,

and then slow down

till you brought that
out-of-control car to a stop?

So, as if they had fallen asleep
or had a heart attack.

Exactly.
Great.
Let's try it.

Narrator: When a driver
passes out at the wheel,

things get very bad very fast,

but does it have
to end up like this?

[ Tires screech, crash ]

Well, apparently not,
because according to this myth,

you can safely stop
a runaway car

by overtaking it

then carefully bringing it
to a standstill.

Freeway fact
or blacktop baloney?

Okay, as i see it,
we have two scenarios.

First, the driver has lost
total control of the car

and has no influence over it
at all.

There's no steering, and
the foot is off the accelerator.

So just coasting, then.

Exactly.

The second scenario
is a little more extreme.

There's still no steering,

but the foot's jammed
onto the accelerator.

Would that make a difference?

All right, so we have two tests.

It sounds like we need to go
to stunt-driving school.

I mean, if this myth
is about a car out of control,

we need to see
what it feels like

to be in a car
that's out of control.

That is a fantastic idea.

Narrator: Cue our ramped-up
shot, and they're ready to roll.

We're out at the Alameda runway.

But before we can start
our experiment,

we need to learn
a little precision driving.

We're gonna learn
how to approach, bump,

and overtake a car.

Yep, and the man to take charge
of all that scary stuff...

Longtime driving instructor
Marvin ruff.

What sorts of skills
would we need to learn

in order
to pull this maneuver off?

You need to learn
how to approach a car,

how to get alongside it,

and how to slowly make contact
with that car

and get it to stop.

Unlike the real testing
to come later,

for this training,

kari will always be in control
of her car,

and Marvin's part
is to teach Grant to...

20 miles an hour?

Overtake...

Okay.
Move over in front.

Grant:
Okay. Here we go.

Slow his car down...

Kari: Oh, my god.
This feels crazy.

Back the bumper against hers...

Ruff:
Like landing an airplane.

Tory: He's slowing down
too fast! We're gonna crash!

Ohh!

You are good.

Now just start pushing
on that brake.

And bring it all to a stop.

[ Tires screech ]

Okay. There it is.
Nice.

[ Laughs ]

Thank you.
That's awesome.

Tory:
Yeah, we didn't die!

So, that's training hurdle one
passed with flying colors.

[ Tires screech ]

All right.
What do you think?

Eh, well, we were only going 20,

but i think you did
a really nice job.

Grant: I only did that
at 20 miles an hour.

I think
as we attempt to try this

at faster and faster speeds,
it's gonna get a lot harder.

Narrator:
Next, it's challenge two...

Learning what it feels like
when something goes wrong,

courtesy of the infamous
pit maneuver.

Tory: Here we go,
in three, two, one, go.

Trying to get away from the law.

Narrator:
Scarier still, the rain set in.

And ready to put them
into a spin,

Marvin stalks the red car...

Grant: Here he comes!
This is it!

Narrator:
Pulls up alongside...

Tory: Get ready
to go out of control!

Touches the rear Fender...

Grant: Whoa!

And...

[ Tires screech ]

Whoa!
Whoa!

Whoo!

Tory: We just got
pit-maneuvered!

[ Tires screech ]

That felt so good!
[ Laughs ]

It's good to be out of control
sometimes.

Narrator: Training's done.
They're bumped, pumped...

Tory: We just got
pit-maneuvered!

And amped to ramp.

I think i feel the need,
the need for speed.

I think we can go faster now.

Narrator:
Coming up on "mythbusters"...

* ta-da!

Narrator: Then, techniques of
bumper-stopping a careering car.

Tory:
Here we go. Oh.

Ruff:
All right! Nice work!

Narrator: Can mirrors illuminate
a murky mausoleum using the sun?

The film "the mummy"
claims it can.

And then there was light.

But is this history or hooey?

To find out, Adam and Jamie

have established two benchmarks
of illumination...

[ Glass shatters ]

Adam:
I can see nothing!

A Hollywood
lighting level...
Jamie: 200 Lux.

And a human-eye level.

I get .389 of a Lux.

And now,
by using two types of mirrors,

will they be able to match
either benchmark?

Well, first up, Adam polishes up
some ye olde metal mirrors,

and Jamie lines them up.

Jamie: We've set these
mirrors up to bounce light

from mirror to mirror
down the length of the room.

Now, our goal
is to see if those beams

will raise
the ambient-light level.

