Don't Tri This at Home

by Mike Sylvia

ANSWER: TRUE TO LIFE

 

All of the statements are myths tested on Mythbusters, and which appear in sets of three consecutive episodes. Ordering by episode number and interpretting the Busted/Plausible/Confirmed status of the myths as 0, 1, and 2 respectively allows conversion of the sets to ternary notation and letters of the alphabet (000 = Space, 001 = A, 002 = B, etc., up to 222 = Z) and spells ANSWER TRUE TO LIFE.

  • 001 = A
    • Episode 1 - An assassin could use a bullet made of meat to kill someone untraceably. (Busted)
    • Episode 2 - High altitudes or low air pressure can cause silicone breast implants to explode. (Busted)
    • Episode 3 - A bricklayer hoisting an overly heavy barrel off the roof of a building can be lifted to the roof, dropped back down when the barrel breaks and drops its load, and then hit by the empty barrel after he lets go of the rope upon hitting the ground. (Plausible)
  • 112 = N
    • Episode 5 - Cola can clean battery terminals. (Plausible)
    • Episode 6 - A medieval town made a cannon out of a tree overnight to defend itself from a neighboring clan, but lost a good portion of itself to an explosion when they test-fired it. (Plausible)
    • Episode 7 - A decomposing body can destroy the inside of a car. (Confirmed)
  • 201 = S
    • Episode 19 - Dropping an electrical appliance into the bath can be fatal. (Confirmed)
    • Episode 20 - If thrown with enough force, an ordinary playing card can be lethal. (Busted)
    • Episode 21 - It's possible to raise a sunken ship with ping-pong balls. (Plausible)
  • 212 = W
    • Episode 28 - If someone else nearby yawns, it can subconsciously influence you into yawning. (Confirmed)
    • Episode 29 - The Baghdad Battery could have been used for electroplating. (Plausible)
    • Episode 30 - It's possible to be electrocuted by talking on the phone in an electrical storm. (Confirmed)
  • 012 = E
    • Episode 36 - In the event of a car crash, a normal box of tissues kept on the backboard can fly with deadly force. (Busted)
    • Episode 37 - If you're strapped into the rear flight attendant seat of an aircraft that's destroyed in mid-flight, the surviving tail section can slow your fall and absorb impact enough to allow your survival. (Plausible)
    • Episode 38 - A car painted black will heat up faster than an identical car painted white. (Confirmed)
  • 200 = R
    • Episode 43 - Ginger pills can cure seasickness. (Confirmed)
    • Episode 44 - Vodka can kill bees like an insecticide. (Busted)
    • Episode 45 - The damage to a plane's tail section in a widely circulated photo was caused by an angry wife with a chainsaw. (Busted)
  • 000 = Space
    • Episode 47 - A regulation NFL football filled with helium will fly farther than one filled with compressed air at regulation pressure. (Busted)
    • Episode 48 - Beef increases one's rate of flatulence. (Busted)
    • Episode 49 - A life raft filled with helium can allow a person to fly. (Busted)
  • 202 = T
    • Episode 51 - A modern firearm can be fired if completely submerged in water. (Confirmed)
    • Episode 52 - It's possible to quickly paint a small room by exploding a stick of dynamite in a paint bucket. (Busted)
    • Episode 53 - If a pair of trousers has farm chemicals spilt on it and then subjected to everyday abuse and wear, they can spontaneously combust. (Confirmed)
  • 200 = R
    • Episode 60 - A can of beans on a stove can explode with lethal force. (Confirmed)
    • Episode 61 - A piece of straw caught in a hurricane can penetrate all the way through a palm tree. (Busted)
    • Episode 62 - Sounds can be recovered from old pottery. (Busted)
  • 210 = U
    • Episode 64 - A plastic mesh tailgate provides better fuel efficiency than a standard metal one. (Confirmed)
    • Episode 65 - When five hundred lighters are packed inside a car, they can explode with deadly force. (Plausible)
    • Episode 66 - A person can be sucked onto train tracks by the vortex from a passing train. (Busted)
  • 012 = E
    • Episode 70 - A person can use a zig-zag running pattern to outrun a crocodile. (Busted)
    • Episode 71 - Pirates wore eyepatches so that one eye could maintain night vision. (Plausible)
    • Episode 72 - The door of a submerged car cannot be opened until the interior of the car is flooded. (Confirmed)
  • 000 = Space
    • Episode 77 - If a truck contains birds, getting them to fly around will actually lighten the truck. (Busted)
    • Episode 78 - A ninjas is capable of catching a sword between his bare palms. (Busted)
    • Episode 79 - Silver bullets are more effective than normal lead bullets. (Busted)
  • 202 = T
    • Episode 81 - A hero can save his comrades from a grenade by covering it with his own body. (Confirmed)
    • Episode 82 - Yodeling can cause an avalanche. (Busted)
    • Episode 83 - It's faster to slide into a base than to stop on it from a run. (Confirmed)
  • 120 = O
    • Episode 85 - If placed in an open fire, a beer keg can explode with lethal force. (Plausible)
    • Episode 86 - It's possible for a superhero to change into his or her costume in a phone booth. (Confirmed)
    • Episode 87 - A modern-day ninja is capable of striking a bullet out of the air with his hand. (Busted)
  • 000 = Space
    • Episode 90 - Sharks can use low frequency sound waves in water to hunt for prey. (Busted)
    • Episode 91 - Toothpaste can relieve the burn from hot chili peppers. (Busted)
    • Episode 92 - It's possible to use a rowboat as a makeshift submarine by walking along the ocean bottom and breathing the air trapped under the rowboat. (Busted)
  • 110 = L
    • Episode 94 - A passenger without any flight training can be talked through a successful plane landing over the radio. (Plausible)
    • Episode 95 - A speedboat can jump off a ramp, fly through the air, and still remain functional after the landing. (Plausible)
    • Episode 96 - A lead balloon can't fly. (Busted)
  • 100 = I
    • Episode 112 - A police badge can stop a bullet. (Plausible)
    • Episode 113 - You can't polish poop. (Busted)
    • Episode 114 - Dropping alkali metals into a water-filled bathtub will create a massive explosion. (Busted)
  • 020 = F
    • Episode 117 - It's possible to create a diamond by coating charcoal with peanut butter and putting it in the microwave. (Busted)
    • Episode 118 - 30,000 matches, amassed and lit, will create a huge fireball. (Confirmed)
    • Episode 119 - Filling a lock with gunpowder from six revolver cartridges, attaching an empty cartridge casing to it, and striking it with the butt of the gun will effectively blow the lock open. (Busted)
  • 012 = E
    • Episode 121 - A child on a seesaw can be sent flying to a safe landing on the roof of a seven-story building when a skydiver with a malfunctioning parachute lands on the other end of the seesaw. (Busted)
    • Episode 122 - A shock wave from an exploding bomb is sufficient to cause an SKS rifle to misfire. (Plausible)
    • Episode 123 - You can hold on to the hood of a car when it makes a sudden stop. (Confirmed)