wrote:
I do believe we've said the same thing using different words. It may
not scientific, but they are having fun. Who knows, maybe some few
kids, watching the show, will be inspired to become experimental
physists.





On Dec 11, 10:27 am, Dudley Henriques wrote:
wrote:
John, I would agree these guys are fun to watch, but their
experimental designs are often sophomoric. If they worked in my lab
they'd get retrained, or fired.
They are special effects guys, aren't they? They are good at that, and
great at entertainment, but the 'science' I'd seen on some of their
shows made my hair hurt.
But hell, if I could have as much fun as they seem to, I wouldn't care
that the science part was weak.
Despite the stated format of the show, the boys are in the entertainment
business primarily. This means that what they do and how they do it is
severely restricted science wise due to multiple reasons, most of it
directly related to shortcuts required on a strict time line and the all
important "entertainment requirement".
The guys do the best they can within these restrictions and attempt to
produce a show for as wide a demographic audience as possible. They live
or die by the ratings book as do all such programs.
As someone interested in science, try sitting down at a table with an 85
year old grandmother, a six year old, and a high school dropout and
explain lift to them.........oh yes.....and do it so that they
completely understand every aspect of it on the science and engineering
level.....and do that in 30 minutes. :-))

--
Dudley Henriques


It's funny about the show. I'll catch it sometimes while surfing for old
movies late at night and find myself watching them trying not to blow
themselves up :-) Last night it was building an ancient Chinese throne
and fitting it with 47 rockets to see if the Emperor who actually tried
this way back when managed to get off the ground without killing himself.
I ended up going up to the bathroom and missing the ending. My best
Occam's Razor scientific guess on this one is that the ole' Emperor is
still out there somewhere thinking that one of these days he's "simply
GOT to pull himself together" :-)

--
Dudley Henriques