Running Head: MYTHBUSTERS ASSIGNMENT
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Mythbusters Assignment
Ivy Tech Community College
Cody Creger
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I have always considered myself a conservationist, outdoorsman, and an avid fisherman.
I have enjoyed Mother Nature and the beautiful resources of our planet earth. I do whatever I
can to give back to this majestic land. It sickens me when I see someone litter. In fact, it has got
me involved into a few arguments over someone’s careless waste. I know how much damage is
being done to our planet when I see garbage scattered everywhere. That is why I was so
intrigued when I saw an episode of Mythbusters about lethal littering that was titled “Soda Cup
Killer”. I recently viewed a rerun of this episode on the Discovery Channel that originally aired
on March 24, 2010.
This episode was based on a myth that the hosts called lethal littering. Supposedly, there
were two cars passing each other on the freeway when one of the drivers threw out a Styrofoam
cup. The cars were heading in opposite directions at 60mph when the soda cup pierced the
passing car’s window and killed the driver. The villain of this myth allegedly killed the other
driver with enough force from the thrown soda cup. The hosts, Adam and Jamie, couldn’t
believe this myth and wanted to recreate this account to see if it was possible.
They initially wanted to try the testing in a controlled area, using an air powered cannon
to create enough force to simulate the two passing cars. They decided to make a cannon that
would shoot a cup at a load cell, to measure the actual force. The load cell will display exactly
how much energy is transferred from the cup to the load cell. They wanted to find out what
ingredients in the soda cup would make the most impact, or have the most force. They decided
to try a cup of just soda, a cup of soda and ice, and a cup of slush. In order to register the proper
reading, the guys had to get the cannon to shoot the cups at 130mph, the accumulative total
speed of the two passing cars. Jamie created a cannon by using a pressure tank with a fast acting
valve and some long metal tubing. When the valve was opened, it released enough high pressure
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air to shoot the cup 130mph at the targeted load cell. This target was representing the windshield
and the driver behind it.
While Jamie was testing his cannon in their controlled warehouse, Adam was preparing
the different Styrofoam cups. He weighed each cup to find the total mass. The cup of just soda
was 632 grams, the soda and ice cup was 649 grams, while the cup of slush was the heaviest at
683 grams. The guys thought that the cup of slush would have the most force, because it was the
heaviest. The cup of just soda had the least amount of force at 3,668 lbs. of force, while the
slush cup had the most amount of force at 4,386 lbs. of force. They were able to measure the
force by successfully shooting the cups from the air cannon into the targeted load cell. They
figured that the slush cup would have the greatest impact because it had the greatest mass and it
was able to transfer more of its kinetic energy. The fine slivers of ice and liquid made this
transfer an easy process. Adam and Jamie were very careful during these tests, both were
wearing glasses and protective ear wear. They were now ready to take this testing to the road.
The next step of their testing was called highway trash jousting. This was actually a very
fitting name for this great experiment. The guys hung a windshield to the side of Jamie’s truck
and put a crash test dummy behind the windshield. They built a sturdy frame for the windshield
and dummy, to act as a real car. The dummy was fitted with shock wave stickers all over his
head and chest to measure any force received. The testing strip was a long paved road that was
separated by orange cones. Jamie was going to drive his truck with the attached windshield and
dummy down ones side, while Adam was in the passenger seat of the passing car. His job was to
try and hit the windshield with a cup of slush right were the dummy was sitting. They did a
couple of dry drive-byes for practice. Their initial practice run had both cars cruising at 40mph
each, only giving an accumulative speed of 80mph. As the cars passed each other, Adam threw
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the Styrofoam cup at the windshield and shattered it. There was a shocking amount of damage
on the trial run. They decided that they needed to make a few adjustments to the windshield and
the proximity of the two cars. They both thought that it could be a potentially lethal cup before
they tried the 60mph run.
The hosts secured a new windshield and were ready for their first run at 60mph. This
first attempt had a good hit to the windshield but no lethal damage to the dummy. They stated
that “there’s no doubt the impact from the cup would have caused an accident” (Mythbusters,
2010). The dummy escaped direct injury because the windshield absorbed most of the impact.
Jamie discussed that today’s windshields are made with laminated glass. This is made by using
two sheets of glass bonded with a rubbery, plastic interlayer. The glass and the plastic interlayer
are then heated to 70 degrees C in a pressurized oil bath. This holds the glass together, even
when struck with a large amount of force. The entire windshield fell through the frame on this
run, causing a few adjustments to be made.
