MythBusters Video/DVD Series, 6-12

Is it fact or fiction? Special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman put urban legends to the scientific test. From surviving a plane crash to training a goldfish, the MythBusters team designs an experiment to prove whether it’s possible or another myth busted. The concepts presented in each video will have students looking at science in a whole new way. Each of the episodes listed below are available for loan. See the end of the article for news about accessing MythBusters online through a special trial subscription that runs through April 15.

MythBusters: Animal Behavior (#808595) 16 min.
They focus on whether a goldfish can remember where it has been by trying to train one to swim through a maze.

MythBusters: Bacteria (#808596) 10 min.
They focus on whether a wet toothbrush will pick up bacteria from a nearby toilet if the brush is left in the bathroom.

MythBusters: Botanical Growth (#808597) 12 min.
They conduct experiments to determine whether there is any scientific basis to various myths related to botanical growth, specifically the effect of speech and music on plant growth.

MythBusters: Buoyancy (#808598) 24 min.
They investigate whether a child can be lifted off the ground by helium balloons as well as whether ping pong balls can be used to raise a sunken ship.

MythBusters: Chemical Changes (#808599) 14 min.
They put ten cola myths to the test, investigating whether it can clean up everything from blood stains to engine grease. They also look at its corrosive properties.

MythBusters: Chemical Reactions (#808600) 16 min.
They conduct experiments to determine whether there is any scientific basis to various myths related to chemical reactions, specifically the chemical reactions behind getting sprayed by a skunk.

MythBusters: Circular Motion (#808601) 8 min.
They use the laws of gravity to test whether a person can generate enough speed on a swing set to make a full revolution without falling out of the seat.

MythBusters: Combustion (#808602) 17 min.
They investigate whether a gas station will blow up if a cell phone is used while pumping gas.

MythBusters: Electricity (#808603) 16 min.
They try to recreate the experiment Ben Franklin used to discover electricity to see whether it's possible to draw sparks from a key attached to a kite during a thunderstorm.

MythBusters: Electricity and Magnetism (#808604) 36 min.
They investigate whether airplane instruments can be zapped by a passenger using a cell phone as well as whether you can be zapped by electricity if you talk on the phone or take a shower during a thunderstorm.

MythBusters: Energy Conservation (#808605) 13 min.
They investigate whether it is possible to harness free energy from the environment by testing products that claim to do just that.

MythBusters: Force and Motion (#808606) 32 min.
They test whether you can use the inflated life raft or escape slide as a parachute if you fall from a plane as well as whether a toy car can beat a real car in a downhill race.

MythBusters: Forces (#808607) 24 min.
They investigate whether it is possible for a human being to fall from a jet airliner in flight and live as well as whether you can survive being hit on the head by a penny dropped from the top of a skyscraper.

MythBusters: Gravity (#808608) 11 min.
They use a mechanical toast dropper and statistical analysis to determine if you drop a piece of buttered toast, is it more likely to land buttered-side up or buttered-side down.

MythBusters: Inertia (#808609) 17 min.
They investigate whether footballs filled with helium will fly farther and hang longer than ones filled with regulation air.

MythBusters: Myths about Motion (808610) 13 min.
They explore whether you stay drier if you run versus walk from one point to another in the rain.

MythBusters: Reflected Energy (#808611) 16 min.
They test the validity of the legend that 2,000 years ago Greeks built a death ray to set fire to invading Roman ships.

MythBusters: Sound Energy (#808612) 28 min.
They test whether singers can really break a glass using only their voice and whether duck voices echo.

MythBusters: Water Displacement (#808613) 15 min.
They investigate Archimedes' principle, specifically whether the force created by a sinking boat is strong enough to pull a person down with the ship.

Myth Busters: Work and Energy (#808614) 12 min.
They test which method saves more gas--driving with the windows down or using the air conditioner.

NOTE: Limited access to MythBusters videos, teacher’s guides, and student worksheets is available online until April 15, 2008, through a special statewide trial subscription to Discovery Education (DE) Science database. DE Science is accessed through the Discovery Education (DE) Streaming Web site. If you have not created a personal teacher account on DE Streaming, here are the instructions:

• Go to http://www.iowaaeaonline.org.
• Click DE Streaming.
• Scroll down and under the New User section, enter the school code numbers in the boxes and click Go (you only have to enter these numbers once to set up your teacher account). Ask the teacher librarian in your school for the code numbers or call the Heartland AEA professional library.
• Scroll down to New User Registration and complete the fields.
• You'll receive a confirmation e-mail that your account setup was successful.
• Then, the next time you go to DE Streaming, log-in with your personal Username and Password you just setup. Click the blue DE Science tab at the top of the screen. Enter MythBusters in the search box.

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