Narrator: To test this myth,

they'll line up their mirrors
and try a sun substitute.

The artificial sun for this test
needs to be like the sun...

That is, heavily collimated.

That means all the light beams

are actually traveling parallel
to each other,

and the most collimated light
we can rent is this...

A spotlight.

* ta-da!

Narrator: And with
the metal mirrors lined up,

it's time for a moment
of discovery.

When the shop lights
are turned off,

how bright
will the mirrors' light be?

All right.
Let's turn out the lights.
[ Fingers snap ]

It looks great. I didn't think
it would be this good.

Narrator: Adam's right.

First impressions are that
these mirrors are working well.

But, crucially, how are they
doing in the Lux department?

Got it?
Adam: All right.

The average ambient light
of the polished metal...

1.13 Lux.

Do our light-bouncing mirrors
work like they do in the film?

I'd say that they do.

There is an impressive amount
of ambient light in this room

solely because of the mirrors.

Do they look like they do
in the movie?

No, they do not.

By the six mirror, this beam
is no longer collimated.

It is a heavily, heavily
scattered affair.

Narrator: The scattering,
or loss of focus,

is not a good look,

but the level of light itself
is promising.

It's clearly not as bright
as the movie,

but it is better
than their naked-eye benchmark.

So, can modern glass
be a more polished performer?

This is our polished
metal mirror...

And this is our glass mirror.

Obviously, the glass mirror
is more reflective,

but is that what we really want?

It may be the case
that the metal mirror

is actually
diffusing the light more

and therefore lighting up
the ambient light

in the room more.

We're just gonna have to try it
to find out.

Narrator: So, to do that,
they position the mirrors

with the overhead lights on,
and then...

Adam: Well, the mirrors are
in place. They look great.

Here we go.

[ Laughs ]
That looks fantastic.

It looks just like the movie.

Surprise, surprise.

The modern glass looks better...

All right. Good.

But does the data back that up?

Jamie: How did
our glass mirrors do?

You're gonna love this.

First, you remember
the ambient-light reading

that we got from the polished
metal was 1.13 Lux?

Yeah.

Our glass mirrors
came in at .487 Lux.

[ Laughs ] Who knew?
I know.

Less than half.
Isn't that amazing?

Jamie:
There seems to be more going
on here than meets the eye.

The goal of all this

is to raise the ambient-light
level in a room,

and mirrors alone
aren't gonna cut it.

That light needs to hit
something that scatters it.

It could be my white shirt
or it can be fog,

but it has to scatter
to light the room.

Narrator: Because the modern
mirrors give a cleaner beam,

the ambient light they give off

is actually less
than the polished metal,

meaning the metal wins.

But what's also clear

is that the real loser
in this proof-of-concept test

is Hollywood.

Look, on this show,
we've always known

that Hollywood
has a penchant for exaggeration.

Our Hollywood lighting setup
in this shop

was 100 times brighter
than the ambient-light levels

we got
in our small-scale testing.

But that doesn't mean
this myth is busted.

No, no, no, no.

Because
those ambient-light levels

were still 2.5 times brighter

than what we determined
was necessary

to safely maneuver
through our "tomb."

That tells me
we have every reason

to go full-scale
and bring in the real sun.

Tory:
Now that we've trained,

it's time to move on
to testing the myth.

The first scenario... it's
as if somebody has been driving,

has passed out at the wheel,

and now they're coasting
at high speed.

The speed we're gonna start at
for this first test...

35 miles an hour.

This is gonna be interesting.

Narrator: This time, they're
going to try one big change.

Once Grant gets in front of us,

I'm going to take my hands
off the wheel

and my foot off the accelerator

as if I've just passed out.

[ Tires screech ]

Let's just hope
Grant was paying attention

during his training session.

I don't think he was.

Narrator: And for test one,

gentlemen and lady,
start your engines.

Tory: All right,
this is 35 mile an hour,

driver's passed out.

Here we go,
in three, two, one, go.

[ Tires screech ]

All right.
We are at 35 miles an hour.

And commence passing out.

Narrator: Look, mom...
No hands and no feet...

Making this officially
an out-of-control vehicle...

Tory: Here we go.

Which is Grant's cue

to first nose his way
in front...

Ohh!

Before slowing down.

And it's easy-peasy,
brakes-a-squeezy

as he manages to haul kari in.

