Street Science (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - No Gravity, No Problem - full transcript

Delaney: YOU KNOW THE EXPRESSION...

SEE A PENNY, PICK IT UP, ALL THE DAY,

YOU'LL HAVE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OF GOOD

OR BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN TO
YOU BECAUSE LUCK DOES NOT EXIST

AND IT ALL COMES DOWN TO SCIENCE.

WE'RE TAKING OUR CHANCES TO FIND OUT

IF WE CAN DEFY GRAVITY... All: WHOA!

DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?

Delaney: ...THROW WEIGHT
AROUND WITHOUT INJURY...

ONE, TWO, THREE.

...MAKE A BRAIN-BUSTING SMOKE BUBBLE...



♪♪

MASTERFUL. LOOK AT THAT.

Man: OH, MY... AH, YEAH!

♪♪

MY NAME IS KEVIN DELANEY.

I'VE BEEN SHOWING OFF THE
MAGIC OF SCIENCE FOR YEARS,

EVERYWHERE FROM MUSEUMS
TO LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOWS.

SCIENCE IS ALL AROUND US,
AND I WANT THE WORLD TO SEE IT,

SO I'M COMBINING EVERYDAY ELEMENTS

IN WAYS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.

[ SCREAMING ]

I'VE GOT A TEAM OF EXPERTS
AND HIGH-TECH CAMERAS

THAT WILL REVEAL THE
SCIENCE THAT SURROUNDS US

IN WAYS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.



I'M TAKING SCIENCE TO THE STREETS.

THIS IS "STREET SCIENCE."

♪♪

WE INTERACT WITH ALL KINDS OF
FORCES WE CAN'T SEE EVERY DAY,

STARTING WITH THE GRAVITY
THAT KEEPS US ON THE GROUND...

♪♪

...AND CENTRIPETAL FORCE

THAT KEEPS US FROM FLYING OFF THE ROAD.

AND, OF COURSE, DARREN DYK
IS AFFECTED BY HIS UNDYING LOVE

FOR SLOW-MOTION SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS,

WHICH FORCES HIM TO
FOLLOW ME WHEREVER I GO.

TODAY, DARREN AND I ARE
HEADING INTO A SMALL TOWN

TO LOOK FOR SOME
RECRUITS TO HELP INVESTIGATE

THE INVISIBLE FORCES THAT SURROUND US.

OH! THERE'S A PENNY.

OH! LUCKY.

YOU KNOW THE EXPRESSION
...SEE A PENNY, PICK IT UP,

ALL THEY DAY, YOU'LL HAVE AN
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OF GOOD

OR BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN TO YOU

BECAUSE LUCK DOES NOT EXIST
AND IT ALL COMES DOWN TO SCIENCE.

WHAT DOES A PENNY HAVE TO DO WITH SCIENCE?

LET'S GO FIND A COAT HANGER. I'LL SHOW YOU.

♪♪

SO, I SUPPOSE THIS WOULD BE

A GOOD PLACE TO FIND A LOT OF HANGERS, HUH?

YEAH, AND WE SHOULD
PROBABLY WASH OUR CLOTHES.

PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA, HUH?

HELLO, GUY.

THIS IS KIND OF A WEIRD REQUEST.

MAY I BORROW A HANGER... FOREVER?

Man: SURE, I'VE GOT PLENTY OF THEM.

GREAT. HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING?

VERY GOOD, BUT I'M SURE
THAT'LL BE ON MY BILL.

WELL... WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?

IT MIGHT COST THIS MUCH.

CAN YOU IDENTIFY THESE TWO OBJECTS?

YES, I CAN. WHAT ARE THEY?

HANGER. PENNY. OKAY.

DO YOU THINK THERE'S ANY POSSIBLE WAY

THAT I COULD BALANCE
THIS PENNY ON THIS HANGER

AND THEN SPIN IT AROUND A BUNCH
WITHOUT THE PENNY FALLING OFF?

I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT HAPPEN.

♪♪

SON OF A GUN.

UNBELIEVABLE.

UNBELIEVABLE.

WOW.

Delaney: DARREN'S SLOW-MO ALLOWS US

TO SEE THE CENTRIPETAL FORCE IN ACTION.

THIS IS THE FORCE EXERTED ON THE PENNY

TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE CIRCULAR PATH...

THE ROTATION I'M MAKING WITH THE HANGER.

