Street Science (2017–…): Season 2, Episode 9 - Hollywood Explosions - full transcript
Kevin and his team of experts investigate the explosive power of gasoline. Using cutting-edge science experiments, they find if a tank of gas really explodes like it does in the movies and what it takes to make a Hollywood-style f...
♪♪
[ ROCK MUSIC PLAYS ]
THAT WAS A JET STREAM OF FIRE.
THINGS ARE GETTING REALLY HOT.
PUT IT OUT, YOU MONSTERS!
CAN HOLLYWOOD FIRE
BURN LIKE THE REAL THING?
-WHOA! -WHOA!
♪♪
THAT WAS NASTY.
♪♪
MY NAME IS KEVIN DELANEY.
I'VE BEEN SHOWING OFF THE
MAGIC OF SCIENCE FOR YEARS,
FROM MUSEUMS TO TALK SHOWS.
WE'RE TAKING SCIENCE TO THE STREETS
AND COMBINING EVERYDAY ELEMENTS
IN WAYS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.
I'VE GOT A TALENTED TEAM
OF ENGINEERS AND EXPERTS,
INCLUDING "THE BACKYARD
SCIENTIST" HIMSELF...
WAIT, THAT WAS A TWIST-OFF?
...AND OUR CINEMATOGRAPHER, DARREN,
WHO USES HIGH-TECH
CAMERAS TO REVEAL THE SCIENCE
THAT SURROUNDS US IN WAYS
YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
Dyk: THAT'S GNARLY.
THIS IS "STREET SCIENCE."
[ SPAGHETTI-WESTERN
MUSIC PLAYS, WHIP CRACKS ]
IN THE MOVIES, THE VILLAIN DROPS A MATCH
ONTO A TRAIL OF LEAKING GASOLINE...
♪ [WHISTLING] ♪
FIRE RACES DOWN THE LINE,
AND THE HERO BARELY ESCAPES.
BUT WE WANT TO KNOW: IS
THAT JUST SPECIAL EFFECTS,
OR CAN A PERSON REALLY
OUTRUN GASOLINE ON FIRE?
♪♪
BEFORE WE BREAK OUT THE GASOLINE,
WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT HOW
FAST A PERSON CAN ACTUALLY FLEE.
WE'RE AT A LOCAL TRACK TO
TIME A PERSON ON A BICYCLE,
A TOY CAR, AND A PERSON ON FOOT.
ANNE-LISE IS GONNA RUN,
DARREN'S GOT A BIKE, NICK HAS HIS TOY CAR;
AND THEN KEVIN KOHLER,
THE BACKYARD SCIENTIST,
IS REPRESENTING GASOLINE, SO.
I'M JUST GONNA LIGHT IT ON FIRE.
-EXACTLY, EXACTLY. -THERE YOU GO.
-ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO.
♪♪
I'LL BE KEEPING TIME AS THEY
RACE DOWN THIS 50-FOOT TRACK.
TO MAKE SURE I DON'T MISS A FINISH,
EACH WILL LIGHT A BUTANE-FILLED BALLOON
AS THEY CROSS THE LINE.
ALL RIGHT, DARREN. YOU READY?
-YEAH. I AM. -ALL RIGHT. GO AHEAD.
LIGHT THAT FLARE, MAN.
WORD.
[ HISSING ]
THREE. TWO. ONE. GO.
♪♪
Woman: YOU GOT IT.
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
COME ON, COME ON, COME ON.
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
4:19.
DARREN'S TIME TO GO 50 FEET
ON A BIKE WAS 4.19 SECONDS.
THAT'S JUST OVER 8 MILES PER HOUR.
-OHHH. -NICE.
-NOT TOO BAD.
LET'S SEE HOW FAST NICK'S
RADIO-CONTROLLED CAR WILL GO.
MODEL CARS WERE OFTEN USED
AS PRACTICAL EFFECTS IN MOVIES
BEFORE THE ADVENT OF COMPUTER IMAGERY.
THIS OUGHTA BE FUN.
NEXT UP, NICK. YOUR LITTLE TOY CAR.
ARE YOU READY? -READY.
ALL RIGHT. THREE. TWO.
ONE. GO. -Woman: I'M SO NERVOUS.
♪♪
[ BEEPING ]
-OH. OH. -AAAAAAAH!
-OH. -AGH!
[ CHUCKLE ]
♪♪
SO, FAR, YOU'RE AT 22 SECONDS.
[ LAUGHTER ]
♪♪
NICK SOLVES THE BALANCE
PROBLEM CAUSED BY THE FLARE.
-GIVE THE FLARE A SECOND. -SURE, SURE.
AND ME A SECOND TO CALM MY NERVES.
[ LAUGHTER ]
OKAY. READY? THREE. TWO.
ONE. GO.
♪♪
Man: HE'S GOT IT. -Woman: OH. OH.
Woman #2: OH OH OH OH! -OH!
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
4.45.
SO FAR, YOU'RE DEFINITELY
BETTER OFF ON A BIKE
THAN ON A TOY CAR,
WHICH ONLY REACHED 7.5 MILES PER HOUR.
BUT THE MOST COMMON MOVIE
SCENARIO IS A PERSON ON FOOT.
LET'S SEE HOW FAST ANNE-LISE CAN RUN.
[ HISSING ]
♪♪
Man: WHOA-OA! -ENH.
THREE. TWO.
ONE. GO.
♪♪
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
Woman: YEAH!
ANNE-LISE'S SPEED WAS 12 MILES PER HOUR.
SO FAR, ANNE-LISE HAS THE FASTEST TIME,
BUT WILL BURNING GASOLINE BE FASTER?
THE FIRE WILL TRAVEL DOWN THIS METAL TROUGH
THAT THE BUILD TEAM BROUGHT.
SO, KEVIN, YOU READY? -I'M READY.
ALL RIGHT. GASOLINE.
-I BELIEVE IN IT. -ALL RIGHT. ME TOO, MAN.
I THINK THE WINDS ARE
IN MY FAVOR RIGHT NOW.
[ LAUGHTER ] I HOPE SO. I HOPE SO.
-I GOT THIS. -GO FOR IT.
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]
KEVIN KOHLER FILLS THE
TROUGH WITH GASOLINE.
♪♪
-THERE YOU GO. -ALL RIGHT.
Woman: OKAY. -AND WE'RE OFF TO THE RACES.
THREE. TWO.
ONE. GO.
♪♪
[ HISSING ] Woman: OH, IT'S SLOW!
Woman #2: OOH! -Man: OHH.
[ WHIMSICAL TUNE PLAYS ]
-SERIOUSLY? -WOW.
THAT WAS NOT EXPECTED.
THE FUN PART'S COMING, THOUGH.
Woman: GO.
-OOH! [LAUGHTER] -THERE YOU GO.
THE GASOLINE'S TIME?
10.79 SECONDS.
ABOUT 3 MILES PER HOUR.
OHHH!
THIS WAS A SURPRISE. I
WAS ABSOLUTELY FLOORED
THAT THE GASOLINE TOOK SO LONG.
I WAS SO USED TO LIKE SEEING
ACTION-MOVIE EXPLOSIONS
AND THEY'RE ALWAYS LIKE ALMOST INSTANT.
♪♪
Delaney: THE GASOLINE BURNS
AT JUST 3 MILES PER HOUR,
EASILY LOSING OUT TO ALL
THREE OTHER COMPETITORS.
