Synopses & Reviews
A colorful and fun companion to the popular MythBusters TV series, with experiments kids can do at home!
We ve all heard them the popular myths and urban legends. Is it true that a penny dropped from a skyscraper can really kill someone on the sidewalk below? Only two men would be inventive and adventurous enough to try to find out: Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, the MythBusters. Their popular MythBusters TV show airs on Discovery Channel and averages 1.7 million viewers. In ea episode, hosts Savage and Hyneman, both special effects experts, put another urban legend to the test. In this book, you ll learn how they either " busted" or confirmed many of the myths on their TV show, often with spectacular results. And it will show you how you can test the same scientific principles safely at home.
Some of the urban legends examined include: Is there really such a thing as killer quicksand? Does a goldfish have memory? And can a toy car beat a real car in a gravity slope race? And could Archimedes have invented an ancient death ray? The book provides many fun and exciting demonstrations that are related but appropriate for kids to do on their own.
Adam Savage (San Francisco, CA) has been an animator, graphic designer, stage and interior designer, and a carpenter. For the past eight years, he has concentrated on special effects and has worked on more than 100 commercials and twelve feature films, including Star Wars: Episode I and II, Terminator 3, and The Matrix films. Jamie Hyneman (San Francisco, CA) creates models and special effects for movies and commercials at his San Francisco based company M5 Industries.
Review
Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman are the Mythbusters starring in the eponymous Discovery Channel show and their images embellish the cover of this colorful paperback authored by popular science writer Packard. Fifteen intriguing episodes that challenge commonly held myths and urban legends have been excerpted from the broadcasts and incorporated here. Does running in the rain keep you drier than walking? Does a sinking ship pull swimmers down with it? Along with careful scientific scrutiny of these questions, lots of good-natured humor, witty props, and gadgets are employed to enthrall youthful readers. Each chapter includes a guide for safe "at home" experiments along with a brainbuster quiz challenging commonly held notions about the subject. Of course, answers are provided at the back, along with a glossary, an index, and a listing of web sites. The comic-book layout with its incandescent palette of reds, yellows, and brilliant blues should be graphically appealing to the visually oriented preadolescent population. Suitable for all public and junior high-school libraries.
—Rita Hoots, Woodland Coll., CA (Library Journal, March 15, 2006)
Synopsis
MythBusters is a popular TV show that airs on Wednesdays at 9:00 on the Discovery Channel and averages 1.7 million viewers. More than forty 60-minute episodes have been comitted to date. In each episode, the hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, both special effects experts, put another urban legend to the test. The MythBusters do more than explain how something may or may not be scientifically possible. They actually demonstrate it, often with spectacular results. Although its aimed at adults, it's also very popular with children. Some of the urban legends examined include could a Ming Dynasty astronaut have launched himself into orbit using rockets? Can quicksand really kill you? Can a sunken boat be lifted with ping-pong balls? And will a car really stall if you stick a banana in its tailpipe? The show goes out of its way to make the demonstrations fun and exciting, and this will be reflected in the book. Many of the legends involve explosions, often to the detriment of the show's crash test dummy mascot Buster. The book, of course, will caution readers not to try any of these demonstrations at home, and will provide other, less explosive demonstrations, that are safe for kids to do on their own. MythBusters is going into its third season next fall and will have a major marketing campaign.
Synopsis
It’s a tough job separating truth from urban legend, but the MythBusters are here to serve. For example, is it true that if you step in quicksand , you’ll be sucked down to your death? Only two men would be inventive—and adventurous—enough to try to find out: Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, the MythBusters. Each week, hosts Savage and Hyneman, both special effects experts, use modern science to put another three urban legends to the test on their popular TV show. In this book, you’ll learn how they either “busted” or confirmed fifteen myths on their show, often with spectacular results. Here are just some of the urban legends in this book:
- Did a Ming Dynasty astronaut launch himself into space with a rocket?
- Can a swallowed octopus egg grow to full size inside a person’s stomach?
- Is the daddy longlegs the world’s most venomous spider?
- Will a sinking ship suck you down?
- How many balloons are needed to lift a small child off the ground?
- Does a duck’s quack echo?
Mythbusters: Don’t Try This at Home! gets to the bottom of these urban legends and more, and it lets you do your own mythbusting with fun experiments you can do safely at home.
Synopsis
It's a tough job separating truth from urban legend, but the MythBusters are here to serve. For example, is it true that if you step in quicksand , you'll be sucked down to your death? Only two men would be inventive - and adventurous - enough to try to find out: Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, the MythBusters. Each week, hosts Savage and Hyneman, both special effects experts, use modern science to put another three urban legends to the test on their popular TV show. In this book, you'll learn how they either "busted" or confirmed fifteen myths on their show, often with spectacular results. Here are just some of the urban legends in this book:
- Did a Ming Dynasty astronaut launch himself into space with a rocket?
- Can a swallowed octopus egg grow to full size inside a person's stomach?
- Is the daddy longlegs the world's most venomous spider?
- Will a sinking ship suck you down?
- How many balloons are needed to lift a small child off the ground?
- Does a duck's quack echo?
Mythbusters: Don't Try This at Home! gets to the bottom of these urban legends and more, and it lets you do your own mythbusting with fun experiments you can do safely at home.
Table of Contents
Doing the Experiments.
1 TOY CAR RACE.
Do Try This at Home: Racing toy cars.
2 TALKING TO PLANTS.
Do Try This at Home: What plants need to grow.
3 GOLDFISH MEMORY.
Do Try This at Home: Giving a pet IQ test.
4 OCTOPUS PREGNANCY.
Do Try This at Home: How food is digested.
5 DADDY LONGLEGS.
Do Try This at Home: Preserving a spider’s web.
6 TOOTHBRUSH SURPRISE.
Do Try This at Home: Making a cultured cream.
7 BALLOON LIFT.
Do Try This at Home: How much can a balloon lift?
8 SINKING SHIP.
Do Try This at Home: Sinking versus floating?
9 RUNNING IN THE RAIN.
Do Try This at Home: Making it rain.
10 DOES A DUCK’S QUACK ECHO?
Do Try This at Home: How sound reflects off surfaces.
11 MING DYNASTY ASTRONAUT.
Do Try This at Home: Making a simple rocket.
12 BREAKSTEP BRIDGE.
Do Try This at Home: Making a pendulum.
13 ANCIENT DEATH RAY.
Do Try This at Home: Testing reflection of different surfaces.
14 BAGHDAD BATTERY.
Do Try This at Home: Making a simple battery.
15 KILLER QUICKSAND.
Do Try This at Home: Making quicksand.
Answers to Brainbuster Quizzes.
Glossary.
Where to Find Out More.
Index.
Photo Credits.