THE PENNY HAS THE SAME
PRESSURE ON IT THAT YOU FEEL

WHEN YOU'RE SPUN UPSIDE
DOWN ON A ROLLER COASTER.

THE CENTRIPETAL FORCE
PUSHES YOU INTO YOUR SEAT,

EVEN WHEN THAT DIRECTION

IS OPPOSITE OF THE PULL OF GRAVITY.

THE TRICKY PART IS BALANCING
THE PENNY ON THE HANGER...

WE ACTUALLY HAVE ANOTHER
WAY TO DEMONSTRATE THIS,

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IT.

I'LL GIVE IT A SHOT.

CENTRIPETAL FORCE PREVENTS SATELLITES

FROM FLYING OUT OF THEIR ORBIT.

BUT WE WANT TO TRY TO
SEE THIS FORCE IN A WAY

THAT'S A BIT MORE DOWN TO EARTH,

SO WE'RE OFF TO A NEARBY RESTAURANT

WITH OUR NEW FRIENDS.

♪♪

THIS LOOKS GOOD.

I KNOW. WE'RE ALL HUNGRY.

WHILE THESE GUYS DIG INTO
LUNCH, DARREN MAKES SURE

THE REST OF THE DINERS ARE
PREPARED FOR OUR NEXT TEST.

SERVERS HAVE TO RUSH TO
DELIVER HUNDREDS OF DRINKS A DAY,

BALANCING THEM CAREFULLY ON TRAYS.

SPILLS ARE COMMON,
ESPECIALLY AT HIGHER SPEEDS,

BECAUSE THE DRINKS AND THE
TRAY ARE SUBJECT TO THE MOMENTUM

OF THE HUMAN BODY THAT'S CARRYING THEM,

AND THAT CAN CAUSE AN UNWANTED
TRANSFER OF KINETIC ENERGY.

I WANT TO SEE IF WE CAN
USE CENTRIPETAL FORCE

TO KEEP THE GLASSES FROM SPILLING.

DO YOU THINK YOU CAN
SWING THIS DRINK AROUND

ON THAT TRAY UPSIDE DOWN,
360-DEGREE COMPLETE CIRCLE,

WITHOUT IT FALLING ON THE GROUND?

I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M
WILLING TO TRY ANYTHING.

I'M JUST WORRIED ABOUT ALL THOSE PEOPLE.

OH, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THEM.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT THEM?

Y'ALL ARE FINE.

♪♪

BUT I'M GONNA TAKE A STEP BACK. OKAY.

ALL RIGHT. GIVE IT A SHOT.

ALL RIGHT.

OH, MY GOSH! HEY!

Delaney: WE'RE EXPLORING THE
STREETS OF ONE SMALL TOWN

IN SEARCH OF INVISIBLE FORCES.

SO FAR, SO GOOD.

CENTRIPETAL FORCE, THE
FORCE THAT IS EXERTED

TOWARD THE CENTER OF ANY CIRCULAR ROTATION,

IS IN FULL EFFECT AT THE DRY CLEANERS.

NOW ALL THESE FOLKS ARE WITH
US TO HELP RAISE THE STAKES.

DO YOU THINK YOU CAN
SWING THIS DRINK AROUND

ON THAT TRAY UPSIDE DOWN,
360-DEGREE COMPLETE CIRCLE

WITHOUT IT FALLING ON THE GROUND?

I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M
WILLING TO TRY ANYTHING.

ALL RIGHT. GIVE IT A SHOT. ALL RIGHT.

READY? HERE I GO.

All: WHOA!

WHOA!

DID THAT JUST HAPPEN? [ LAUGHS ]

♪♪

I THINK I CAN DO IT AGAIN.
I THINK I CAN DO IT AGAIN.

OTHER SIDE! OH, MY GOSH!

WOW. AND THAT'S CENTRIPETAL FORCE.

WOW. I LOVE THAT.

♪♪

TO UNVEIL THE FORCES AT
WORK, DARREN SLOWS DOWN TIME.

♪♪

SO THE LIQUID AND THE GLASS
APPEAR TO BE DEFYING GRAVITY

AS THEY SWING AROUND
IN MOTION WITH THE TRAY.

THE LIQUID... EVEN WHEN IT'S
COMPLETELY UPSIDE DOWN,

IT NEVER FALLS OUT.

HERE, CENTRIPETAL FORCE
IS ACTUALLY STRONGER

THAN GRAVITATIONAL PULL.

