Bust'n MythBusters

Does anyone read blogs any more? Or does FaceBook have monopoly on everyone's attention?

Now, MythBusters are popular and I must admit I enjoy watching the merry-spirited shenanigans, even if the presenters are a bit daggy. I also love the fact that they set out to test received "wisdom".

BUT

I have to say, they're sloppy scientists. And no, it's because I'm an uptight librarian/teacher type (I'm not) who doesn't like explosions. Explosions, fires that kind of thing - they're fun.

No, their science is actually sloppy. Last night they were debunking two myths. The first "myth" (the Fumanchu Team did this one) was that the Hindenburg disaster should be blamed on the reactive and flammable coating of the zeppelin (now there's a good scrabble word, if you're fortunate enough to get 2 "P"s), not the hydrogen inside. This "myth" is from recent research challenging conventional wisdom that it hydrogen that was the culprit.

Now to test the myth, they made 1/50th scale Hindenburgs: 1) coated in the explosive stuff but not filled with H 2) coated in the same stuff and filled with H and 3) not filled with H and coated in something extra explosive, just for fun.

However, in order to do good science, Team Fumanchu should have made no. 4 and filled it with Hydrogen and coated it with something else. If it didn't burn like the Hindenburg, then you could take the blame (partially) off the Hydrogen. If it did, then the myth would have been debunked.

This is fairly important, since they (you know, them) are considering zeppelins as a viable alternative to fuel guzzling airplanes. We wouldn't want them buy the New Research Myth and create a Hindenburg II.

It's sloppy science because it's not thorough, and the theory Team MythBusters run on just doesn't respect logic. We can't neglect the theoretical side of science, even if it's "just" TV.

Oh, and the Myth was busted.

The other team, Team Racial and Gender Inclusive (TRAGI) tested the myth that in order to escape a crocodile, you should run in a zigzag because crocs can't turn corners.

Now, I know the focus of the show is all on experiment and getting too caught up in the theory isn't fun for TV brains to absorb... but surely anyone can tell that you only need to do a thought experiment* to figure out that the Croc Myth is ridiculous.

Provided that Croc is not on your heels, but a few metres away, he's going to snap you on your first ZIG, since he's not going to be so daft as to follow your zigzag path. And a zigzag motion is going to take you less distance in the Y direction than just running away from Croc in a straight line, so Croc will cover more ground in his pursuit of you.

Myth Busted.

But no TRAGI had to travel all the way from SF to Florida (where crocs live) to test their theory. And the crocs weren't even interested in the bait (dead birds). You'd think they'd try different bait (sausages, gazelle chops, TRAGI). No. None of that.

Sacrificing good science for entertainment. And maybe it's good entertainment if I can get a post out of its stupidity.

* On the topic of thought experiments, I think you can use the concept to provide a good definition of determinism, which I often struggle to articulate.
Determinism: 1) Suppose you are omniscient (about the past, but not the future) and you perform a thought experiment X. You derive result A.
2) You perform experiment X in real life (supposing that X was exactly transferable between mind and real world), and you derive result B.
If you are shocked by this result, that A does not necessarily equal B, then you are a determinist. B must = A, in your world. If this result doesn't bother you, then you are probably not a determinist.
What do you think of this definition?