Kari: And stop.

[ Grant laughs ]

You did it.
You stopped us.

That was a little rough,
but it worked.

It totally worked,
at 35 miles an hour, too.

All right.
What's next?
Faster.

All right, let's take it
up to 55 miles an hour,

freeway speed.

Let me point this out.

The bumper
of the out-of-control car

is actually underneath
the bumper of the rescue car,

and what that does
is it starts to compromise

the stability of the rescue car,

making it even harder
to rescue the person.

Narrator: The 35-mile-an-hour,
no-hands test is down.

Now they're about to
up the danger to freeway speed.

Kari: For this next test,

there's gonna be
a little more jeopardy here

because that all is great as
long as you're going straight.

We're gonna be passed out
at the wheel.

The alignment's not amazing
on this salvaged vehicle,

and we're going
double the speed.

Tory: Here we go,
in three, two, one, go.

Narrator: 55...
Plus different-height bumpers...

Plus dodgy alignment.

Oh, and no hands, either.

30 miles an hour.

55 miles an hour.

This is too exciting
to pass out.

But here we go.

Kari: This is actually
kind of scary.
I know.

All right.
We're passing out.

Hand is off of the wheel.

With kari comatose
behind the wheel,

Grant brakes in front.

If he's a whisker off
dead center,

one car or other could spin out.

It's a totally tricky maneuver.

Here we go. Oh.

Ruff:
All right! Nice work!

Grant:
Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

Uh, that was a little scary,
got to say.

It's a lot more challenging,

and at 20 miles an hour,

the corrections
are sort of gentle.

At 55, the corrections
have to be a lot faster,

and so it's hard to do it
really smooth.

But it worked. We're alive!

It worked at 55 miles an hour.

And, look, our hood is almost
underneath your bumper,

and we didn't lose control.

Narrator:
But having survived at 55,

can they let it rest at that?

What if the accelerator
were stuck...

Yeah, like, if the guy
passes out and his
foot's stuck on the gas.

Or there was some sort
of malfunction?

I like it. Add more danger
to this experiment.

All right.
Let's do it.

Narrator: Adam and Jamie
have been reflecting

on some proof-of-concept tests
at the shop.

The average ambient light
of the polished metal...

1.13 Lux.

Can you really use mirrors
to turn dark into day?

Adam:
This is more than enough light

for me to make it
through that maze.

Narrator: It's certainly a case
of "so far, so good."

But will these results scale up?

Will using the real sun
and a much larger crypt

be the making of this myth?

Well, this is the place.

Looks great.

Okay, it's not ancient Egypt...

[ Laughs ]
Shall i open it up?

Absolutely.

But treasure island
in San Francisco bay

uncovers an unexpected
underground treasure.

Well, shall we set up?

Let's turn on the house lights.

All right.
House lights up.

Well, this is our space.

Now, it's not a tomb,

but it is underground,
and it's very, very dark,

so it'll be perfect
for our testing.

Narrator: Jamie blocks out a few
spots to make total darkness.

Jamie: There we go.

Narrator: Meanwhile,
Adam's manufacturing

modern glass mirrors.

Now, I'll wager you're probably
yelling at the screen right now,

wondering why i am building
these with glass mirrors

when our polished metal mirrors

actually gave us a higher
ambient-light reading.

1.13 Lux.

This is probably easiest
to explain

if you take a look
at these two shots

our cameramen filmed
this morning.

On the left
are the polished metal mirrors.

On the right, the glass.

Now, see how the light
from the polished metal mirrors

Peters out really fast?

Compare that
to the glass mirrors,

where the light is strong

virtually all the way
to the end,

and that's what's
really important.

This myth isn't about the type
of mirror you use.

It's about bouncing
a beam of light,

and the polished metal
didn't give us that beam.

It only lasted about 15 feet
before it was diffused.

That's why the glass
is what we're using

in our full-size tomb.

Narrator:
And with that cleared up,

there's just one more
ingredient left... the sun.

Jamie:
Now all we need to do

is see if the sun's
gonna cooperate with us,

and that's actually
a pretty big if

because not only
do we have to worry

about whether we can reflect sun
into the building...

In other words, is it lined up
at a decent angle for that?...

But also, this is San Francisco,

and it's regularly
kind of foggy here.

If we have
a few too many clouds,

we're gonna be out of business.

Narrator: Yep,
without the big guy in the sky,

the tomb's doomed.