Pam: IT WAS REALLY COOL.

I ACTUALLY WASN'T SURE IF I COULD IT.

I WAS REALLY KIND OF NERVOUS ABOUT IT,

BUT THEN ONCE I GOT IT THE FIRST TIME,

I WANTED TO DO IT AGAIN
AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.

IT WAS REALLY VERY FUN.

SO, CENTRIPETAL FORCE IS THE FORCE

THAT KEEPS AN OBJECT MOVING

AT A UNIFORM SPEED ALONG A CIRCULAR PATH.

SO, AS LONG AS SHE DOESN'T SLOW
DOWN, IT'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE.

AND NOBODY GOT WET. NOBODY GOT WET.

NEITHER DID I. ALL RIGHT.

THIS WAS NOT A TRICK.

THANKS A LOT, PAM.

YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU.

Delaney: THERE ARE MORE
INVISIBLE FORCES TO EXPLORE,

SO WE'RE MOVING ON TO
OUR NEXT STOP IN TOWN.

AND THIS TOWN REALLY LOVES SCIENCE.

THE GROUP FROM THE
RESTAURANT IS TAGGING ALONG.

WE'VE SEEN HOW MOTION EXERTS HIDDEN FORCES.

NOW THERE'S ANOTHER KIND
OF INVISIBLE PHENOMENON

THAT I WANT TO LOOK INTO... GASES.

THE CHALLENGE WITH SHOWING GASES

IS THAT MOST OF THEM ARE INVISIBLE,

AND THEY FILL WHATEVER
CONTAINER THEY'RE IN.

SO IF YOU RELEASE A GAS INTO A ROOM,

IT DISPERSES TO FILL THE ENTIRE SPACE.

I HAVE A PLAN TO TRAP A GAS

IN A SMALL CONTAINER, LIKE A FISH TANK.

THIS BRINGS US TO A LOCAL
SEAFOOD RESTAURANT.

WE'RE GONNA PLAY A GAME.

IT'S CALLED "WHAT'S UP WITH THAT BOAT?"

I HAVE AN OBJECT HERE.

CAN ANYONE IDENTIFY THIS OBJECT FOR ME?

IT'S A FISH TANK. IS IT A FISH TANK?

CAN YOU GIVE ANY OTHER QUALIFYING TERMS

TO DESCRIBE THIS FISH TANK?

AN EMPTY FISH TANK. EMPTY FISH TANK...

INTERESTING.

IT IS NOT EMPTY, BUT NOT
EVERYTHING IS VISIBLE.

THERE'S SOMETHING IN
THERE, IT'S JUST INVISIBLE.

SO, I'M GONNA NEED SOME HELP.

KENDRA, YOU WANT TO GIVE ME A HAND?

ALL RIGHT, COME ON.

SO, WHAT DO YOU SEE
INSIDE OF THE FISH TANK?

I DON'T SEE ANYTHING
EXCEPT THAT'S A FISH TANK.

IT'S AN EMPTY FISH TANK.
THAT'S AN INTERESTING THEORY.

SO, WHAT WE'RE GONNA
DO IS WE'RE GOING TO SEE

IF THAT TINFOIL BOAT THERE

WILL FLOAT IN THIS TANK OR NOT.

DO YOU ALL THINK THIS BOAT
IS GONNA SINK OR FLOAT?

STRAIGHT TO THE BOTTOM.
I THINK IT'S GONNA SINK.

SINK, SINK... ACROSS THE BOARD, SINK.

ALL RIGHT. WHEN I TAKE THE LID OFF,

I'M GONNA PUT IT ON THE SIDE HERE.

WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO
IS KIND OF HOLD THAT BOAT

UNDERNEATH LIKE THAT

AND GENTLY LOWER IT DOWN INTO THE TANK.

OKAY.

AND THEN ONCE YOU GET
TO ABOUT THE TOP HERE,

YOU CAN LET GO OF IT.

♪♪

THREE, TWO, ONE.

♪♪

[ ALL GASPING ]

SO, IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE TANK NOW?

OBVIOUSLY, YEAH.

[ LAUGHTER ]

THERE'S A BOAT FLOATING IN THE TANK.

YOU COULD PUT YOUR HAND IN HERE TO PROVE...

WHAT DO YOU FEEL? IT'S COLDER.

IT'S A LITTLE COOLER.
THAT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA.

YEAH. ALL RIGHT.

Kendra: IT SEEMED LIKE MAGIC.

