Depth charges: The idea here, that lying flate and face-up in the water (which is actually supine, not prone as they're saying -- prone is face-down) could reduce injury from an underwater shock wave, seemed plausible to me at first. I figured it was the same rationale as a wrestler landing flat on his back rather than feet-first -- spreading the impact over your body rather than concentrating it. I wondered why Adam & Jamie didn't seem to consider that as a factor, instead being more concerned with depth.
The explanation later about damage from underwater shock waves being due to ruptures in the air pockets in the torso cleared it up for me. I was mistakenly thinking of the shock wave as being analogous to getting hit by a solid object or landing on the ground -- an acceleration or deceleration of the body rather than a sudden change of pressure within it, which is what's really going on. So my mistake. Jamie's additional explanation at the end about the water/air interface being a cushion of sorts, reflecting the pressure, was intriguing.
What I found interesting about the explosions in the lake was how they apparently kicked up some mud from the bottom -- you got this big kafloosh of gray-brown water roiling up and then a muddy slick in the middle of the clear water afterward. I guess it's not a very deep lake, but it's interesting how what starts as a single bubble of force expanding outward ends up as this turbulent, rising mass of fluid.
Paper armor: This one's really cool. I like the historical myths, especially the Asian ones, and this is one of those cool ones where something that seems ludicrous is counterintuitively plausible.
I guess the idea that enough layers of paper are a good defense makes sense if you think about it; it's similar to the principle that makes a phone book hard to tear. Particularly interesting is the result that just plain folded paper resisted damage better than the glued-together stuff. I guess it's because it was free to slide and shift and thus absorb/dissipate force that way, whereas if it's more constrained by adhesive, the fibers have to tear or break if they're moved too far.
It really is impressive how well the paper held up, effectively matching the steel for weapons resistance and easily surpassing it in the speed, endurance, and agility tests. It didn't even seem too badly damaged by the water. But it had the same drawback as most paper products, impermanence. I guess it was single-use, "disposable" armor. You'd be in trouble if you were in a really long battle. Although in real life, a single individual probably wouldn't sustain too many blows in a battle, since a real fight would typically just be a few blows per person rather than a drawn-out action sequence like in the movies. I mean, the fighters on both sides would run out of energy just from wearing the heavy armor and from the exertion of battle, most likely before the paper was damaged badly enough to lose its integrity. So maybe more than single-use armor, particularly since it could be repaired between battles.
All three Mythbusters got quick-change sequences for the armor, like Grant jump-cutting from plainclothes to armor and Tory walking behind a pole and changing cartoon-style. Cute, but given the Asian armor theme, I would've liked a more elaborate henshin (transformation) sequence like in anime or Power Rangers. At least Kari got to do a Wonder Woman spin to don her armor.
The explanation later about damage from underwater shock waves being due to ruptures in the air pockets in the torso cleared it up for me. I was mistakenly thinking of the shock wave as being analogous to getting hit by a solid object or landing on the ground -- an acceleration or deceleration of the body rather than a sudden change of pressure within it, which is what's really going on. So my mistake. Jamie's additional explanation at the end about the water/air interface being a cushion of sorts, reflecting the pressure, was intriguing.
What I found interesting about the explosions in the lake was how they apparently kicked up some mud from the bottom -- you got this big kafloosh of gray-brown water roiling up and then a muddy slick in the middle of the clear water afterward. I guess it's not a very deep lake, but it's interesting how what starts as a single bubble of force expanding outward ends up as this turbulent, rising mass of fluid.
Paper armor: This one's really cool. I like the historical myths, especially the Asian ones, and this is one of those cool ones where something that seems ludicrous is counterintuitively plausible.
I guess the idea that enough layers of paper are a good defense makes sense if you think about it; it's similar to the principle that makes a phone book hard to tear. Particularly interesting is the result that just plain folded paper resisted damage better than the glued-together stuff. I guess it's because it was free to slide and shift and thus absorb/dissipate force that way, whereas if it's more constrained by adhesive, the fibers have to tear or break if they're moved too far.
It really is impressive how well the paper held up, effectively matching the steel for weapons resistance and easily surpassing it in the speed, endurance, and agility tests. It didn't even seem too badly damaged by the water. But it had the same drawback as most paper products, impermanence. I guess it was single-use, "disposable" armor. You'd be in trouble if you were in a really long battle. Although in real life, a single individual probably wouldn't sustain too many blows in a battle, since a real fight would typically just be a few blows per person rather than a drawn-out action sequence like in the movies. I mean, the fighters on both sides would run out of energy just from wearing the heavy armor and from the exertion of battle, most likely before the paper was damaged badly enough to lose its integrity. So maybe more than single-use armor, particularly since it could be repaired between battles.
All three Mythbusters got quick-change sequences for the armor, like Grant jump-cutting from plainclothes to armor and Tory walking behind a pole and changing cartoon-style. Cute, but given the Asian armor theme, I would've liked a more elaborate henshin (transformation) sequence like in anime or Power Rangers. At least Kari got to do a Wonder Woman spin to don her armor.
), and knowing CA is even more strict, to see the guys toss Kari a (banned!) .50 cal Barrett and toddle off to the quarry to blast moving remote controlled cars.