Well, i can see the sun,
but it is awfully overcast.

It is what it is.

Narrator: So, with
San Francisco's fickle weather

doing its darndest
to delay things,

Adam has a backup plan.

Adam: Have you met my sun?

It is a 7,000-watt
xenon spotlight.

I'm gonna turn it on now.

Ohh!

Look at that puppy.

Boom!

Behold!
I am the master of the sun!

[ Laughs evilly ]

Narrator:
Adam's humongous light source

gives a whopping 160,000 Lux
at 50 feet.

Adam: [ Laughs ]

That is freaking awesome.

Narrator:
But will it be bright enough

to illuminate
their colossal crypt?

Adam: I think that's right.

Narrator: To find out,

the guys will shine in
Adam's sun,

position the mirrors, and
then check the light reading,

starting now.

House lights out.

Shall we bring in the sun?

Sure. Why not?

Let's bring in
the first sunbeam.

All right.
You ready for it?

I'm ready for it.
Bring it on.

Okay, here it comes.

There it is.

Narrator: Just like the movie,
they're using six mirrors,

all of which
are around 35 feet apart.

Doink!
Man, that's bright.

Dude, that is, like,
a two-foot laser beam.

Going for mirror number four.

Nice.

All right.
There it is.

That's as good as it gets.

Going for the last mirror.

Okay.
Coming down.

Zoop!

That's it. You're in.

* ta-da!

And there we go.

That works pretty good.

I swear, I'm gonna go out
on a limb

and say this room is nicely lit.

I can move through the antiques
without hurting anything.

Easily.

Look, nobody can say
that we didn't accurately match

the look and behavior of
this technique in the film.

Yep. It looks
just like the tomb.

Narrator: It's a good start,

but what does
the all-important data say?

All right.
Let's take a reading.

Okay, i got it.

Well, it turns out

that bigger
is absolutely better.

Going full-scale
with our mirrors

is yielding an ambient-light
reading in this room

of 2.3 Lux.

And when you're in this room,

you can totally carefully make
your way among the artifacts

without any difficulty at all.

By both an objective
and an empirical standard,

the theory behind this technique
is totally sound.

Narrator: In fact,
it's over five times brighter

than the minimum level
they determined earlier,

and that's very good news
for the myth...

Except for one little thing.

Jamie:
Going full-scale and using
an artificial light source,

we were able
to very closely replicate

what we saw in the movie.

But this story
is about using the sun.

Narrator: Jamie's right,

but luckily, the long-lost sun's
finally put in a show,

so let there be light.

The question is,
will it be enough light

for an archaeologist
such as me or Mr. hyneman

to be able to move through a
tomb without breaking anything?

Narrator: Coming right up,

it's runway
runaway motor mayhem.

Grant: Ohh! Yeah!

Don't try anything
you're about to see at home.

We're what you call
"experts."

Narrator: Can you really bring
an out-of-control car to a stop

with a dangerous game
of bumper cars?

So far, so good.
Yeah.

It turns out, you can slow down
a coasting car

using this technique.

But now i think it's time
to ramp things up.

By seeing what happens
when the driver

has their foot jammed
on the accelerator.

This is gonna be
a whole nother experience,

because now that
the accelerator's stuck,

this car's not gonna
want to stop.

Narrator:
So, back at Alameda runway,

it's pedal to the metal,
literally.

And for that,
Tory's going green,

because this time,
he's doing the rescuing.

Tory: All right.
Time to go save some lives.

I hope
they don't wreck my paint job.

Narrator: This time, he's going
for highway high speed.

For this next test,
what I'm being asked to do

is to depress the accelerator
as if it is stuck

and then take my hands
off the wheel.

At no time should i take my foot
off the accelerator.

Totally counterintuitive
and kind of scary.

We're about to stop a car

going 75 miles an hour
out of control

with another car.

Buckle up.
It's about to get real.

Grant:
In three, two, one, go!

[ Tires screech ]

Narrator: With both cars
accelerating to 75...

70 miles an hour.

Kari, again, lets go
of the wheel...

Hands off the wheel.

But keeps her foot on the gas.

Tory: Looks like those guys
are out of control!

Narrator:
Tory gets in position

and then starts
pumping the brakes.

Hunh! Ohh!

[ Tires screech ]

Narrator: At this speed, the
cars rapidly head off course.

With the fence
getting ever closer...