I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT
THE BOAT ACTUALLY FLOATED.

IT JUST KIND OF SAT THERE ON TOP.

[ CHUCKLES ] IT WAS PRETTY COOL.

♪♪

Delaney: SO, WHY DOES THE
BOAT APPEAR TO FLOAT ON AIR?

WE'LL ADD DRY-ICE VAPOR TO TRY TO FIND OUT.

AND LATER,

WE PEEL BACK THE SCIENCE
BEHIND THIS WEIRD, BRAINY BUBBLE.

Delaney: WE'RE ON THE
STREETS OF THIS SMALL TOWN,

AND WE'RE GATHERING A CROWD.

THEY'RE HELPING DARREN AND ME EXPERIMENT

WITH INVISIBLE FORCES... THIS TIME, GASES.

♪♪

NOW, LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS

WHEN I TRY TO FILL THE
TANK WITH DRY-ICE VAPOR.

♪♪

SO, I HAVE A PITCHER
HERE... THIS HAS SOME SOLID

CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE
BOTTOM OF IT, DRY ICE.

SO I'M JUST GONNA POUR
THIS VAPOR INTO THE TANK.

♪♪

Dyk: SO, THE DRY-ICE VAPOR...

IT DOES NOT PENETRATE OUR INVISIBLE GAS.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE MIST ON TOP OF WATER,

SOMETHING OUT OF, LIKE, A FOLKTALE.

Delaney: SO, THIS TANK
IS ACTUALLY NOT EMPTY.

IT'S GOT A GAS IN IT CALLED
SULFUR HEXAFLUORIDE.

SO, SULFUR HEXAFLUORIDE
IS ACTUALLY AN INVISIBLE GAS

THAT IS HEAVIER THAN AIR.

SULFUR HEXAFLUORIDE,
OR SF6, IS USED EVERYDAY.

IF YOU'RE A DOG OR YOU PLAY TENNIS,

IT'S THE GAS THAT'S
USED TO FILL TENNIS BALLS.

SF6 IS ALSO USED AS A SPARK SUPPRESSANT

IN HIGH-VOLTAGE EQUIPMENT.

IT'S ONE OF THE DENSEST GASES AROUND,

WHICH MEANS MORE OF ITS MOLECULES INHABIT

A GIVEN SPACE THAN MOST OTHER GASES.

THIS MAKES SF6 A VERY HEAVY GAS.

THAT'S WHY LIGHTER GASES FLOAT ON IT.

EVENTUALLY, THE BOAT
DOES SINK TO THE BOTTOM,

AS THE GASES IN THE TANK
DISPERSE INTO THE ROOM

AND THE TANK FILLS WITH THE LIGHTER AIR

THAT WE BREATHE.

AND LIKE KENDRA NOTICED,

IT'S A LITTLE BIT LOWER TEMPERATURED.

IT'S A BIT COLDER IN THE
TANK, AND IT KIND OF FELT

ALMOST LIKE I COULD MOVE MY
HAND LIGHTER THROUGH THERE.

LIKE, IT WENT FASTER THROUGH
IT INSTEAD OF ACTUAL AIR.

IT WAS WEIRD.

SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK? Man: THAT'S AWESOME.

NOW WE KNOW WHAT FLOATS YOUR BOAT.

♪♪

NOW I WANT TO USE ANOTHER
SLIGHTLY LESS HEAVY GAS

TO TEST SOMETHING ELSE INVISIBLE...

SURFACE TENSION.

SO I'M OFF TO A LOCAL BREWERY

TO TAP INTO THEIR SUPPLY OF CARBON DIOXIDE.

♪♪

IT'S USED TO PROVIDE THE FIZZ IN THE BEER.

BUT WHEN IT'S FROZEN SOLID,
CO2 IS OFTEN CALLED DRY ICE,

AND IT'S JUST THE THING I NEED TO REVEAL

THE HIDDEN FORCE OF SURFACE TENSION.

Y'ALL, AS A BREWERY, YOU PROBABLY

GO THROUGH AN AWFUL LOT OF CO2.

A LOT OF CO2, YEAH.

SO, HERE'S A LITTLE PIECE OF DRY ICE.

WATER FREEZES AT AROUND
32 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

CARBON DIOXIDE GAS FREEZES SOLID
AT ABOUT 109 DEGREES BELOW ZERO,

SO THAT'S PRETTY COLD.