EVEN NICK'S TOY CAR, AT 7.5 MILES PER HOUR,
WAS MORE THAN TWICE AS
FAST AS THE TRAIL OF GASOLINE.
BUT I GUESS THAT MEANS
THAT, IF YOU ARE EVER
IN AN ACTION FILM AND YOU
NEED TO RUN AWAY FROM A VILLAIN
WHO JUST THREW SOME SORT
OF IGNITION SOURCE ONTO...
-JOG LIGHTLY. -A LINE OF GASOLINE,
YOU CAN JOG SLOWLY AWAY.
3 MILES PER HOUR IS THE
SPEED OF A BRISK WALK,
SO HOW COME IT ALWAYS
SEEMS TO TRAVEL FASTER
AND BE SO PERILOUS FOR
CERTAIN CHARACTERS IN MOVIES?
USING THE MAGIC OF EDITING, FILM SPEED,
PROFESSIONAL ACCELERANTS, AND MORE,
HOLLYWOOD CREATES DRAMATIC MOVIE MOMENTS,
ALL IN THE SERVICE OF GREAT ENTERTAINMENT.
AND THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH
FOR HANGING OUT WITH US TODAY
AND LETTING US ALMOST
SET YOUR TRACK ON FIRE.
I APPRECIATE IT, KEVIN. THANK YOU.
♪♪
WE'VE SEEN WHAT KIND
OF SPEED WE CAN ACHIEVE.
NOW, IT'S TIME TO BRING
THINGS TO A SCREECHING HALT.
LET'S SEE IF PLASTIC WRAP
IS REALLY STRONG ENOUGH
TO KEEP A CAR FROM
SPEEDING AWAY TO FREEDOM.
SOMEBODY SUPPOSEDLY PRANKED THEIR FRIEND
BY PLASTIC-WRAPPING
THEIR CAR TO A LIGHT POLE,
SO, WHEN THE PERSON TRIED TO
GET INTO THEIR CAR AND DRIVE AWAY,
IT WAS STUCK TO THE POLE.
DO YOU THINK THAT IS POSSIBLE?
YOU KNOW, I THINK IF YOU
HAVE ENOUGH OF THE STUFF,
I THINK THAT IT WOULD
PROBABLY BE ABLE TO HOLD.
SO, GUYS, WE'RE GOING PRANK RULES,
SO YOU GOTTA GET IN, GET
OUT. SO 10 MINUTES, TWO ROLLS.
YOU THINK YOU CAN DO IT?
I THINK SO. ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.
♪♪
AS ANY GOOD PRANKSTER KNOWS,
IT DOESN'T COUNT IF YOU
DON'T GET AWAY WITH IT,
SO I'M ONLY GIVING NICK
AND KEVIN 10 MINUTES
TO WRAP THIS CAR TO THE POLE,
USING THIS HEAVY-DUTY PLASTIC WRAP.
HOW ARE THEY GONNA GET INTO THEIR CAR?
"DUKES OF HAZZARD" -STYLE.
[ LAUGHS ]
♪♪
-DONE. -HEY! -DONE.
FIVE. FOUR. THREE.
-TEN. -TWO.
ONE. ERRRN!
MAN, THAT'S WAY MORE WORK
THAN YOU'D THINK IN 10 MINUTES.
I THINK I NEED TO HIT THE GYM. -[LAUGHS]
Delaney: NOW THE QUESTION IS:
WILL 2,000 FEET OF PLASTIC WRAP
BE ENOUGH TO STOP THE CAR,
OR WILL THE PLASTIC BREAK?
DO YOU ALL THINK THIS IS GOING TO WORK?
YEAH. I THINK IT'S GONNA HOLD.
♪♪
WATCH THE SEAT COVERS.
ALL RIGHT. HERE WE GO,
"DUKES OF HAZZARD" -STYLE.
♪♪
ALL RIGHT. -NOW, WE REALLY CAN'T RECOMMEND
YOU DOING THIS YOURSELF,
AS YOU MAY DAMAGE THE CAR
OR THE LIGHT POLE
OR THE PLASTIC WRAP.
ALL RIGHT, KEVIN. READY?
THREE. TWO. ONE.
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
♪♪
Delaney: WE'RE STRETCHING
THE LIMITS OF PLASTIC WRAP.
♪♪
THE BACKYARD SCIENTIST, KEVIN KOHLER,
IS BEHIND THE WHEEL. THREE. TWO. ONE.
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
KEVIN KOHLER REVS HIS CAR TO THE LIMIT,
ALMOST 5,000 RPM, AND, STILL, IT'S HOLDING.
OH, IT'S PULLING ME BACK.
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
[ WOMAN CHUCKLES ]
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
[ CHUCKLE ]
-WOW. -[LAUGHING]
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
IT WORKS! -IT WORKS!
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
SO YOU ALL WERE RIGHT. IT WORKS.
- WE WERE RIGHT.
-IT WORKED PERFECTLY. SO... -YEAH. NICE.
GOOD JOB. -YEAH.
Delaney: SO WHY DOES IT WORK?
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE TENSILE
STRENGTH OF THE PLASTIC.
TENSILE STRENGTH IS THE STRETCHING
OR ELONGATING STRENGTH OF ANY MATERIAL.
THE PLASTIC WRAP IS DESIGNED TO STRETCH,
BUT THERE IS ANOTHER REASON IT WORKS.
WHEN THEY'RE ALL LAYERED
ON TOP OF EACH OTHER,
THEY HAVE TO SLIDE PAST EACH OTHER
IN ORDER TO DO THAT STRETCHING.
WHEN IT'S STUCK ON TOP OF EACH
OTHER, IT DOESN'T WANNA MOVE
AND THAT ADDED FRICTION IS
ALL THE STRENGTH YOU NEED
TO KEEP A 2,000-POUND CAR
CONNECTED TO A LIGHT POLE.
NOW, THIS WORKED REALLY
WELL, BUT WHAT IF WE HAD
DOUBLE THE ENGINE POWER,
GOING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS,
AND, INSTEAD OF A
STATIONARY POLE LIKE THIS,
WE WERE TO WRAP TWO CARS TOGETHER?
THAT'D BE PRETTY INTERESTING TO SEE.
-LET'S FIND OUT. -SO WILL I GET TO DRIVE
THE OTHER CAR? -WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT.
NOW, WITH TWO CARS,
WE'RE DOUBLING THE POWER
THAT'S FIGHTING AGAINST THE PLASTIC WRAP,
SO THERE'S A PULLING
FORCE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS,
INSTEAD OF JUST ONE.
WHAT WE'RE TESTING IS THE TENSILE STRENGTH
OF THIS PLASTIC,
WHICH IS BASICALLY HOW MUCH
FORCE SOMETHING CAN TAKE
BEFORE IT GETS RIPPED
APART OR BROKEN IN HALF,
TEARING APART BY BEING PULLED APART.
♪♪
ALL RIGHT, GUYS. GO FOR IT.
IT'S TWO AMATEUR DRAG
RACERS WITH TWO V6 ENGINES
VERSUS 4,000 FEET OF PLASTIC WRAP.
REV UP TO 5,000.
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
♪♪
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
ALL RIGHT. RELEASE PARKING BRAKE
IN THREE, TWO, ONE!
