1. Can sharks detect a drop of blood?

Apparently, sharks can easily detect fish blood if it is dropped into their surroundings, but not human blood.

2. Can dropping a penny from a skyscraper kill the pedestrian below?

This is the myth that everyone knows about and therefore, is warned not to do.
However, the mythbusters showed that this is not true. The mass of the penny is not sufficient to be deadly as it hits a pedestrian. Still, it’s not a good idea to throw a penny from a high building.

3. What is the best way to cure seasickness?

Although the video just shows the placebo effect, the mythbusters tested various ways of curing seasickness.
The following were shown to have no effect on seasickness: a cinnamon flavored tongue spray, magnetized arm bands, and an electro-shock wrist band.
Only a ginger pill cured seasickness, while the placebo effect worked on grant, but not Adam.

4. If a car falls into the water and is submerged, what is the best way to escape?

Once water starts filling up the car, the only way to escape is to let the car get filled to maximum capacity. The pressure differential of the outside water and inside the car is too much for a human to be able to open the door. Therefore, you have to wait for it to be equalized.

However, after another test, the mythbusters showed that it is possible to escape a car when the water inside of it is up to your waist.

If this ever happens to you, stay calm and only try to open the door once the water is up to your waist, and not before - to conserve oxygen.

If you are quick enough, you can even open the door the instant the car hits the water, and before it starts flooding.

5. Is driving while talking on a cell phone equally as dangerous as driving while drunk?

Both Adam and Kari failed a road safety test while talking on a cell phone and while driving under the influence - but the cell phone had a wider margin.

Although this test is not very scientific, it is worthwhile and important to take note of, before it is too late.

Photo by Lovely Chenille

Technorati Tags: mythbusters , safety tips

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Mythbusters is a show on discovery channel where common myths are put to the test and tested to see whether they are true or false. Many different scientific methods are used to go about and confirm or bust the myth.

Some of the myths that have been put to the test have to do with energy/fuel efficiency, which can help you save more money:

1. Is leaving a light on temporarily more energy efficient than turning it off and back on?

Through various tests, the Mythbusters showed that turning on a light only consumes power equivalent to leaving on the light for a fraction of a second. Also, it is important to note that constantly turning the lights on and off does not reduce its life expectancy enough to compensate for the increased electricity usage.

Answer: Turning your light OFF saves more money than leaving it on.

2. Is driving a car with air conditioning on more fuel efficient than driving with the windows down?

Many people wonder if they are able to save more money by having the windows down while driving, and by turning the air conditioner off. The mythbusters tackled this myth in two episodes and reached the conclusion that…

Answer: When driving at a speed that is less than 50 mph, it is more efficient to leave your windows down. However, if the speed is over 50 mph, the drag is increased, and therefore, it is more efficient to leave the air conditioner on.

3. Is it more fuel efficient to drive your pick up truck with its tailgate down, rather than up?

To test this myth, the mythbusters took two approaches. First, they literally drove a car - once with the tailgate up and once with it down - to see which one would run out of gas first. Second, they used a calibrated fuel flow gauge to test the most efficient tailgate setup

Answer: Driving with the tailgate up proved to be most efficient. When the tailgate was down, it increased the drag of the car, which made it consume fuel faster than the same truck with the tailgate up.

Furthermore, they showed that a plastic mesh tailgate is more efficient than a standard metal mesh tailgate.

Recap:

1. When leaving the house for a short while, you will save more money on your bill if you turn off the light, rather than leave it on.

2. Driving with the window down saves more fuel when the speed is less than 50mph. However, at higher speeds, it is smarter to leave the windows closed and turn on the A/C

3. If driving with a truck, you will save more gas when the tailgate is up. Furthermore, a plastic mesh tailgate will save more gas (and money) than a metal one.

Coming up tomorrow: Safety tips that we can learn from Mythbusters, including what to do if you drove your car underwater, curing seasickness, whether driving while talking on the cell phone is comparable to driving while drunk, and more. Subscribe via RSS to be informed.

Photo by Lovely Chenille