AND I WANT TO TRY TO
CAPTURE THAT SMOKE IN A BUBBLE

WITH EVERYDAY DISH SOAP.

WE'RE GONNA ALLOW ALL THIS
GAS TO GO THROUGH THIS TUBING.

WE HAVE SOME SOAP AND SOME WATER HERE.

SO, IF WE PUT A LITTLE LAYER OF SOAPY WATER

ON THE EDGE OF THIS HOSE...

ALL THAT GAS... OH, YEAH.

...WILL MAKE A COUPLE OF BUBBLES.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS BUBBLE?

IT'S THE SOAPY MEMBRANE THAT FORMS AROUND

AND ENCAPSULATES THE DRY-ICE VAPOR.

ALL THE WAY? YEP.

IT REMAINS INTACT UNTIL ITS SURFACE TENSION

IS STRETCHED TO THE POINT OF BREAKING,

OR UNTIL SOMETHING EXTERNAL LIKE DIRT

OR OIL BREAKS THROUGH IT.

BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU COAT
YOUR HANDS WITH SOAPY WATER?

LET'S SEE. LET'S TRY IT. ALL RIGHT.

OH, LOOKY THERE. OH, NICE!

AND MY MAGIC... LOOK.

Delaney: THAT LITTLE HOSE IS
FINE FOR SOME TEST BUBBLES,

BUT I HAVE A PLAN TO USE THE WHOLE JUG

AS A GIANT BUBBLE WAND.

LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN I COAT THE RIM WITH SOAP

AND THE RISING CO2 VAPOR

TESTS THE SURFACE TENSION OF THE BUBBLE.

Man: OH, MAN. MASTERFUL.

LOOK AT THAT. AH, YEAH!

THAT'S PRETTY AWESOME.

[ LAUGHS ] TRYING TO SCARE ME.

♪♪

DARREN'S SLOW-MOTION CAMERA CAPTURES

WHAT THE NAKED EYE DOES NOT...

THE SURFACE TENSION OF THE
OUTER LAYER OF THE BUBBLE

BREAKING AWAY.

♪♪

Dyk: KEVIN PUTS HIS HAND INTO THE BUBBLE

WHEN HIS HAND WAS WET,
AND THE BUBBLE WAS JUST FINE.

LIKE, THE POINT OF CONTACT WITH HIS HAND

IS NOT WHAT POPPED THE BUBBLE.

WHAT POPPED THE BUBBLE WAS
WHEN HE PULLED HIS HAND UPWARD,

CREATING A BUNCH OF SUCTION,

AND SEPARATED THE BASE OF THE BUBBLE

FROM THE RIM OF THE CONTAINER.

THAT'S WHAT ACTUALLY POPPED THE BUBBLE.

♪♪

Delaney: ULTIMATELY, THE SOAP BUBBLES

JUST AREN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO CONTAIN

THE VOLUME OF THE CO2
VAPOR THAT WE RELEASED.

BUT WHAT IF WE USED SOMETHING
STRONGER TO CONTAIN A GAS,

LIKE A BALLOON?

CAN BALLOONS FILLED WITH
THE AIR THAT WE BREATHE

SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF A PERSON?

ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY,
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU STAND

ON THE BALLOONS YOU'RE
HOLDING IN YOUR HANDS RIGHT NOW?

IT'LL POP. IT'LL POP?

EXPLOSION. EXPLOSION.

BOOM. BOOM.

STRETCH. STRETCH.

VERY GOOD. LET'S TRY IT.

EVERYBODY, PUT YOUR BALLOON ON THE GROUND,

AND THEN ON THE COUNT OF THREE,

STAND ON YOUR BALLOON WITH BOTH FEET.

♪♪

YOU ALL POPPED YOUR BALLOONS.

WHY'D YOU DO THAT?

'CAUSE YOU PUT ALL YOUR
WEIGHT DOWN ON THE BALLOON,

AND THE BALLOON WASN'T GOING TO
BE ABLE TO SUPPORT YOUR WEIGHT,

SO, OF COURSE, EVENTUALLY,

YOUR WEIGHT PUT ENOUGH
PRESSURE ON THE BALLOON

THAT THE SIDES OF THE BALLOON FAILED

AND ALL THE AIR WENT OUT THIS WAY.

NOW, WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DISTRIBUTED

ALL OF YOUR WEIGHT
EVENLY OVER THE BALLOONS?

DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD STILL POP?