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
♪♪
Delaney: BELIEVE IT OR NOT, KEVIN
KOHLER IS PULLING NICK'S CAR.
BUT, FINALLY, THEY BREAK THROUGH THE WRAP.
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
[ POP! ]
♪♪
[ LAUGHS ]
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
IT WAS REALLY COOL TO WATCH AND I THINK
IT HELD FOR LONGER THAN
A LOT OF US EXPECTED.
Dyk: WHAT WAS INTERESTING
IS THAT IT ACTUALLY TORE
RIGHT WHERE THE TIRE WAS.
LIKE I THINK PART OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING IS,
A, THERE WAS A LOT OF STRESS,
LIKE A LOT MORE STRESS
THAN THE PREVIOUS TIME,
BUT THERE WAS ALSO EXTRA
ADDED HEAT AND FRICTION
COMING FROM THE TIRE KIND
OF SAWING AWAY AT THE PLASTIC.
♪♪
IT WAS VERY TENSE THERE FOR A MOMENT,
BUT NOT AS TENSE AS THE PLASTIC WRAP.
THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH
AND THANK Y'ALL FOR HOSTING US.
♪♪
WE HEAR CRAZY STORIES ALL THE TIME
ABOUT PEOPLE DOING SURPRISING
AND DANGEROUS THINGS,
LIKE A PERSON WHO SPILLED
GASOLINE IN THEIR TRUNK
AND JUST A VACUUM AT THE CAR
WASH TO TRY AND CLEAN IT UP.
THIS SOUNDS LIKE A RECIPE FOR A FIREBALL.
OH, IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING
YOU'RE GOING TO TRY.
NOW IT DOES.
THIS CAR WASH DISCOURAGES
GASOLINE VACUUMING,
SO WE'RE OFF TO A MORE
CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT
TO TRY THIS EXPERIMENT,
BUT WE DO INVITE SOME FRIENDS TO WATCH.
NICK PUTS SOME GASOLINE IN THE TRUNK
AND HOOKS UP AN INDUSTRIAL VACUUM.
OUR CRASH-TEST DUMMY, SEBASTIAN,
GETS READY TO TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM.
SO WOULD YOU VACUUM
GASOLINE OUT OF YOUR CAR?
- I THINK I WOULD.
- WHO WOULDN'T VACUUM GASOLINE
OUT OF THEIR...? EVERYBODY
ELSE, PRETTY MUCH.
[ LAUGHTER ] I JUST
FEELS LIKE THERE'S HEAT,
YOU KNOW, IN A VACUUM. -YEAH.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
BUT IF YOU'RE USING THE
CAR WASH VACUUM, I MEAN...
[ LAUGHTER ] -WELL.
-GOOD POINT. -SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROBLEM.
-ALL RIGHT. Y'ALL READY? -YEAH.
ALL RIGHT.
♪♪
THREE. TWO. ONE!
[ MOTOR STARTS ]
♪♪
♪♪
SO THAT WAS KIND OF A SNAP.
YEAH. I GUESS.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO SPARKS
TO SET OFF THE GASOLINE IN THESE NEWER
VACUUM CLEANERS. -YEAH. THIS IS A NICE
NEW SHOP-VAC. SO, BUT IF
THEY UNCOVER THE WIRES,
WE MIGHT GET A DIFFERENT RESULT.
YEAH, OR THEY CAN PUT SOMETHING IN THERE
TO SPARK IT, TO MAKE IT, YOU KNOW, SIMULATE
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, IF
YOU WERE VERY UNLUCKY.
-LET'S CREATE SOME BAD LUCK. -[CHUCKLE]
-A FRAYED WIRE INSIDE AN OLDER VACUUM
WOULD CERTAINLY BE BAD LUCK.
IT WOULD SPARK AND LIGHT UP THE GAS.
SO NICK PUTS AN ELECTRIC
MATCH INSIDE OF OUR VACUUM
TO CREATE A SIMILAR SPARK.
ALL RIGHT. THREE! TWO! ONE!
[ MOTOR STARTS ]
♪♪
OH!
♪♪
Delaney: WE'RE TESTING TO FIND OUT
IF VACUUMING GASOLINE CAN CAUSE A FIREBALL.
THREE! TWO! ONE!
[ MOTOR STARTS ]
♪♪
[ WHOOSH, FLAMES CRACKLING ]
-OOH! -EH.
OHH, MAN.
[ WHOOSH ] OH!
OH, SEBASTIAN.
♪♪
THAT WAS EVERYTHING
THAT I HOPED IT WOULD BE,
WITH A GIANT FLAMETHROWER
COMING OUT OF THE EXIT NOZZLE.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I HAD IN MY MIND.
OHH! -OH.
[ LAUGHTER ]
♪♪
- OH, MY GOODNESS.
- PUT IT OUT, YOU MONSTERS!
[ LAUGHTER ]
- ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO SAVE HIM.
- THAT WAS NASTY.
[ WHOOSH, FLAMES CRACKLING ]
WHEN I SAW THE EXPLOSION, I'M LIKE, "YEAH!"
♪♪
I WAS EXPECTING A POOF, LIKE A LITTLE LIKE
PUFFBALL OF FLAMES.
THAT WAS A JET STREAM OF FIRE.
Delaney: THE SPARK CREATED
WITH THE ELECTRIC MATCH
IN THE VACUUM IGNITED THE GAS INSTANTLY.
♪♪
WHAT DID YOU DO TO SEBASTIAN?
BASICALLY, ONCE THAT IGNITION STARTED,
IT'S JUST CONSTANTLY BURNING THOSE FUMES
AND THOSE VAPORS THAT ARE COMING OUT
OF THE EXHAUST PORT. WE
KIND OF MADE OURSELVES
A VERY DANGEROUS FLAMETHROWER.
WE'VE CREATED A FIRE TRIANGLE
WITH HEAT, FUEL, AND OXYGEN,
THE THREE ELEMENTS A FIRE NEEDS TO IGNITE.
GASOLINE IS FLAMMABLE
BETWEEN 1.4% AND 7% IN THE AIR.
THE VACUUM AERATES THE GAS
AS IT COMES INTO THE CANISTER.
THEN, A FRAYED WIRE CREATES
A SPARK THAT CAUSES A FIREBALL.
TURNS OUT THAT CAN REALLY HAPPEN,
SO MAYBE DON'T VACUUM
GASOLINE OUT OF YOUR CAR.
I GUESS NOT.
♪♪
WE'RE NOT DONE TEMPTING FIRE.
CHEMIST ANNE-LISE HAS A FEW SURPRISES
FOR SOME FOLKS OUT HERE IN A LOCAL PARK.
IF I CAN HAVE YOU JUST GO AHEAD
AND DRAW A LITTLE BLACK SQUARE
-SURE THING. -ON THIS PIECE OF PAPER
AND FILL IT IN ALL THE WAY.
-ALL THE WAY? -YEP.
THAT LOOKS LIKE A PERFECT
SQUARE, NICE AND FILLED IN.
LOOK AT THAT. NICELY DONE.
I'M JUST GONNA FOLD THIS PAPER IN HALF.
♪♪
AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND USE OUR
WATER BOTTLE TO FOCUS THE BEAM.
OH, MY GOD!
-YEAH. -IT WORKED.
IT WORKED, AND THE REASON THAT WE HAD YOU
DRAW THAT BLACK SQUARE
ON THE PIECE OF PAPER
WAS BECAUSE BLACK ABSORBS
LIGHT REALLY WELL, SO.
