Science of Stupid

nfortunate thrill seekers collide with invincible laws of physics. A man proves that a potato cannon can cause real damage. Two women get a crash course in gravity and real-life "test-dummies" demonstrate the limits of bulletproof vests.

What could possibly go wrong when attempting to jump over a moving car, trying a backflip off a brick wall or popping a motocycle "wheelie" on a crowded street? The science behind the failed attempts in stomach-curling viral videos is explained.

Seth Herzog explores the potential to embarrass, injure and humiliate yourself when rappelling, running up walls and flying with a jet pack.

What can go wrong when a large number of people hurl their bodies down a steep hill while racing to catch a cheese wheel? Then, a few poor high school track stars show how successful or humiliating pole vaulting can be.

What can possibly go wrong when bungee jumping blindfolded, flying a kite in high winds or hydroplaning a jet sprint boat at 75 miles per hour? After viewing some shocking viral videos, we examine the science behind what went wrong with the stunts.

There's always room for pain when riding a zip line, swings can cause unexpected humiliation, and trying to swallow powdered cinnamon is just not wise..

Science of Stupid studies the double pendulum effect of a golf swing. Done wrong, and the momentum can knock a golfer off his feet. The secret of walking on stilts is revealed and the kinetic energy of the slingshot is tested on unsuspecting people.

Just what is the Internet craze "batman-ing"? Host Seth Herzog explains the downside of ignoring the principles of leverage when hanging upside down from your ankles from doorways, mantels and random public structures.

Learn the hard science behind bike and monster truck tricks gone wrong and get a crash course in aeronautical science when paragliders collide with trees, a moving truck and even the Statue of Liberty.

The science of a human cannonball is broken down. Parkour enthusiasts show off all the various things that can go wrong when attempting to run across rooftops for sport.

Several viral videos help explain the physics of bouncing on a trampoline. The effect of gravity and momentum are put to the test on a rope swing. Inexperienced break-dancers demonstrate what happens when your center of gravity is misplaced.

It is impossible to swallow a spoonful of cinnamon. Take the word of the hundreds of daredevils who have tried this popular Internet challenge -- and failed. Witness the engineering challenges of building a homemade zip line.

The "Cannon Ball Ice Dude" racked up 2 million views on YouTube last year with his attempt to jump into a frozen pool. Science of Stupid breaks down the science behind what went wrong with this and other ice-cold stunts.

Amateur lumberjacks provide a tutorial on how to improperly cut down a tree. Seasoned street professionals demonstrate Hooke's Law using a pogo stick. A pole dancer learns a hard lesson in friction and gravity.

The Paintball craze took the world by storm, but no one at the time knew how many ways there were to hurt and humiliate yourself. If you are going to attempt to breathe fire, you had better understand the science, and when jumping a bin, failure is always an option.

Everyone has a dream of going for gold in the High Jump, but failure can often be spectacular and painful. Shooting from the spot in football looks easy, but the science can get you, and attempting a slap shot in ice hockey, needs not only a sound understanding of the physics but some good balance as well.

The science and the fun behind the scare. Attempting a BMX flip, is a guaranteed road to pain and humiliation. Overtaking on a race track is best left to the professionals, and jumping on Inflatable rafts, chairs and rings are a never failing source of humour and embarrassment.

Firing a bow and arrow is not as easy as it looks, but pain and humiliation are possible results. If you do not understand the science, then loading up trailers is best left to those trained to do it, and attempting a wrestling body slam always has the potential for an agonising failure.

Ski lifts, simple in theory, unbelievably hard to master. Paddle boarding is pretty hard but at least the landing is soft. The science of breaking down doors investigated. Don't mess with chemicals or you may experience more pain than you bargained for and wrestling in bubble wrap can be great fun..

Caster boards are even better than regular skateboards to injure and humiliate yourself. Unchecked, fish tailing will cause a jack knife. Attempting a break dancing 'air flare' is probably best tried on something soft. Don't mess with waves, they will get you, and trial biking can be a painful experience.

A ramp jump on a skateboard, is pretty much a guaranteed way to experience pain and humiliation. Hopping, always good for a laugh. Diving from a swimming pool springboard is better than random objects and having a food fight is always great fun.

Attempting a flip off a springboard without the science or a mat will hurt. Balls are pain in a spherical form. Fire, well just don't play with it. Mud running, a sticky or slippery humiliating experience, and bouncing in a low rider is going to break something.