HOPEFULLY, THEY WON'T POP.

WE MIGHT BE KILLING MORE BALLOONS.

ALL RIGHT. ARE YOU GUYS
READY TO GIVE IT A SHOT?

ALL RIGHT, COME AROUND
TO THE OTHER SIDE HERE...

ALL RIGHT.

...AND CAN WE BRING IN THE TABLE?

Delaney: OUR BALLOONS ARE BOXED IN

ON A 3x6 SHEET OF PLYWOOD,
AND ON TOP, AN INVERTED TABLE

RESTS DIRECTLY ON THE BALLOONS.

NOW IT'S TIME FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS

TO TEST THE STRENGTH OF THESE BALLOONS.

ALL RIGHT, RILEY. GO AHEAD AND STEP UP.

♪♪

JUSTIN.

MIKE.

♪♪

ALL RIGHT. TONY.

♪♪

SO, WHY DOES THIS WORK?

THE TABLE IS THE KEY.

IT DISTRIBUTES THE COMBINED
WEIGHT OF OVER 600 POUNDS

ACROSS ALL THE BALLOONS.

AND EVEN THOUGH IT'S
A SMALL SURFACE AREA...

JUST 3x6 FEET...

THE BALLOONS CAN HANDLE THE SMALL FRACTION

OF THE WEIGHT THAT EACH MUST BEAR.

FOR ME, IT FEELS SURPRISINGLY
STURDY AND GOOD.

I FEEL SUPPORTED.

Delaney: THE BALLOONS AND
THE AIR IN BETWEEN THEM

FORM A CLOSED SYSTEM,

WITH THE AIR BEHAVING AS A FLUID.

FLUIDS IN A CLOSED SYSTEM

FOLLOW SOMETHING CALLED PASCAL'S LAW,

WHICH SAYS WHEN AN OUTSIDE FORCE

IS APPLIED TO ONE SURFACE
OF THE CLOSED SYSTEM,

THE ENTIRE SYSTEM
EXPERIENCES THE SAME PRESSURE.

IN THIS CASE, THE AIR SPREADS
THE PRESSURE AROUND,

ALLOWING ALL PORTIONS OF THE
BALLOONS TO CARRY THE LOAD,

NOT JUST THE AREAS DIRECTLY IN CONTACT.

WELL, SHOULD WE TRY BOUNCING?

SO, ON THE COUNT OF "THREE,"
WE'LL DO "ONE, TWO, THREE,"

AND EVERYBODY JUMP... OKAY. LET'S DO IT.

...AND WE'LL SEE WHAT
HAPPENS. ARE YOU GUYS READY?

ONE, TWO, THREE.

HEY! AH!

THERE YOU GO! KEEP JUMPING.

WHA!

♪♪

Delaney: THE ELASTICITY OF THE BALLOONS

IS AT ABOUT 16 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH,

SO WHEN THE BOUNCING
INCREASES THE FORCE ON THEM

BEYOND THEIR ELASTICITY, THEY BURST.

IF WE'D LEFT A LITTLE MORE
ROOM IN THE BALLOONS,

THEY COULD HAVE HAD A FEW MORE JUMPS.

STILL, THE AIR SUPPORTS ALMOST 600 POUNDS

BEFORE ADDING THE JUMPING FORCE,

WHICH CAUSES THE BALLOONS TO BURST.

AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE
SLOW-MO, WHEN THE WEIGHT HITS

THESE BALLOONS, THEY REALLY STRETCH OUT.

♪♪

NOT TOO BAD, NOT TOO BAD.
THE BALLOON EXPERIMENT...

BY FAR THE MOST FUN, SUPER INTERACTIVE.

POPPING BALLOONS IS ALWAYS FUN.

IT'S LIKE BLOWING BUBBLES
IN SODA, IT NEVER GETS OLD.

YOU ALL HAD TO PUT AN
AWFUL LOT OF FORCE DOWN

ONTO THAT SURFACE TO
EVEN POP THOSE BALLOONS,

AND YOU HAD TO SHIFT YOUR WEIGHT AROUND

AND REALLY, REALLY WORK
AT IT TO MAKE THEM POP.

WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK? IT WAS FUN.

THE ONCE-FRAGILE BALLOON,
A SIMPLE, THIN BAG OF AIR,

CAN HOLD ALL OF YOUR WEIGHT,
AS LONG AS WE DISTRIBUTE IT

NICE AND EVENLY AMONGST
A CROWD OF BALLOONS.