RIGHT, AND WHEN YOU
JUST HOLD IT ON THE WHITE,
IT DOESN'T GET HOT, OBVIOUSLY. -YEAH.
Delaney: SO WHY THE SUDDEN FLAME-UP?
ANNE-LISE SNEAKED A BIT OF
HIGHLY FLAMMABLE FLASH PAPER
IN THE FOLD OF THE COPY PAPER.
THE HEAT OF THE SUN HITTING IT
WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO LIGHT IT UP.
AND THE FLASH PAPER WAS JUST FOR FUN.
FLASH PAPER WAS JUST TO SCARE ME.
[ LAUGHTER ]
♪♪
SO FAR, WE'VE SEEN THAT FIRE TAKES ITS TIME
TO TRAVEL DOWN A STREAM OF GASOLINE,
BUT IT'S QUICK TO IGNITE WHEN
MIXED WITH OXYGEN AND A SPARK.
♪♪
BUT WHAT'S THE RIGHT
MIXTURE OF GAS AND OXYGEN
TO MAKE A MOVIE-WORTHY GAS EXPLOSION?
WE'RE TESTING RATIOS OF GASOLINE TO OXYGEN.
FOR FUN, WE'RE GOING TO SEE
WHICH OF THESE CARDBOARD CARS
CREATES THE BIGGEST FIREBALL.
AND, OF COURSE, WHEN
YOU PROMISE AN EXPLOSION,
YOU'RE GOING TO DRAW A CROWD.
WE'RE PUTTING GAS TANKS INSIDE EACH CAR.
ONE TANK WILL BE FULL OF GAS,
ONE TANK WILL BE HALF-FULL,
AND THE THIRD WILL BE MOSTLY FUMES.
WE'LL SEE WHICH VOLUME OF GAS
WILL MAKE THE BIGGER EXPLOSION.
♪♪
NICK, WE HAVE DIFFERENT
AMOUNTS OF FUEL IN EACH CAR, RIGHT?
THAT'S CORRECT. WHAT DO YOU THINK'S
GONNA MAKE A BIGGER
FIREBALL: A FULL TANK OF GAS,
A HALF-TANK OF GAS, OR
JUST A TANK FULL OF FUMES?
Delaney: OUR BOMB TECH, MARK DISORTI,
PREPARES TO IGNITE
THE GAS IN THE FIRST CAR.
IN ORDER TO ATTEMPT TO
INITIATE THE GASOLINE FUMES,
WE'RE GOING TO USE WHAT
WE CALL AN ELECTRIC MATCH.
IT CONSISTS OF A BRIDGE WIRE
THAT HEATS UP AND IGNITES,
JUST LIKE STRIKING A MATCH WOULD.
THAT SHOULD INITIATE THE GASOLINE FUMES,
IF THE RATIO IS CORRECT WITH AIR.
ALL RIGHT. SO THIS IS ALMOST
EMPTY, JUST FUMES, RIGHT?
♪♪
Man: THREE. TWO. ONE.
♪♪
♪♪
Delaney: WE ARE LIGHTING UP FUMES
IN AN ALMOST-EMPTY TANK OF GAS
TO SEE HOW LARGE A FIREBALL IT WILL CREATE.
THREE. TWO. ONE.
BUT IT DIDN'T IGNITE.
E-MATCH DIDN'T WORK.
WE'RE USING AN ELECTRONIC
MATCH INSIDE THE GAS TANK
AND THERE IS NOT ENOUGH
OXYGEN TO LIGHT IT UP.
THE AIR-TO-FUEL MIX ISN'T
RIGHT, SO THE GAS ISN'T IGNITING.
BUT, WE HAVE A BACKUP:
DETONATION CORD, COMMONLY CALLED DET CORD.
IT'S A PLASTIC TUBE FILLED
WITH A HIGH-SPEED EXPLOSIVE.
GOING FOR EXPLOSIVES.
♪♪
HERE WE GO.
Man: THREE. TWO. ONE.
-OOH! -WOW!
[ CLATTERING ]
MAN!
THE CAR IS JUST GONE. [ LAUGHS ]
♪♪
WHEN YOU SET OFF A BIG EXPLOSION LIKE THAT,
IT DISTRIBUTES ALL OF THE GAS
INTO THE AIR AND THEN LIGHTS IT,
SO ONCE YOU GET THE
PERFECT RATIO OF FUEL TO AIR,
YOU GET A BIG FIREBALL.
♪♪
Delaney: THE EXPLOSION WAS CREATED
BY AN ALMOST EMPTY TANK OF GAS.
NEXT, A HALF-FULL TANK.
♪♪
I'M HOLDING OUT FOR THE BIG ONE.
ONCE AGAIN, THE MATCH
FAILS TO IGNITE THE GAS,
AND WE RESORT TO USING DET CORD.
♪♪
-WHOA! -WOW!
♪♪
THAT MADE A LEGIT MUSHROOM CLOUD.
[ LAUGHING ]
♪♪
BUT NONE OF THE MATCHES
ARE WORKING, SO WHY IS THAT?
THE FUEL-TO-AIR MIXTURE ISN'T RIGHT
TO ACTUALLY GET ANY KIND OF EXPLOSION.
IT'S WHEN WE SET OFF THE DETONATION DEVICE
UNDERNEATH, THE EXPLOSIVES GO OFF,
THEY RUPTURE THE TANK,
PUT GASOLINE EVERYWHERE,
MIX IT REALLY WELL WITH THE AIR,
AND GET A BIG OLD FIREBALL. -OH, YEAH.
♪♪
Delaney: A PROPER FUEL-TO-AIR MIXTURE
IS CRITICAL FOR COMBUSTION.
A POOR FUEL-TO-AIR RATIO, AND YOUR ENGINE
WILL DRASTICALLY AFFECT
YOUR CAR'S PERFORMANCE
BY NOT FIRING IN THE CYLINDERS.
THAT'S WHY REGULAR TUNEUPS ARE IMPORTANT.
GAS IS HARD TO IGNITE, BUT,
WHEN IT DOES, IT'S IMPRESSIVE.
♪♪
ALL RIGHT, KEVIN. THIS IS THE BIG ONE.
THIS ONE'S FULL.
I GOT MY VOTE ON THIS ONE.
Man: THREE. TWO. ONE. FIRE.
OHHH!
♪♪
[ LAUGHTER ]
Delaney: ALL THE EXCESS
FUEL FROM THE FULL TANK
KEPT BURNING, ONCE IT WAS IN THE AIR,
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HARD TO IGNITE.
ONCE THIS FUEL TANK LIT UP,
THE EXPLOSION BURNED
BIGGER, BLACKER, AND LONGER,
SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE
WAS THAT MUCH MORE FUEL.
IT WAS ABSOLUTELY INSANE-LOOKING,
ONE OF THE COOLEST
EXPLOSIONS THAT WE'VE DONE.
♪♪
SO I GUESS IT'S NOT AS
EASY TO LIGHT UP GASOLINE
WITH A MATCH AS THEY
SAY IT IS IN THE MOVIES.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!
THE MOVIES DID SOMETHING NOT REAL.
NO! YOU HAVE TO HAVE
A PERFECT RATIO OF FUEL TO OXYGEN
IN ORDER TO ACTUALLY GET A BIG FIREBALL.