Adam and Jamie attached a new windshield and made sure that it was secured to the
frame. They figured that the projectile will concentrate all of its energy in one spot and might
make it through the windshield. They made another run at 60mph with a successful hit to the
target. Once again, the windshield dissipated most of the energy of the impact of the cup. It
absorbed the brunt of the force and sufficiently protected the dummy. The guys tried one more
time with a new windshield. This time the cup blew a hole in the windshield, but only small
enough to allow pieces of the cup through to reach the dummy. The windshield was shattered
but acted as a safety barrier for the driver. Adam and Jamie concluded that the Styrofoam cup
did not create a primary lethal hazard on the freeway. Although, it definitely created a secondary
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lethal hazard that would most likely cause a serious accident. The Styrofoam cup killer myth
was busted.
Adam and Jamie did a great job of planning and preparing for this experiment. They
made adjustments when they were needed. They tested their claim with multiple trial runs. The
myth or claim or question was: Can a thrown Styrofoam cup have enough force to go through a
passing car’s windshield and kill the driver? The hosts used scientific inquiry to test this myth.
They did a great job of preparing for their tests in a controlled environment. They made plenty
of observations using their senses. They relied mostly on their sight and sense of touch to record
their data. Adam and Jamie made the necessary adjustments to their tests when they were
needed. After multiple procedures and tests they had gathered enough evidence to refute the
claim or myth.
This episode of Mythbusters contained some science terminology that I was already
familiar with and some new terms. Adam wanted to use the cup that contained the most mass.
Mass is the amount of matter an object contains. He figured that the cup with the most mass
would also produce the most force. An Introduction to Physical Science states that force is a
vector quantity capable of producing motion or a change in motion, that is, a change in velocity
or an acceleration (Shipman, etal., 2013, p.54). This leads us to Newton’s Second Law of
Motion: force=mass x acceleration. This seems simple enough and explains why Adam wanted
to use the cup with the most mass. He wanted to obtain the highest amount of force possible at
130mph. The impact of the cup and the windshield reminded me of another physics law. This
pertains to Newton’s Third Law of Motion. For every force there is an equal and opposite force.
Whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts and equal and
opposite force on the object (Shipman, etal., 2013, p.59). The guys also brought up kinetic
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energy when they were discussing the ability of the slush cup to transfer its energy. This cup was
heavier and was able to gather more momentum. Kinetic energy is the energy an object
possesses because of its motion, also known as energy of motion (Shipman, etal., 2013, p.79).
These were great science concepts to use in this episode, because we use them every day. We
don’t necessarily think about them all of the time, but we are using them constantly. These
concepts are fairly easy to understand and make sense.
Adam and Jamie completed this experiment by having both cars traveling at 60mph.
What if one or both of the cars were speeding? How much more force or kinetic energy would
be created if one of the cars was going 20mph over the speed limit? Would this cause enough
force to change the results of the experiment? Could another object, such as a full soda can or a
book, cause the same outcome in this scenario? I was able to do some research to help me get a
better idea on these questions. The only way to get definite answers would be to create the
experiment myself. I would love to do this but I have money and time constraints that won’t
allow it to happen. I discovered the formula to find kinetic energy = ½ x mass x velocity squared.
If one of the cars was speeding it would have a kinetic energy of 6,693,400 joules compared to
the non-speeding car of 4,917,600 joules. That seems like a substantial difference for just
20mph. I used this same formula to find out how much more energy a heavier book would
contain. A book that weighed 1,000 grams would have the kinetic energy of 7,200,000 joules
compared to the soda cup at 4,917,600 joules. That is a remarkable difference, such a difference
that it could easily be fatal to a passing car.
I was already disgusted with littering, and this episode of Mythbusters compounded that
feeling. Trash and litter is slowly killing Mother Nature. Littering from one’s car could quickly
kill a passing driver. I am glad that Adam and Jamie chose this topic. It contained a few of
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Newton’s Law of Motions, which I recently learned in my Science class. They also discussed
mass, force, and kinetic energy. These are concepts that we use on a daily basis. I was able to
find out more information on force and kinetic energy that will be most beneficial. The guys did
a great job of planning, preparing, and testing their myth. They were able to come to a
conclusion that refuted the myth. Myth busted!
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References
J. Shipman, J. Wilson, C. Higgins. An Introduction to Physical Science. 2013. Boston, MA.
“Soda Cup Killer”. Mythbusters. Discovery Channel. March 24, 2010. Television