♪♪

Delaney: BUT HOW MUCH DO
YOU TRUST THIS INVISIBLE FORCE?

I'VE GOT A MORE EXTREME DEMONSTRATION

TO SHOW HOW THE DISTRIBUTION
OF WEIGHT AFFECTS PRESSURE...

I HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW YOU.

♪♪

Kendra: WHOA.

WELL, THAT CHANGES THINGS. YEAH.

Delaney: ...A GOOD,
OLD-FASHIONED BED OF NAILS.

BUT CAN THIS BED OF NAILS

DISPLAY THE SAME
PROPERTIES THE BALLOONS DO?

CAN THE NAILS SUPPORT
A HUMAN IF WE DISTRIBUTE

THE WEIGHT CORRECTLY?

I SEE THAT!

AND AGAIN, THESE ARE REAL NAILS, SO...

WHOA! OH! THAT'S SHARP.

OH.

Delaney: DARREN CATCHES
THE ACTION IN SLOW MOTION.

IF THESE NAILS ARE SHARP ENOUGH

TO PIERCE THE SKIN OF AN APPLE,

ARE THEY SHARP ENOUGH TO PIERCE HUMAN SKIN?

OUR ENGINEER NICK HOUSEHOLDER
IS WILLING TO FIND OUT.

GO AHEAD AND LIE DOWN FLAT ON YOUR BACK.

ALL RIGHT.

NOW, WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK IS GONNA HAPPEN

WHEN WE BRING THOSE NAILS BACK UP?

I THINK NICK'S A DEAD MAN.

THERE'S A HOSPITAL RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.

I APPRECIATE THAT. NICK, ARE YOU READY?

I GUESS SO. JUST LAY NICE AND FLAT.

[ LAUGHS ]

AHH!

Delaney: WE'VE BEEN
EXPLORING THE INVISIBLE FORCES

THAT CAN BE FOUND IN ONE SMALL TOWN,

AND THE TOWN HAS JOINED IN.

WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT IF
WE CAN RELY ON SURFACE AREA

TO PROTECT NICK FROM SOME REAL PRESSURE...

ABOUT 4,500 SHARP NAILS
OF PRESSURE, TO BE EXACT.

DON'T WORRY. HE'S NOT NERVOUS.

AHH!

[ SPECTATORS MURMUR ]

♪♪

I'M OKAY, KEVIN. A LITTLE
POKEY, BUT NOT BAD.

IT'S VERY RELAXING. I FEEL
LIKE I COULD SLEEP HERE.

YEAH, EXACTLY. IT'S ALL RIGHT.

SO, IF NICK WERE TO STEP ON A SINGLE NAIL,

ALL OF HIS WEIGHT GOING
DOWN ON ONE NAIL POINT,

OF COURSE IT WOULD GO THROUGH HIS FOOT.

BUT SINCE HE'S EVENLY
DISTRIBUTING HIS WEIGHT

OVER LOTS OF LITTLE POINTS OF NAILS,

EACH ONE HAS TO HOLD UP
JUST A FRACTION OF HIS WEIGHT

AND HE DOESN'T FEEL IT
AT ALL, OR JUST A LITTLE BIT.

Delaney: PRESSURE IS SIMPLY
THE APPLICATION OF FORCE

OVER A PARTICULAR SURFACE AREA.

WITH MORE FORCE COMES MORE PRESSURE,

BUT WHEN WE INCREASE THE
SURFACE AREA, WE GET LESS PRESSURE.

THAT'S WHY A PERSON
WEARING A HIGH-HEELED SHOE

EXERTS MORE PRESSURE ON THE GROUND

THAN AN ELEPHANT DOES.

THIS IS JUST A MATTER
OF DISTRIBUTING WEIGHT...

IN THIS CASE, DISTRIBUTING WEIGHT ACROSS

SO MANY NAILS, THEY DON'T PIERCE THE SKIN.

IT WAS COOL TO SEE THE
BED OF NAILS IN PERSON,

BECAUSE I'VE SEEN THEM ONLINE,
BUT YOU'RE NEVER QUITE SURE

IF THEY'RE A GIMMICK OR FABRICATED.

BUT THIS WAS TOTALLY REAL.

I'M OKAY, KEVIN. I'M ALIVE.

FOR NOW.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WE
GOT OTHER STUFF TO DO TODAY.

[ LAUGHTER ]