LITTLE OF HIGH EXPLOSIVE
DOESN'T HURT, THOUGH.
♪♪
[ ROCK MUSIC PLAYS ]
THAT WAS A JET STREAM OF FIRE.
THINGS ARE GETTING REALLY HOT.
PUT IT OUT, YOU MONSTERS!
CAN HOLLYWOOD FIRE
BURN LIKE THE REAL THING?
-WHOA! -WHOA!
♪♪
THAT WAS NASTY.
♪♪
MY NAME IS KEVIN DELANEY.
I'VE BEEN SHOWING OFF THE
MAGIC OF SCIENCE FOR YEARS,
FROM MUSEUMS TO TALK SHOWS.
WE'RE TAKING SCIENCE TO THE STREETS
AND COMBINING EVERYDAY ELEMENTS
IN WAYS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.
I'VE GOT A TALENTED TEAM
OF ENGINEERS AND EXPERTS,
INCLUDING "THE BACKYARD
SCIENTIST" HIMSELF...
WAIT, THAT WAS A TWIST-OFF?
...AND OUR CINEMATOGRAPHER, DARREN,
WHO USES HIGH-TECH
CAMERAS TO REVEAL THE SCIENCE
THAT SURROUNDS US IN WAYS
YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
Dyk: THAT'S GNARLY.
THIS IS "STREET SCIENCE."
[ SPAGHETTI-WESTERN
MUSIC PLAYS, WHIP CRACKS ]
IN THE MOVIES, THE VILLAIN DROPS A MATCH
ONTO A TRAIL OF LEAKING GASOLINE...
♪ [WHISTLING] ♪
FIRE RACES DOWN THE LINE,
AND THE HERO BARELY ESCAPES.
BUT WE WANT TO KNOW: IS
THAT JUST SPECIAL EFFECTS,
OR CAN A PERSON REALLY
OUTRUN GASOLINE ON FIRE?
♪♪
BEFORE WE BREAK OUT THE GASOLINE,
WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT HOW
FAST A PERSON CAN ACTUALLY FLEE.
WE'RE AT A LOCAL TRACK TO
TIME A PERSON ON A BICYCLE,
A TOY CAR, AND A PERSON ON FOOT.
ANNE-LISE IS GONNA RUN,
DARREN'S GOT A BIKE, NICK HAS HIS TOY CAR;
AND THEN KEVIN KOHLER,
THE BACKYARD SCIENTIST,
IS REPRESENTING GASOLINE, SO.
I'M JUST GONNA LIGHT IT ON FIRE.
-EXACTLY, EXACTLY. -THERE YOU GO.
-ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO.
♪♪
I'LL BE KEEPING TIME AS THEY
RACE DOWN THIS 50-FOOT TRACK.
TO MAKE SURE I DON'T MISS A FINISH,
EACH WILL LIGHT A BUTANE-FILLED BALLOON
AS THEY CROSS THE LINE.
ALL RIGHT, DARREN. YOU READY?
-YEAH. I AM. -ALL RIGHT. GO AHEAD.
LIGHT THAT FLARE, MAN.
WORD.
[ HISSING ]
THREE. TWO. ONE. GO.
♪♪
Woman: YOU GOT IT.
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
COME ON, COME ON, COME ON.
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
4:19.
DARREN'S TIME TO GO 50 FEET
ON A BIKE WAS 4.19 SECONDS.
THAT'S JUST OVER 8 MILES PER HOUR.
-OHHH. -NICE.
-NOT TOO BAD.
LET'S SEE HOW FAST NICK'S
RADIO-CONTROLLED CAR WILL GO.
MODEL CARS WERE OFTEN USED
AS PRACTICAL EFFECTS IN MOVIES
BEFORE THE ADVENT OF COMPUTER IMAGERY.
THIS OUGHTA BE FUN.
NEXT UP, NICK. YOUR LITTLE TOY CAR.
ARE YOU READY? -READY.
ALL RIGHT. THREE. TWO.
ONE. GO. -Woman: I'M SO NERVOUS.
♪♪
[ BEEPING ]
-OH. OH. -AAAAAAAH!
-OH. -AGH!
[ CHUCKLE ]
♪♪
SO, FAR, YOU'RE AT 22 SECONDS.
[ LAUGHTER ]
♪♪
NICK SOLVES THE BALANCE
PROBLEM CAUSED BY THE FLARE.
-GIVE THE FLARE A SECOND. -SURE, SURE.
AND ME A SECOND TO CALM MY NERVES.
[ LAUGHTER ]
OKAY. READY? THREE. TWO.
ONE. GO.
♪♪
Man: HE'S GOT IT. -Woman: OH. OH.
Woman #2: OH OH OH OH! -OH!
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
4.45.
SO FAR, YOU'RE DEFINITELY
BETTER OFF ON A BIKE
THAN ON A TOY CAR,
WHICH ONLY REACHED 7.5 MILES PER HOUR.
BUT THE MOST COMMON MOVIE
SCENARIO IS A PERSON ON FOOT.
LET'S SEE HOW FAST ANNE-LISE CAN RUN.
[ HISSING ]
♪♪
Man: WHOA-OA! -ENH.
THREE. TWO.
ONE. GO.
♪♪
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
Woman: YEAH!
ANNE-LISE'S SPEED WAS 12 MILES PER HOUR.
SO FAR, ANNE-LISE HAS THE FASTEST TIME,
BUT WILL BURNING GASOLINE BE FASTER?
THE FIRE WILL TRAVEL DOWN THIS METAL TROUGH
THAT THE BUILD TEAM BROUGHT.
SO, KEVIN, YOU READY? -I'M READY.
ALL RIGHT. GASOLINE.
-I BELIEVE IN IT. -ALL RIGHT. ME TOO, MAN.
I THINK THE WINDS ARE
IN MY FAVOR RIGHT NOW.
[ LAUGHTER ] I HOPE SO. I HOPE SO.
-I GOT THIS. -GO FOR IT.
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]
KEVIN KOHLER FILLS THE
TROUGH WITH GASOLINE.
♪♪
-THERE YOU GO. -ALL RIGHT.
Woman: OKAY. -AND WE'RE OFF TO THE RACES.
THREE. TWO.
ONE. GO.
♪♪
[ HISSING ] Woman: OH, IT'S SLOW!
Woman #2: OOH! -Man: OHH.
[ WHIMSICAL TUNE PLAYS ]
-SERIOUSLY? -WOW.
THAT WAS NOT EXPECTED.
THE FUN PART'S COMING, THOUGH.
Woman: GO.
-OOH! [LAUGHTER] -THERE YOU GO.
THE GASOLINE'S TIME?
10.79 SECONDS.
ABOUT 3 MILES PER HOUR.
OHHH!
THIS WAS A SURPRISE. I
WAS ABSOLUTELY FLOORED
THAT THE GASOLINE TOOK SO LONG.
I WAS SO USED TO LIKE SEEING
ACTION-MOVIE EXPLOSIONS
AND THEY'RE ALWAYS LIKE ALMOST INSTANT.
♪♪
Delaney: THE GASOLINE BURNS
AT JUST 3 MILES PER HOUR,
EASILY LOSING OUT TO ALL
THREE OTHER COMPETITORS.
EVEN NICK'S TOY CAR, AT 7.5 MILES PER HOUR,
WAS MORE THAN TWICE AS
FAST AS THE TRAIL OF GASOLINE.
