Follow the MythBusters in these episodes, as they debunk, decode and demystify some of the most popular urban myths and legends. Using modern-day science, they put each myth to the test, separating the real from the really out there.
In Heat, a visiting inventor discovers just how useful the island’s mammoth population is in keeping things warm one freezing winter day on Mammoth Island! The warm-blooded creatures help heat water, press clothes, warm beds and keep the village sauna hot and steamy. Heat is energy that comes from the movement of the atoms and molecules that make up everything around us. The inventor reveals that heat can travel from place to place in three ways: conduction, convection and radiation. And he also reveals his amazement at the islanders’ ingenious use of mammoths to keep warm!
In Friction, two young islanders, Olive and Troy, are delivering mail with a mammoth-drawn wagon when they learn how important the force of friction is as they attempt to slow down! Applying what they discover about friction, Olive and Troy test a variety of brakes, trying to find the type just right for them. Even with proper brakes, it does take some time to come to a stop, though. Young Troy and Olive find this out as they join their two delivery mammoths for an unscheduled bath after a foiled attempt to stop quickly!
In Flight, inhabitants of Mammoth Island attempt to use a trusty mammoth to deliver canvas awnings when a gust of wind creates quite a stir! The islanders discover that the power of the wind, combined with the unique shape of the awning, is able to overcome the considerable weight of the mammoth, lifting it up into the sky like a kite. As soon as the wind dies down, however, the mammoth returns to Earth with a crash. The islanders begin experimenting and eventually come up with the right combination of the four forces involved in flight: gravity, lift, thrust and drag. Balancing these forces allows them to harness the power of the air and take to the skies!
In Electricity, inhabitants of Mammoth Island learn all about electricity during the annual lemon harvest. Electricity can be harnessed to power all sorts of things -- from light bulbs to trains. It can be used to carry information through the circuits of a computer, or to power a music system or television set! The islanders learn about how current and static electricity are different and what metals make excellent conductors of electricity. When one islander and his mammoth spear a lemon with their zinc and copper lances, thereby completing a circuit and causing electrons to flow, they discover that even a lemon can be a source of energy!