Dirt bike jumps need a lot of understanding to avoid painful results. Ski slalom looks good if you're a professional, not so much if you are not. Pools, a favourite for pain and humiliation. Fishing can always be relied on for a few laughs.

Jumping is painless, it is the sudden stop at the end that is the problem. Hoverboards never fail to amuse and humiliate. Basket balls are bouncy and will hurt if they meet your face. Friction is essential, lose it and pain and embarrassment will result. Wakeboards, always good for a laugh.

Kayaking down rapids, great sport but easy to get wrong. Scaling tall buildings should never e attempted by amateurs unless you want to get hurt, and if you want to do a handbrake turn without humiliating yourself, you need to know the science..

The snowboard flip, always a perfect way to humiliate yourself in front of your friends. Bouncing on a space hopper needs to be precise or else pain and failure will be your only reward. You would think there was little that could go wrong while juggling a football, well think again. Trikes are inherently unstable making riding a risk.

Homemade toboggans, no matter what materials you use, or what surface you are sliding on, pain and humiliation is a guaranteed result. If you do not understand the science of the front flip, you must understand you are going to get hurt. Emergency stops, how many ways can you get it wrong?

Drifting on a motorbike is great fun when it goes right and not so much fun when it goes wrong. How many ways are there to embarrass, injure and humiliate yourself when bouncing on beds, and firing your friends into the air with giant catapults is just wrong.

To avoid pain, skiing down metal rails is best done with skis, and not various parts of your body. There are many ways embarrass yourself flying a costly drone, and even more ways to hurt and humiliate yourself dirt biking over soft sand dunes.

Tandem motorbike wheelie, a highly skilled manoeuvre which looks good when you get it right and hurts a whole lot when you get it wrong. Too many people on a trampoline is a recipe for humiliation, and best leave running in a giant hamster wheel to the hamsters.

If you don't know how to ride a scooter, it will hurt, a sledge hammer is destructive in so many ways, and in how many ways can you embarrass, injure and humiliate yourself when cliff diving.

Street Luge racing, great thrills until it all goes wrong, how to injure and humiliate yourself trying to ride a bike down stairs, and the uneven bars will get you in the end.

BASE jumping, not advised for the inexperienced, pulling a BMX nose wheelie is not as easy as it looks and can hurt twice as bad, and sword skills are simply just best left to the professionals.

How much fun are dirt bikes, how Paragliders can hurt when it all goes wrong, and just why do people need to humiliate, embarrass, and injure themselves with a wedgie.

Snowboarding is always fun before the fall. Doing a flip from a bridge is just another way to embarrass, injure and humiliate yourself. Keep a firm hand on your motorised hole drill. Golf, always good for some blunders, and testing your strength in a tug of war can hurt.

Roller skating pain and humiliation, steering a boat is not for amateurs, and a failed dirt bike jump is a painful experience.

No matter what, a Pogo stick is pretty much guaranteed to result in pain. Drumming is sometimes best left to professionals, unless you really want to embarrass yourself, and jumping into snowdrifts is just another way injure and humiliate yourself.

Jumping a skateboard can go wrong in so many ways, snowmobiles can get pretty painful too, and walking in long robes is just asking for trouble.

Jumping into hedges, great fun, great pain, parking gates will beat some sense into you and stopping a Longboard, not so easy and it can hurt.

Remember flying down a speedy zip line, there is sometimes a sudden and painfully humiliating stop at the end. Meat tenderising with a stick, not recommended. Ski flip forecast, high risk of failure and guaranteed pain. If you are attempting the limbo, you had better be limber.

Jumping on planks can be humiliating and painful. Scrambling on rocks, is really dangerous and guaranteed to hurt. Smashing a face into a cake is often funny, unless it happens to be your face. Performing circle wheelies is not as easy as it looks.

Sometimes horse jumping is less horse jump and more people jump. Bumpy slides are great fun until too much speed causes takeoff. Singing while skating can put you on your face. Twerking is not just embarrassing, it can be painful and humiliating as well.

Jumping onto, off of, or around any boat will pretty much always end in pain and humiliation. ATV doughnuts hurt as well. You need to know the science of cornering on a bicycle if you want to win the race, and a tablecloth pull is smashing fun.