BUT I GUESS THAT MEANS
THAT, IF YOU ARE EVER
IN AN ACTION FILM AND YOU
NEED TO RUN AWAY FROM A VILLAIN
WHO JUST THREW SOME SORT
OF IGNITION SOURCE ONTO...
-JOG LIGHTLY. -A LINE OF GASOLINE,
YOU CAN JOG SLOWLY AWAY.
3 MILES PER HOUR IS THE
SPEED OF A BRISK WALK,
SO HOW COME IT ALWAYS
SEEMS TO TRAVEL FASTER
AND BE SO PERILOUS FOR
CERTAIN CHARACTERS IN MOVIES?
USING THE MAGIC OF EDITING, FILM SPEED,
PROFESSIONAL ACCELERANTS, AND MORE,
HOLLYWOOD CREATES DRAMATIC MOVIE MOMENTS,
ALL IN THE SERVICE OF GREAT ENTERTAINMENT.
AND THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH
FOR HANGING OUT WITH US TODAY
AND LETTING US ALMOST
SET YOUR TRACK ON FIRE.
I APPRECIATE IT, KEVIN. THANK YOU.
♪♪
WE'VE SEEN WHAT KIND
OF SPEED WE CAN ACHIEVE.
NOW, IT'S TIME TO BRING
THINGS TO A SCREECHING HALT.
LET'S SEE IF PLASTIC WRAP
IS REALLY STRONG ENOUGH
TO KEEP A CAR FROM
SPEEDING AWAY TO FREEDOM.
SOMEBODY SUPPOSEDLY PRANKED THEIR FRIEND
BY PLASTIC-WRAPPING
THEIR CAR TO A LIGHT POLE,
SO, WHEN THE PERSON TRIED TO
GET INTO THEIR CAR AND DRIVE AWAY,
IT WAS STUCK TO THE POLE.
DO YOU THINK THAT IS POSSIBLE?
YOU KNOW, I THINK IF YOU
HAVE ENOUGH OF THE STUFF,
I THINK THAT IT WOULD
PROBABLY BE ABLE TO HOLD.
SO, GUYS, WE'RE GOING PRANK RULES,
SO YOU GOTTA GET IN, GET
OUT. SO 10 MINUTES, TWO ROLLS.
YOU THINK YOU CAN DO IT?
I THINK SO. ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.
♪♪
AS ANY GOOD PRANKSTER KNOWS,
IT DOESN'T COUNT IF YOU
DON'T GET AWAY WITH IT,
SO I'M ONLY GIVING NICK
AND KEVIN 10 MINUTES
TO WRAP THIS CAR TO THE POLE,
USING THIS HEAVY-DUTY PLASTIC WRAP.
HOW ARE THEY GONNA GET INTO THEIR CAR?
"DUKES OF HAZZARD" -STYLE.
[ LAUGHS ]
♪♪
-DONE. -HEY! -DONE.
FIVE. FOUR. THREE.
-TEN. -TWO.
ONE. ERRRN!
MAN, THAT'S WAY MORE WORK
THAN YOU'D THINK IN 10 MINUTES.
I THINK I NEED TO HIT THE GYM. -[LAUGHS]
Delaney: NOW THE QUESTION IS:
WILL 2,000 FEET OF PLASTIC WRAP
BE ENOUGH TO STOP THE CAR,
OR WILL THE PLASTIC BREAK?
DO YOU ALL THINK THIS IS GOING TO WORK?
YEAH. I THINK IT'S GONNA HOLD.
♪♪
WATCH THE SEAT COVERS.
ALL RIGHT. HERE WE GO,
"DUKES OF HAZZARD" -STYLE.
♪♪
ALL RIGHT. -NOW, WE REALLY CAN'T RECOMMEND
YOU DOING THIS YOURSELF,
AS YOU MAY DAMAGE THE CAR
OR THE LIGHT POLE
OR THE PLASTIC WRAP.
ALL RIGHT, KEVIN. READY?
THREE. TWO. ONE.
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
♪♪
Delaney: WE'RE STRETCHING
THE LIMITS OF PLASTIC WRAP.
♪♪
THE BACKYARD SCIENTIST, KEVIN KOHLER,
IS BEHIND THE WHEEL. THREE. TWO. ONE.
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
KEVIN KOHLER REVS HIS CAR TO THE LIMIT,
ALMOST 5,000 RPM, AND, STILL, IT'S HOLDING.
OH, IT'S PULLING ME BACK.
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
[ WOMAN CHUCKLES ]
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
[ CHUCKLE ]
-WOW. -[LAUGHING]
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
IT WORKS! -IT WORKS!
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
SO YOU ALL WERE RIGHT. IT WORKS.
- WE WERE RIGHT.
-IT WORKED PERFECTLY. SO... -YEAH. NICE.
GOOD JOB. -YEAH.
Delaney: SO WHY DOES IT WORK?
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE TENSILE
STRENGTH OF THE PLASTIC.
TENSILE STRENGTH IS THE STRETCHING
OR ELONGATING STRENGTH OF ANY MATERIAL.
THE PLASTIC WRAP IS DESIGNED TO STRETCH,
BUT THERE IS ANOTHER REASON IT WORKS.
WHEN THEY'RE ALL LAYERED
ON TOP OF EACH OTHER,
THEY HAVE TO SLIDE PAST EACH OTHER
IN ORDER TO DO THAT STRETCHING.
WHEN IT'S STUCK ON TOP OF EACH
OTHER, IT DOESN'T WANNA MOVE
AND THAT ADDED FRICTION IS
ALL THE STRENGTH YOU NEED
TO KEEP A 2,000-POUND CAR
CONNECTED TO A LIGHT POLE.
NOW, THIS WORKED REALLY
WELL, BUT WHAT IF WE HAD
DOUBLE THE ENGINE POWER,
GOING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS,
AND, INSTEAD OF A
STATIONARY POLE LIKE THIS,
WE WERE TO WRAP TWO CARS TOGETHER?
THAT'D BE PRETTY INTERESTING TO SEE.
-LET'S FIND OUT. -SO WILL I GET TO DRIVE
THE OTHER CAR? -WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT.
NOW, WITH TWO CARS,
WE'RE DOUBLING THE POWER
THAT'S FIGHTING AGAINST THE PLASTIC WRAP,
SO THERE'S A PULLING
FORCE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS,
INSTEAD OF JUST ONE.
WHAT WE'RE TESTING IS THE TENSILE STRENGTH
OF THIS PLASTIC,
WHICH IS BASICALLY HOW MUCH
FORCE SOMETHING CAN TAKE
BEFORE IT GETS RIPPED
APART OR BROKEN IN HALF,
TEARING APART BY BEING PULLED APART.
♪♪
ALL RIGHT, GUYS. GO FOR IT.
IT'S TWO AMATEUR DRAG
RACERS WITH TWO V6 ENGINES
VERSUS 4,000 FEET OF PLASTIC WRAP.
REV UP TO 5,000.
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
♪♪
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
ALL RIGHT. RELEASE PARKING BRAKE
IN THREE, TWO, ONE!
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
♪♪
Delaney: BELIEVE IT OR NOT, KEVIN
KOHLER IS PULLING NICK'S CAR.
BUT, FINALLY, THEY BREAK THROUGH THE WRAP.