Oh [Bleep]

Tory's wheels lock up,
and he veers off.

Fortunately, he recovers...

Just in time.

Grant: Ha!

That was hairball.
Dude.

I had both feet on the brakes,

and i still wasn't stopping.

We saw we were getting closer
and closer to the gate.

I'm like, "oh, man."

I was like, "oh, I'm gonna
push him through the fence."

Narrator: Without doubt,
it was the hardest rescue yet,

as Tory's smoking tires attest.

But he did pull it off.

What i think we learned
from this, though,

is that you can stop a car
even going 70 miles an hour.

Unless we're gonna do this whole
thing at 100 miles an hour,

i think we have to call it.

This one is confirmed.

Totally confirmed.
Confirmed.

[ Groans ]

Narrator: Confirmed it is,

but not something
you should try at home.

[ Tires screech, crash ]

Now, most people
would call it quits,

but kari's got an appetite
for more.

So, this rescue myth
has reminded me

of a technique I've heard of
that I've always wanted to try

where you actually can sandwich
a car with two cars

to slow it down.

Oh, so they wedge
the runaway car

and use friction
to bring it to a stop.

A car sandwich.

That sounds dangerous.
I love it.

Narrator:
So, hungerin' for more action,

Grant and Tory are about to put
the squeeze on kari's car.

Tory:
So, we showed that it's possible

to stop an out-of-control car
with another car,

but now we're back
at the Alameda runway,

and this time, we're gonna try
to stop an out-of-control car

with two cars.

We're making a car sandwich.

Basically, this thing
we're about to do right here...

This is the most dangerous thing
we're gonna do all week.

Narrator: You heard right.

If they overcook
this sandwich maneuver,

kari's toast.

So far, I've been able
to handle this,

but i noticed
that i put my seat belt on

just a little bit tighter
for this one.

Grant: In three, two, one.

Narrator:
Most sane people would see this

as a seriously crazy thing
to try...

Kari driving
with stuck accelerator,

no hands, at silly speed...

And they'd be right.

There's a real danger here

of one, two,
or all three cars rolling.

Grant and Tory pull alongside,
move closer, and...

[ Tires screeching ]

Well, you can see the result.

Tory: Whoo-hoo-hoo!

[ Grant laughs ]

Oh, my god! It worked!

[ Laughter ]

Oh, my gosh!
It worked!

It was ugly,
but i think it worked.

Tory:
We stopped an out-of-control
car with two cars.

Kari: Oh, my god.
It's working!

Tory: I would have to say
that's working.

Kari: It definitely was
successful in stopping the car.

But, man,
i think we could do this better.

I mean, this was super clumsy.

[ Tires screech ]

Narrator:
And having survived that rescue,

kari's throwing down
the gauntlet

for a custom-built challenge.

Why don't you guys
figure out a better way

to stop
the out-of-control vehicle?

What if both of you go off

and come up with your own ways
to stop a car,

and I'll give you a challenge

as a really out-of-control
vehicle?

You like being out of control,
don't you?

Narrator: Next up, will
tut's tomb ever see daylight?

Jamie: That is intense.

Narrator:
Back on treasure island,

the San Francisco sun
is finally smiling

on Jamie and Adam's
test setup...

I'm in the door.

Meaning they can finally
attempt a real-world test

using their large tomb
and the real sun.

Jamie: Yeah, baby!

The problem is,
unlike all their other tests,

they can't just point the sun
straight inside.

I think we're set.
Should we bring in the sun?

Let's bring it in.

Okay.
House lights out.

Instead,
they have to bounce it in,

courtesy of
a primary mirror outside.

Jamie:
Wow. Look at that.

I'm gonna go
for the first mirror.

Okay.

But once that's sorted...

That is intense.

We got a beam in the room.
Here i am.

Here it comes.

It's then back
to the tricky task

of aligning all the mirrors...

[ Laughs ] Okay.

That's pretty good.

Look at that.
It's actually working.

One by one...

Going for mirror two.

Oh, right.
Mirror two.

Until the end target is lit.

Mirror three.

Ohh!

There we go.

That's beautiful.
All right.

I'm gonna bring it in
on our last target.

And there it is.

[ Laughs ] Perfect.

That is fantastic.

This is the best yet.

I can totally see things
in here.

But what are the Lux levels?

2.51 Lux.

That's amazing.
That's really bright.

They've cracked it.