Childrens toy cars are just that, and adults will only hurt and humiliate themselves playing with them. Swinging on a trapeze, can be fun or painful depending on how you do it. Volcano boarding, is dangerous and best left to the professionals.

The gentle art of catching people, or not depends on a lot of science. You would think simply standing on a skateboard would be simple, yet so many get it wrong and doing motorbike burnouts can always end in pain and humiliation if you don't get it right.

A child's scooter is just for a child, and in the hands of an adult, it is a source of pain and humiliation. Tyres are for vehicles and if you must use them for other things then expect to get hurt. Monster truck tricks are really cool if done right, but if done wrong, can be very costly indeed.

Slides are a never ending source of fun, humiliation and pain, depending on how you do it. Poolside handstands are a headache more often than you would think, although very entertaining to onlookers. Jumping all terrain vehicles is just never a good idea and pretty often results in destruction mayhem and pain.

Driving in reverse, how many ways can it go wrong. Pogo stick antics are often painful, and ski cliff drop in's are fun until they hurt.

Crashed ice, downhill ice skating is best left to the professionals. Trampoline drop ins can always be relied on to provide humour and humiliation. If you ignore the science, skateboard nose slides, are really going to hurt, and shooting pool trick shots, can also go spectacularly wrong.

Tandem bicycles, whether you are the stoker or the captain, get it wrong and you will both experience pain and humiliation. Playground equipment are always good for laughs and injury. Doing back flips into a pool is never recommended and attempting to do Burpees can be just as dangerous.

Moped wheelie fails, can be just as stupid, painful and humiliating as their full size brothers. Splashless dives are possible if you know the science and agony if you don't. Kettlebells used incorrectly will dish out the same amount of hurt as any other weight.

A GT sled is a bike with skis for snow, and is about as useful as a bike with wheels on snow. Dismounting from a high bar in a gym with a foam mat is bad enough, why would you try it in a park with no protection. Driving a golf ball, lots of room for pain and humiliation.

Clearing snow off roofs or roof snow falling, can be both coldly embarrassing and hilariously funny. Stalling a skateboard is just another trick that is going to hurt sooner or later. No matter what the science is, getting out of moving vehicles, is going to go wrong.

Golf, the gentleman's sport, unless a ricochet teaches you all about pain and humiliation. Giant slalom, even the professionals get it wrong so any amateur is guaranteed to get hurt. Jumping into moving vehicles would seem to be a fun thing to do, until it all does sideways.

Spins on a unicycle is a guaranteed exercise in pain and humiliation, especially when your choice of place and time is a bit suspect. Pushing a car is not always a simple as it seems. Human bowling can be fun but it can also be pain, and standing on a chair is just not a good idea.

Knowing the science is important, if you don't want to injure yourself jumping a park bench, engaging in tandem pole dancing or even indulging in a spot of surfing.

Stacked push ups will reach a point where gravity causes pain and humiliation. Dive bombs are pretty scientific, get it wrong and it will hurt. Animals and objects are always good for humour. Frisbee golf is great fun, but ignore the science involved and a lot of agony and embarrassment will result.

Tapping a beer keg is quite often really hilarious, or humiliating, depending on which side you are on. Walking in snow is often quite painful, but also funny. You will always risk injury and embarrassment if you must bench press another person.

Just how many ways are there to injure and humiliate yourself with blindfolds ?. Punchbags are usually for serious training, and when used by amateurs results in pain and embarrassment, and riding an inflatable down a water slide, is not a recommended activity.

Riding a unicycle on flat firm surfaces is hard enough, using one off road and down hill, is a sure recipe for pain and humiliation. The forward flip into water still hurts when it goes wrong. A Hoverboard is a never ending source of embarrassment and injury, and arm wrestling your grandpa and losing is just plain wrong.

It is easy to humiliate yourself running or cycling on sand, because it is not a stable surface. Wedding cakes are even less stable, so carrying or cutting them is a recipe for embarrassment and doing high fives just to look cool, can be both painful and humiliating.

Jumping in the snow will be painful and embarrassing if you do not know the science. Dipping your dance partner in public is not wise, unless you can get it right every time, and bottle flipping is ever so much fun if you know how to get it right.

In barefoot water skiing, speed is your friend and waves are not, jumping a river needs momentum, balance and some science so if you lack any it may hurt, and carrying trays, is a lot harder than you would think, but not any less humiliating.