[ TIRES SCREECHING ]
[ POP! ]
♪♪
[ LAUGHS ]
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
IT WAS REALLY COOL TO WATCH AND I THINK
IT HELD FOR LONGER THAN
A LOT OF US EXPECTED.
Dyk: WHAT WAS INTERESTING
IS THAT IT ACTUALLY TORE
RIGHT WHERE THE TIRE WAS.
LIKE I THINK PART OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING IS,
A, THERE WAS A LOT OF STRESS,
LIKE A LOT MORE STRESS
THAN THE PREVIOUS TIME,
BUT THERE WAS ALSO EXTRA
ADDED HEAT AND FRICTION
COMING FROM THE TIRE KIND
OF SAWING AWAY AT THE PLASTIC.
♪♪
IT WAS VERY TENSE THERE FOR A MOMENT,
BUT NOT AS TENSE AS THE PLASTIC WRAP.
THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH
AND THANK Y'ALL FOR HOSTING US.
♪♪
WE HEAR CRAZY STORIES ALL THE TIME
ABOUT PEOPLE DOING SURPRISING
AND DANGEROUS THINGS,
LIKE A PERSON WHO SPILLED
GASOLINE IN THEIR TRUNK
AND JUST A VACUUM AT THE CAR
WASH TO TRY AND CLEAN IT UP.
THIS SOUNDS LIKE A RECIPE FOR A FIREBALL.
OH, IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING
YOU'RE GOING TO TRY.
NOW IT DOES.
THIS CAR WASH DISCOURAGES
GASOLINE VACUUMING,
SO WE'RE OFF TO A MORE
CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT
TO TRY THIS EXPERIMENT,
BUT WE DO INVITE SOME FRIENDS TO WATCH.
NICK PUTS SOME GASOLINE IN THE TRUNK
AND HOOKS UP AN INDUSTRIAL VACUUM.
OUR CRASH-TEST DUMMY, SEBASTIAN,
GETS READY TO TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM.
SO WOULD YOU VACUUM
GASOLINE OUT OF YOUR CAR?
- I THINK I WOULD.
- WHO WOULDN'T VACUUM GASOLINE
OUT OF THEIR...? EVERYBODY
ELSE, PRETTY MUCH.
[ LAUGHTER ] I JUST
FEELS LIKE THERE'S HEAT,
YOU KNOW, IN A VACUUM. -YEAH.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
BUT IF YOU'RE USING THE
CAR WASH VACUUM, I MEAN...
[ LAUGHTER ] -WELL.
-GOOD POINT. -SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROBLEM.
-ALL RIGHT. Y'ALL READY? -YEAH.
ALL RIGHT.
♪♪
THREE. TWO. ONE!
[ MOTOR STARTS ]
♪♪
♪♪
SO THAT WAS KIND OF A SNAP.
YEAH. I GUESS.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO SPARKS
TO SET OFF THE GASOLINE IN THESE NEWER
VACUUM CLEANERS. -YEAH. THIS IS A NICE
NEW SHOP-VAC. SO, BUT IF
THEY UNCOVER THE WIRES,
WE MIGHT GET A DIFFERENT RESULT.
YEAH, OR THEY CAN PUT SOMETHING IN THERE
TO SPARK IT, TO MAKE IT, YOU KNOW, SIMULATE
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, IF
YOU WERE VERY UNLUCKY.
-LET'S CREATE SOME BAD LUCK. -[CHUCKLE]
-A FRAYED WIRE INSIDE AN OLDER VACUUM
WOULD CERTAINLY BE BAD LUCK.
IT WOULD SPARK AND LIGHT UP THE GAS.
SO NICK PUTS AN ELECTRIC
MATCH INSIDE OF OUR VACUUM
TO CREATE A SIMILAR SPARK.
ALL RIGHT. THREE! TWO! ONE!
[ MOTOR STARTS ]
♪♪
OH!
♪♪
Delaney: WE'RE TESTING TO FIND OUT
IF VACUUMING GASOLINE CAN CAUSE A FIREBALL.
THREE! TWO! ONE!
[ MOTOR STARTS ]
♪♪
[ WHOOSH, FLAMES CRACKLING ]
-OOH! -EH.
OHH, MAN.
[ WHOOSH ] OH!
OH, SEBASTIAN.
♪♪
THAT WAS EVERYTHING
THAT I HOPED IT WOULD BE,
WITH A GIANT FLAMETHROWER
COMING OUT OF THE EXIT NOZZLE.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I HAD IN MY MIND.
OHH! -OH.
[ LAUGHTER ]
♪♪
- OH, MY GOODNESS.
- PUT IT OUT, YOU MONSTERS!
[ LAUGHTER ]
- ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO SAVE HIM.
- THAT WAS NASTY.
[ WHOOSH, FLAMES CRACKLING ]
WHEN I SAW THE EXPLOSION, I'M LIKE, "YEAH!"
♪♪
I WAS EXPECTING A POOF, LIKE A LITTLE LIKE
PUFFBALL OF FLAMES.
THAT WAS A JET STREAM OF FIRE.
Delaney: THE SPARK CREATED
WITH THE ELECTRIC MATCH
IN THE VACUUM IGNITED THE GAS INSTANTLY.
♪♪
WHAT DID YOU DO TO SEBASTIAN?
BASICALLY, ONCE THAT IGNITION STARTED,
IT'S JUST CONSTANTLY BURNING THOSE FUMES
AND THOSE VAPORS THAT ARE COMING OUT
OF THE EXHAUST PORT. WE
KIND OF MADE OURSELVES
A VERY DANGEROUS FLAMETHROWER.
WE'VE CREATED A FIRE TRIANGLE
WITH HEAT, FUEL, AND OXYGEN,
THE THREE ELEMENTS A FIRE NEEDS TO IGNITE.
GASOLINE IS FLAMMABLE
BETWEEN 1.4% AND 7% IN THE AIR.
THE VACUUM AERATES THE GAS
AS IT COMES INTO THE CANISTER.
THEN, A FRAYED WIRE CREATES
A SPARK THAT CAUSES A FIREBALL.
TURNS OUT THAT CAN REALLY HAPPEN,
SO MAYBE DON'T VACUUM
GASOLINE OUT OF YOUR CAR.
I GUESS NOT.
♪♪
WE'RE NOT DONE TEMPTING FIRE.
CHEMIST ANNE-LISE HAS A FEW SURPRISES
FOR SOME FOLKS OUT HERE IN A LOCAL PARK.
IF I CAN HAVE YOU JUST GO AHEAD
AND DRAW A LITTLE BLACK SQUARE
-SURE THING. -ON THIS PIECE OF PAPER
AND FILL IT IN ALL THE WAY.
-ALL THE WAY? -YEP.
THAT LOOKS LIKE A PERFECT
SQUARE, NICE AND FILLED IN.
LOOK AT THAT. NICELY DONE.
I'M JUST GONNA FOLD THIS PAPER IN HALF.
♪♪
AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND USE OUR
WATER BOTTLE TO FOCUS THE BEAM.
OH, MY GOD!
-YEAH. -IT WORKED.
IT WORKED, AND THE REASON THAT WE HAD YOU
DRAW THAT BLACK SQUARE
ON THE PIECE OF PAPER
WAS BECAUSE BLACK ABSORBS
LIGHT REALLY WELL, SO.