Six times brighter
than the minimum eye level,

enough to put a smile
on Adam's dial...

Well, briefly.

Adam:
We're losing our beam.
Yeah, we are.

You know
what the problem is.
What?

The sun's moving.

The relationships have all
changed a little bit, Jamie.

Have they?
Yeah.

The sun's moved off the primary,

which means the aim on the
secondary is a little bit off.

As the sun moves
off the primary mirror,

it kicks all the others
out of kilter.

And the sun's moved again.

I'm gonna kick the primary
one more time.
Okay.

And for lighting up a tomb,
that is a problem.

Jamie:
The thing about using the sun

is that the earth
is rotating on its axis

and it's also rotating
around the sun,

which means
that from our perspective,

the sun is moving all over
the place across the sky.

So you can't really expect

to be able to aim
a beam of light using a mirror

at a specific spot

without constantly adjusting it

to accommodate
for the sun's movement.

Narrator: And its movement
is surprisingly fast.

Adam: With this much distance
on these mirrors,

the amount the sun's moving
on the last one

is like inches per minute.

Well, it works, but only for
about three minutes at a time

before the sun moves.

The mirrors are static.
They don't move dynamically.

But the sun does, and as the sun
moves through the sky,

it changes its geometry
on the primary mirror,

which changes the geometry

on all the other mirrors
in this room.

They'd have to be moved
dynamically

throughout the whole thing
to keep this room lit.

So, because of that,
i don't feel like

we've really seen the theory
behind this technique

work as well as it could.

Narrator:
Yep, and that's something that
didn't happen in the movie.

But before the sun sets
on this myth,

Jamie's got one little trick
up his sleeve.

Kari, Grant, and Tory
have confirmed the myth.

You can stop an out-of-control
car with another

with a brake-and-bumper
technique...

[ Tory laughs ]

plus that crazy sandwich combo.

[ Grant laughs ]

Now, kari's set the boys
a challenge...

To come up with a custom-built
device to stop a car.

Grant: Ramming speed.

"Challenge."
Ahh. Such a nice ring to it.

So, with a mix of metal
and midnight oil later...

Perfect.

They come up with a typical

ingenious
"mythbusters" solution.

Yeah.

Now they're ready
to reveal all...

Come on, you guys!
Try and stop me!

Narrator: Grant first.

To address kari's challenge

to come up with a better way
to stop a car,

i have this.

These paddles mount underneath
the front bumper of each car.

Employing the sandwich
technique, we'll come in,

and they will allow us
to control the runaway car

and bring it to a safe stop.

All right.

See, the other car's bumper
comes in like this.

We don't have to get
so far in front,

so there's no chance
of spinning out,

and we just lock you in
with an "l" shape

and slow you down.

Sounds good on paper.

Sounds bad when that's through
the grille of the car.

[ Chuckles ]

Narrator:
As for Tory's approach...

All you need to do is get
your car going really fast

and then rear-end the car
that's out of control.

The whole idea here is that you
harpoon the car in front of you.

Once you are inside the car,
you release that hook.

Kari: Really?
This is your idea?

It might give you whiplash,
but it should stop your car.

Your idea of a safe stop
is to shank me?

More like harpooning.

Narrator: Next,
custom-built-car craziness.

Kari: Nothing about it
seems like a good idea.

Narrator:
It's crunch time at Alameda.

Grant's sandwich-maker machine
is warmed up...

[ Engine revs ]

ready to save kari.

Kari: Ready to drive.

Grant: Three, two, one, go.

[ Tires screech ]

Narrator:
Grant's ingeniously bolted bars

to the front of each car...

Kari: 40.

50. Here they come.

Narrator: To act like
a barrier to stop kari's car.

Now, it may look crazy...

Kari: Whoa!

[ Tires screech ]
[ Grant laughs ]

but it's blitzed the job.

Grant: Whoo!
Tory: Gotcha.

Whoo!

Gotcha!

That was beautiful!

That worked so much better
than the original sandwich.

Oh, my god.
We totally got you.

That was awesome.

Grant, your method is safer.

Nice work.
Thank you. Thanks.

Now if we can only
get the cars apart.

Are we gonna have
to drive them home like this?

I get to a constant speed,
take my hands off the wheel,

and watch the cars
on either side of me

start to close in
very, very quickly.

They slam at the same time.

My bumper
hits the front paddles,

and they actually
are slowing me down.