A hard hat is to be worn and not caught painfully on your head, inflatables on water slides are just humiliating, and trying 12'o'clock wheelies often hurt, mostly for the bike.

Humiliation in small spaces, real action in rally car racing, and how much does it hurt getting into a hammock.

You really need to keep your eye on the Tetherball, bungee jumping can always hurt and how to humiliate yourself whilst heading a ball.

Trying tricks while on crutches is one way to humiliate yourself, or you can hurt yourself jumping over nets, or you can just fail whilst canoeing.

Riding your big wheel trike is an unstable proposition, balancing stuff can hurt in unexpected ways, and ghost riders on your bicycle or motorbike.

Motorcycle flips, sure to result in pain and humiliation. Walking up stairs is sometimes harder than you would think, and it can still hurt. Driving on snow, always good for embarrassment, and how to avoid getting injured when attempting to Parkour Lache.

Rivers, treat them with respect or they will get you. Snowboard carving, not as easy as it looks. Stilt hand stands, guaranteed pain. Entropy, dis-ordering molecules will dis-order your day. Ignoring Bowling etiquette, is going to get you in trouble.

Push a combustion engine too far, and a spectacular fail will result. A train locomotive is a very powerful engine and can pull up to 10 000 tonnes. Chainsaws are not toys, get it wrong and you are going to get hurt. Pumps create pressure so watch out.

Ramp jumps on a bike is great fun until you get it wrong, which is often. Pogo sticks need friction to stay under control otherwise pain and humiliation will follow. The best way to catch a drone, is to keep your fingers out of the propellers.

Knowing the science behind biking or boarding on a half pipe, will keep you from being laughed at by your friends. Skiing a box rail can hurt in so many ways. Don't mess with hurricanes if you have a low pain threshold, and running backwards can be a surefire way to embarrass and humiliate yourself.

Cliff jumping is potentially dangerous and very often painful. A snow half pipe is packed as hard as concrete so a fall is still going to hurt a lot. Party poppers or confetti cannons can be humiliating and embarrassing. Professional wrestling is organised, amateur wrestling is just painful.

How dams work, jet ski's can be humiliating, explosive demolitions do not always go to plan, sails are not always your friend. and if you lack knowledge on how to operate a ladder, you're going to get hurt.

If you must wind surf next to a glacier, watch out for falling ice blocks, jumping off a pier is sometimes painful humiliation, biking over a teeter totter is just asking for trouble, and a trapeze can get you too.

Parkour Press can really hurt when you get it wrong, the bicycle ledge drop can be humiliating in so many ways, and moving about on a boat can have all sorts of unexpected results.

If you don't have a ninja grip then chances are you are going to experience pain, try not to get hurt when parasailing behind a boat, and what is the best way to swing onto a bank so that you don't totally humiliate yourself.

Hang gliders are not for amateurs, leaning on a fence can humiliate you, and injury is always an option when playing with dinghies.

The BMX front flip, fun when it works, pain when it doesn't, walking on a log is harder than you would think, and ice will always hide unexpected dangers.

The painful dangers of slack lining, how not to ride a bicycle and if you need to hurt, then drive a Jetski over land.

The painful hidden hazards of chair handstands, even fishing can hurt, and the secrets to landing a plane.

You really can get injured when kayaking over a waterfall, avalanche humiliations, and feet behind your head stunts can hurt.

Even water slides can hurt you, the secrets of quality wake surfing, and the hidden dangers when practicing your sparring kicks.

Trampolines can hurt you, sliding a kayak into the water is an art, and swinging from a bridge can be painful.

Why it is not always a good idea to jump people, how cracking whips can hurt, and the hazards of pushing a swing.

What is the science behind bob sledding, why a standing back flip can hurt you and ways you can humiliate yourself on a Swegway.

How do you injure yourself doing yoga on a paddle board, how fun are aerial silks, and are Bo staffs safe for everyone ?

In a second Space Special, principles like orbits, light speed, weightlessness and intergalactic docking are all investigated. Parachute effects help landing. Remote control can at times be tricky and other times painful. Weightless on earth usually comes before a fall.

In a Space Special, principles like gravity, G-force, habitable zones and impact events are all investigated. When launching home made rockets, failure is always an option, but can still be spectacular. Spinning on a chair doesn't mean you have the right stuff.

