User:TV chump/Season 4

The cast/crew of the television series MythBusters performs experiments to verify or debunk urban legends, old wives' tales, and the like. This is a list of the various myths tested on the show as well as the results of the experiments (the myth is Busted, Plausible, or Confirmed). The myths the show has tested for accuracy in Season 4 include:

Episode 54 — "Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 1: Great Hollywood Heists"

 * Original airdate: July 12, 2006

The MythBusters test the validity of some Hollywood heist scenes.

Air Duct Climb
This myth comes from the movie Firetrap, where one can surreptitiously scale an air duct by using a system of...

Laser Beam Dodge
This myth comes from the movie Entrapment, where one can successfully dodge a system of laser beam detectors by...

Glass Door Forced Entry
A glass door can be cut open silently by...

Fooling the Pressure Sensor
This myth comes from the movie Entrapment, where one can successfully fool a pressure sensor under a glass case by...

Safecracking
A safe can be quickly cracked by...

Episode 55 — "Steam Cannon"

 * Original airdate: July 19, 2006

Cereal Nutrition
A popular saying states that sugary cereal is less nutritious than the box it comes in.

Steam Cannon
A diagram by Leonardo da Vinci blueprints a steam-powered cannon that Archimedes supposedly built.

Episode 56 — "Killer Whirlpool"

 * Original airdate: July 26, 2006

Whirlpool of Death
Whirlpools are an ancient maritime fear. According to the myth, a tidal whirlpool can sink...

Snowplow Flips Car
A fan claims that they saw a car capsize when a snowplow passed by in the opposite direction at high speed.

Episode 57 — "Diet Coke and Mentos"

 * Original airdate: August 9, 2006

Diet Coke and Mentos

 * This is the first segment not to be assigned a "Busted", "Plausible" or "Confirmed" rating, as there was no "myth" to be proved or disproved. Adam and Jamie did the tests simply to dissect the process and determine what actually makes a so-called Mentos eruption, such as the ones seen on Kari's FHM shoot and on EepyBird.com. However, they did compare their results to the many differing theories given by experts as to how the geyser works, "busting" all of them. (None of the theories had the full list of contributing factors for the geyser, only partial explanations.)
 * The MythBusters also set a new record for the cola geyser at just over 30 feet (9 metres) by using a nozzle, beating the previous record of 18 feet, set by the person who popularized the phenomenon, Steve Spangler. They extended the geyser to 34 feet (10 metres) by using rock salt, which is more porous and hence provides even more nucleation sites per area than Mentos. Adam and Jamie also created homemade pyrotechnics using water, liquid soap and methane; smoke bombs from saltpeter and sugar; demonstrated a way to separate Pringles chips from its container by using hydrogen gas; and assembled a dry ice bomb. Adam also implies that more improvised explosives may be tested for a future episode. Despite the "do not try this at home" disclaimers, the MythBusters concluded that Diet Coke and Mentos geysers are safe enough for people to try, even for children.

Episode 58 — "Shattering Subwoofer"

 * Original airdate: August 16, 2006

Rough Road Driving
A spinoff myth was tested in More Myths Revisited

Episode 59 — "Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 2"

 * Original airdate: August 23, 2006

The MythBusters attempt to circumvent some real-world security devices.

Fingerprint Lock
Fingerprint readers take a sample of a fingerprint and match it with an approved-person database. The particular door-mounted scanner tested optically samples the fingerprint, and also had some extra "liveness-sensing" features that supposedly looks for pulse, body heat, and sweat. The optical fingerprint reader Mythbusters installed can be fooled by...

It should be noted that the ballistics gel and paper copies did not fool a computer-based biometric sensor that the Mythbusters used for their initial testing, but did fool the door lock installed in their maze. It should also be noted that, according to the manufacturers, the "liveness-sensing" reader has never failed.

Thermal Motion Sensor
Heat detectors note any changes in the temperature gradient within its field of view (as seen in the 1992 film Sneakers). A heat detector can be fooled by...

Ultrasonic Motion Sensor
Ultrasonic motion detectors note any doppler shifts caused by a moving intruder. An ultrasonic motion detector can be fooled by...

Water Safe
This myth is based on a scene from the movie The Score.

Episode 60 — "Earthquake Machine"

 * Original airdate: August 30, 2006

Miniature Earthquake Machine
The MythBusters test one of Nikola Tesla's more outlandish publications.

Stove Myths
The MythBusters tested whether putting the following items on a stove will cause an explosion that could kill a person...

Episode 61 — "Deadly Straw"

 * Original airdate: September 6, 2006

Primary Perception
The Build Team tests world-renowned polygrapher Cleve Backster's theory of primary perception.

Episode 62 — "Killer Cable Snaps"

 * Original airdate: October 11, 2006

Episode 63 — "Air Cylinder Rocket"

 * Original airdate: October 18, 2006

Air Cylinder of Death
A compressed air cylinder can...

Episode 64 — "More Myths Revisited"

 * Original airdate: October 25, 2006

This is the fifth episode where Myths from previous episodes are revisited.

Salami Rocket
This marks the first time a Confirmed myth was disputed. In this case, the claim was that the rocket launched not due to the two-part hybrid reaction but simply due to the release of the pressurized nitrous oxide.

Episode 65 — "Exploding Lighter"

 * Original airdate: November 1, 2006

Exploding Lighter
The MythBusters tested the following myths concerning standard disposable butane lighters.

Gunslinger Myths
Using a Colt Peacemaker and a Navy revolver, the MythBusters tested whether an Old West gunslinger could...

Episode 66 — "Concrete Glider"

 * Original airdate: November 8, 2006

Concrete Glider
This myth is part of a well-known engineering cliche: "Like a lead balloon, you can't make a concrete glider fly."

Episode 67 — "Firearms Folklore"

 * Original Airdate: November 29, 2006

Hammer vs. Hammer
This myth was brought up by concerned viewers, who feared that Jamie was in risk of suffering from the myth each time he banged two hammers together as part of a build.

Episode 68 — "Anti-Gravity Device"

 * Original Airdate: December 6, 2006

Antigravity
Anti-gravity is a hypothetical force that eliminates the effects of gravity on an object (as opposed to counteracting it). The MythBusters test various devices that claim to produce anti-gravity.

Christmas Lights
Christmas tree fires are common during the winter holidays, and cause millions of dollars in damage annually in America alone. The MythBusters test one hypothesis on the cause of a Christmas tree fire.

Vodka Myths IV
Vodka can...

Episode 69 — "22,000 Foot Fall"

 * Original Airdate: December 13, 2006

22,000 Foot Fall
During World War II, an Allied airman fell out of the underside ball turret of his  B-17 at 22,000 feet and survived. The MythBusters test one version of this story.

Lights On/Off
Tory, Grant, and Kari visit the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department in California to see the Centennial Light.