I smell rubber burning,
but I'm coming to a stop.

It's amazing.

Narrator:
And if that wasn't scary enough,

then there's the harpoon.

This is a new technique.

This is more
of a stabbing, hooking,

and then using
the weight of the vehicle

to slow
the out-of-control car down.

This plan... nothing about it
seems like a good idea.

Harpooning the back of my car,
ramming it as hard as you can...

Who comes up
with this kind of idea?

Only a crazy person.

I think we're set.

Narrator: It's a simple plan...
Get up behind kari's car,

crash into the trunk,
slam on your brakes.

What could possibly go wrong?

Tory:
Three, two, one, go.

Yeah!

The runway road warrior
sets out, ready to rescue.

Grant: This is Tory and Grant
in harpoon rescue in pursuit.

Okay, hands off the wheel.
Go for it, man!

Here we go!

Narrator:
Kari's car is skewered.

Now, on the sophistication
scale, it's crafty.

As for the all-important
results rating, it's a hit.

Grant: Is it working?
Tory: It's working!

Yeah!

Kari: It's working!

Can't believe it's working!

Yeah!

Nice!

Good job!

Kari: I can't believe
that worked!

Tory:
The rear spear!

Dude, that's awesome!

It stopped the car
out of control!

Okay, we're gonna have
to take both of these
ideas and patent them

so that we can sell them
back to the highway patrol,

because that's amazing.

I think there are some
law-enforcement people

who would be very interested
in talking to us.

The harpoon technique worked.

Kari took off at 50 miles
an hour. I caught up with her.

It didn't take much to punch
through the back of her car

and hook it.

[ Laughter ]

I came to a stop,
she came to a stop.

Kari: Yeah!
Grant: Nice!

I have to say that stopping
a car with another car

has been very successful.

We've gotten in front
of the runaway car

and applied our brakes
and safely stopped it

at speeds in excess
of 70 miles per hour.

We've come up to the side
and sandwiched the car

using plates
welded to our front bumpers.

And finally, we've deployed
a crazy harpoon-like spear

to punch into the trunk
of the runaway car

and drag it to a stop.

It just goes to show...

If you have a runaway car,
call the mythbusters.

Actually, no,
you should call the police.

[ Tires screech ]

Narrator: Back at tut h.Q.
On treasure island,

Jamie's not quite done testing
Lux levels.

There's one other thing
I'd like to try.

You're gonna like it.
All right. Let's do it.

In their earlier
small-scale tests,

Jamie made an ambient-light
level breakthrough.

Jamie: The goal of all this

is to raise the ambient-light
level in a room.

And mirrors alone
aren't gonna cut it.

That light needs to hit
something that scatters it.

Narrator: So now,
in their full-size, sunlit tomb,

he's itching to see if
this scatter theory will scale.

Turn off your head lamp
and check this out.

[ Laughs ]
That's beautiful!

And you thought i didn't know
how to light up a room.

I stand corrected.
Let's take a reading.

Okay.

Maximum.

All right.
Moving away.

Average Lux... 8.62 Lux!

Whoo for Jamie's shirt.

Amazingly,
with this reflective scattering,

Jamie's whiter-than-white shirt

has given
the maximum light reading

for the entire experiment.

Adam's gobsmacked.

Adam: Well, it turns out that
Jamie's starched white shirt

provides almost three times as
much ambient light in this space

as the next best technique
of everything that we've tried.

Narrator: And Jamie's reaction?
Well, this is Jamie.

Jamie: A mirrored surface
is gonna be your best bet

to get light into a room
because it's very directional.

But if you want
to actually light the room

once that light gets in there,

you're best off if it hits
a surface like my white shirt

because the white
isn't so directional.

It's gonna spread the light and
raise your ambient-light level.

How do you want to wrap this up?

In theory, it's plausible,

because the sun's rays
did, in fact,

provide enough ambient light
to move around in the room.

I agree. Plausible.

But totally impractical.

First of all, the sun moves,
so you only get that light

for about 3 1/2 minutes

before you have
to shift everything.

And the idea
that all those mirrors

would sit around for 3,000 years

and be ready
to light up that room...

Totally ridiculous.

Yeah.

Plausible but ridiculous.
Yeah.

Want to know
why we did what we did

and why we didn't do
what we didn't?

Go to discovery. Com/
mythbustersaftershow

and check it out.