When racing in a motocross event, remember impact and agony are always available options. Fluid jets are ever so much fun, but watch out when it gets away from you, could be painful. Jumping on tables, why would you want to risk the inevitable pain and humiliation.

Mountain biking, best left to experts. Flying a Paramotor seems like fun, but without knowing the physics, you are looking for pain and humiliation. Flipping down stairs is never a good idea but that never stopped anyone. Boats are always good for some mischief.

Driving high powered off road buggies will result in costly repairs and major embarrassment if you do not understand the physics involved. Jumping on a swing seat, is not exactly what it was designed for, and cartwheeling into a back flip, equals pain and humiliation.

If you intend to build a homemade zip wire, and you don't follow the science, it is going to be a painful experience. Riding modern electric scooters is not as easy as you would think and humiliation is a strong possibility, and hay bales are not always the best safety measures.

Tractor pulling needs to have a full and complete understanding of the science if you want to avoid some very expensive repair bills. Riding a motorbike through snow is a terrible idea unless you have a really understanding insurer, and a really good hospital plan.

If you attempt Water Skipping, you had better fully understand the science, if you want to avoid a lesson in humiliation and a very embarrassing insurance report. Trampolines, always good for laughs. If you are not a chimpanzee the don't try hanging about.

Mud bogging, drag racing special off road vehicles in mud is fun, until it all goes wrong. Riding undersized bikes will pretty much always result in pain and humiliation. Dancing in circles, confuses your ear vestibular system which controls your balance so a fall is bound to result.

Bouldering on rock faces, like free climbing, should always be left to the professionals. Levers are always good for pain and humiliation. Diving into a foam pit is painless, provided you actually make it into the pit. Flips on wake boards, wonderful for hurt and embarrassment.

Attempting a doughnut spin on an ATV, is both painful and humiliating if you do not understand the science. Dance high kicks by amateurs are always amusing. Riding river rapids doesn't always go to plan, and working out with medicine balls can still hurt.

Motorbike and BMX starting gate fails are hilarious, unless you are the rider. Lithium batteries are just plain dangerous when they fail. Moguls are guaranteed pain and embarrassment when you get it wrong, and log rolling is great fun if you are not the one getting wet.

Snow ramps and inflatable tubes, guaranteed humiliation, animals and staircases are a giggle a minute and ATV's with water are a poor combination.

A snowmobile ridge jump will never succeed if you don't have a clear landing space, fire is not a toy and will always hurt, jumping on or over vehicles is a guaranteed way to humiliate yourself and cycle pump tracks can hurt.

It is not always wise to confront a Dust Devil, Flambe dinners can be a little inflammable and riding a balance bike can be humiliating.

Poorly flown radio controlled planes can be painful, when riding a horse through water stay firmly attached, and never underestimate the power of ocean tides.

Parallel parking for amateurs, attempting a BMX 720 stunt can hurt, and messing with playground spinners can be quite painful.

Snow fails, malfunctioning power lines are dangerous and cycling around velodromes can still hurt you.

Driving tracked vehicles, best leave it to the professionals. Inflatable loungers, not worth the effort. Getting into or out of kayaks will really dampen your spirits, and jumping down stairs on a unicycle is a recipe for pain and humiliation.

Ridng a motorbike is not as easy as it looks, but it can be funny. Black ice is rarely visible, but can provide no end of mayhem and humiliation. Attempting to bounce off giant inflatables is always good for some pain and embarrassment, and using food blenders can be messy.

Find out all the facial expressions you can make when eating ghost peppers.

Understand why flying a helicopter near a power line is tricky, to say the least.

Learn why it’s important to consider what is in front of you before accelerating a scooter.

See why your snowmobile may never forgive you for that 1600-foot cliff drop…

See why biking along ridges can be extremely slippery, to say the least.

Understand why it is good to wait for concrete to cure before driving over it.

Learn the secret to carbonated drinks and their crazy bubbles.

Learn about the record-breaking attempt to kayak the highest waterfall.

Analyze epic fails, including why some people still don’t understand how to use bridges.

In this episode host Ben Aaron explains the science behind how to avoid a ditch when cornering in a go-kart, dealing with the power of an outboard motor, and why jumping out of a plane without a parachute might not be the best idea, even if it is for a world record.