RIGHT, AND WHEN YOU
JUST HOLD IT ON THE WHITE,
IT DOESN'T GET HOT, OBVIOUSLY. -YEAH.
Delaney: SO WHY THE SUDDEN FLAME-UP?
ANNE-LISE SNEAKED A BIT OF
HIGHLY FLAMMABLE FLASH PAPER
IN THE FOLD OF THE COPY PAPER.
THE HEAT OF THE SUN HITTING IT
WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO LIGHT IT UP.
AND THE FLASH PAPER WAS JUST FOR FUN.
FLASH PAPER WAS JUST TO SCARE ME.
[ LAUGHTER ]
♪♪
SO FAR, WE'VE SEEN THAT FIRE TAKES ITS TIME
TO TRAVEL DOWN A STREAM OF GASOLINE,
BUT IT'S QUICK TO IGNITE WHEN
MIXED WITH OXYGEN AND A SPARK.
♪♪
BUT WHAT'S THE RIGHT
MIXTURE OF GAS AND OXYGEN
TO MAKE A MOVIE-WORTHY GAS EXPLOSION?
WE'RE TESTING RATIOS OF GASOLINE TO OXYGEN.
FOR FUN, WE'RE GOING TO SEE
WHICH OF THESE CARDBOARD CARS
CREATES THE BIGGEST FIREBALL.
AND, OF COURSE, WHEN
YOU PROMISE AN EXPLOSION,
YOU'RE GOING TO DRAW A CROWD.
WE'RE PUTTING GAS TANKS INSIDE EACH CAR.
ONE TANK WILL BE FULL OF GAS,
ONE TANK WILL BE HALF-FULL,
AND THE THIRD WILL BE MOSTLY FUMES.
WE'LL SEE WHICH VOLUME OF GAS
WILL MAKE THE BIGGER EXPLOSION.
♪♪
NICK, WE HAVE DIFFERENT
AMOUNTS OF FUEL IN EACH CAR, RIGHT?
THAT'S CORRECT. WHAT DO YOU THINK'S
GONNA MAKE A BIGGER
FIREBALL: A FULL TANK OF GAS,
A HALF-TANK OF GAS, OR
JUST A TANK FULL OF FUMES?
Delaney: OUR BOMB TECH, MARK DISORTI,
PREPARES TO IGNITE
THE GAS IN THE FIRST CAR.
IN ORDER TO ATTEMPT TO
INITIATE THE GASOLINE FUMES,
WE'RE GOING TO USE WHAT
WE CALL AN ELECTRIC MATCH.
IT CONSISTS OF A BRIDGE WIRE
THAT HEATS UP AND IGNITES,
JUST LIKE STRIKING A MATCH WOULD.
THAT SHOULD INITIATE THE GASOLINE FUMES,
IF THE RATIO IS CORRECT WITH AIR.
ALL RIGHT. SO THIS IS ALMOST
EMPTY, JUST FUMES, RIGHT?
♪♪
Man: THREE. TWO. ONE.
♪♪
♪♪
Delaney: WE ARE LIGHTING UP FUMES
IN AN ALMOST-EMPTY TANK OF GAS
TO SEE HOW LARGE A FIREBALL IT WILL CREATE.
THREE. TWO. ONE.
BUT IT DIDN'T IGNITE.
E-MATCH DIDN'T WORK.
WE'RE USING AN ELECTRONIC
MATCH INSIDE THE GAS TANK
AND THERE IS NOT ENOUGH
OXYGEN TO LIGHT IT UP.
THE AIR-TO-FUEL MIX ISN'T
RIGHT, SO THE GAS ISN'T IGNITING.
BUT, WE HAVE A BACKUP:
DETONATION CORD, COMMONLY CALLED DET CORD.
IT'S A PLASTIC TUBE FILLED
WITH A HIGH-SPEED EXPLOSIVE.
GOING FOR EXPLOSIVES.
♪♪
HERE WE GO.
Man: THREE. TWO. ONE.
-OOH! -WOW!
[ CLATTERING ]
MAN!
THE CAR IS JUST GONE. [ LAUGHS ]
♪♪
WHEN YOU SET OFF A BIG EXPLOSION LIKE THAT,
IT DISTRIBUTES ALL OF THE GAS
INTO THE AIR AND THEN LIGHTS IT,
SO ONCE YOU GET THE
PERFECT RATIO OF FUEL TO AIR,
YOU GET A BIG FIREBALL.
♪♪
Delaney: THE EXPLOSION WAS CREATED
BY AN ALMOST EMPTY TANK OF GAS.
NEXT, A HALF-FULL TANK.
♪♪
I'M HOLDING OUT FOR THE BIG ONE.
ONCE AGAIN, THE MATCH
FAILS TO IGNITE THE GAS,
AND WE RESORT TO USING DET CORD.
♪♪
-WHOA! -WOW!
♪♪
THAT MADE A LEGIT MUSHROOM CLOUD.
[ LAUGHING ]
♪♪
BUT NONE OF THE MATCHES
ARE WORKING, SO WHY IS THAT?
THE FUEL-TO-AIR MIXTURE ISN'T RIGHT
TO ACTUALLY GET ANY KIND OF EXPLOSION.
IT'S WHEN WE SET OFF THE DETONATION DEVICE
UNDERNEATH, THE EXPLOSIVES GO OFF,
THEY RUPTURE THE TANK,
PUT GASOLINE EVERYWHERE,
MIX IT REALLY WELL WITH THE AIR,
AND GET A BIG OLD FIREBALL. -OH, YEAH.
♪♪
Delaney: A PROPER FUEL-TO-AIR MIXTURE
IS CRITICAL FOR COMBUSTION.
A POOR FUEL-TO-AIR RATIO, AND YOUR ENGINE
WILL DRASTICALLY AFFECT
YOUR CAR'S PERFORMANCE
BY NOT FIRING IN THE CYLINDERS.
THAT'S WHY REGULAR TUNEUPS ARE IMPORTANT.
GAS IS HARD TO IGNITE, BUT,
WHEN IT DOES, IT'S IMPRESSIVE.
♪♪
ALL RIGHT, KEVIN. THIS IS THE BIG ONE.
THIS ONE'S FULL.
I GOT MY VOTE ON THIS ONE.
Man: THREE. TWO. ONE. FIRE.
OHHH!
♪♪
[ LAUGHTER ]
Delaney: ALL THE EXCESS
FUEL FROM THE FULL TANK
KEPT BURNING, ONCE IT WAS IN THE AIR,
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HARD TO IGNITE.
ONCE THIS FUEL TANK LIT UP,
THE EXPLOSION BURNED
BIGGER, BLACKER, AND LONGER,
SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE
WAS THAT MUCH MORE FUEL.
IT WAS ABSOLUTELY INSANE-LOOKING,
ONE OF THE COOLEST
EXPLOSIONS THAT WE'VE DONE.
♪♪
SO I GUESS IT'S NOT AS
EASY TO LIGHT UP GASOLINE
WITH A MATCH AS THEY
SAY IT IS IN THE MOVIES.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!
THE MOVIES DID SOMETHING NOT REAL.
NO! YOU HAVE TO HAVE
A PERFECT RATIO OF FUEL TO OXYGEN
IN ORDER TO ACTUALLY GET A BIG FIREBALL.
LITTLE OF HIGH EXPLOSIVE
DOESN'T HURT, THOUGH.
♪♪