The Spinning Ice Bullets Phenomenon! | MythBusters | Season 8 Episode 5 | Full Episode

Driven by an extremely viral video. What happens when a bullet strikes a frozen lake, might it spin like a top on impact?
Using science as a tool, Hollywood special effects experts attempt to debunk rumours, urban legends and popular myths that have captivated the minds of many individuals.
#MythBusters #FactOrFiction

[@Syncromatic]

“It seems kind of counterintuitive to fire into the ice that you’re standing on, but I mean this isn’t Logicbusters” is my new favorite Tory quote.

[@frizzlethecat2084]

The older I get, the more I appreciate the building-sequences and admiring all the cool tools they have!

[@td8648]

I'm surprised the producers and insurance guys actually greenlight the spike test

[@PlittHD]

Well I dont see how that would cause personal injuries?

[@td8648]

@@PlittHD The spike hit the driver side, one hole was even very close to Adams feet.

[@LollipopUnicorny]

Why did they choose to set the spikes on the right side wouldn’t it be safer on the left side

[@Zorothegallade-rpg]

@@LollipopUnicorny They did with the third test, the one that made Adam's car look like it encountered a very pissed off Wolverine.

[@mrtandemslidessbtt]

It’s insane they allowed it on the DRIVER side 😂 my instant thought was “that could easily shred the drivers door”

[@Sethioz]

spinning bullet is one of the very few cases where my ability to visualize physics has been wrong. 99% of the time when someone asks something like "what happens if you shoot at concrete" i can tell quite accurately if bullet will ricochet, how much and how much damage it does to concrete, but that ice spin is insane.

[@KirurgiLobos]

"With hypothermia seriously being a threat"... In Finland we call that tuesday

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

It's sad that we never had a Mythbusters Top Gear crossover. There were a couple things both did that totally warrant some fun together. Like the wheel spike here, the gun on a car (but Top Gear used paint) or the "blowing a car with a jet engine"

[@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13]

Yeah but the longerTop Gear went on, the fewer "facts and informations" were included in the program.

[@teresashinkansen9402]

While it would be cool I feel the personalities of the hosts are like water and oil, they wouldn't work that well, can't picture Jeremy Clarkson talking to Jamie Hyneman tough I can see Adam Savage and Richard Hammond doing some chemistry.

[@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13]

@@teresashinkansen9402 yet I could see a conversation between James May and James Franklin Hyneman stretching into eternity.

[@teresashinkansen9402]

@@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13 So the episode would end in Jeremy Clarkson ending up alone and alienated maybe making out with a sunfish meanwhile the other two had such an amazing time testing the car myths and having things in common. Actually sounds great forgot about James May.

[@Games_and_Music]

Well, there was that show with Tory and Hammond. I still have to watch it, but i didn't hear a lot of positives about it.

[@M0N0K0I]

Attacking the drivers side seems smart.

[@AndrewNiccol]

I'm thinking the same thing. What were they thinking?

[@PexiTheBuilder]

Jamie always so worried of safety, but maybe he finally got enough of Adam that day?

[@borntoclimb7116]

On the opposite day

[@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13]

Adam's wife updated his life insurance policy the day before and was in cahoots with Jamie to split the proceeds. True fact.

[@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13]

Adam's wife updated his life insurance policy the day before and was in cahoots with Jamie to split the proceeds. True fact.

[@deadboy9955]

I like how Adam firmly believed that fixed machine guns wouldn't work, while fighter jets pretty much all have fixed cannons.

[@kuhluhOG]

and then there is also the Stridsvagn 103 a Swedish tank with a fixed 105mm gun which is aimed by rotating the hull and a gas-hydraulic hydropneumatic suspension

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

The machinegun vs autocannon thing is pretty much dependent on the doctrine of the force. looking at WWII, .30 cal, .50 cal and 20mm were all used, sometimes even together, but there wasn't a single dominant option. And for a car gun, any of these calibers will work.

[@kuhluhOG]

@@HappyBeezerStudios not just doctrine, but also purpose a .50cal isn't even remotely as good at shooting down a heavy bomber as a 20mm but for fighting more nimble fighters, it's the other way around (because of the rof)

[@MrMarinus18]

They are far more agile and the fixed machine guns on fighters do present challenges mainly the extremely short engagement window. This is why you often see gattling cannons on aircraft as they can have extreme rates of fire. Single barrel chamber machine guns can't go beyond 1800 rpm and for many aircraft that's just not enough.

[@MrMarinus18]

@@kuhluhOG Though a big reason why the Americans went so big on .50 cal machine guns on their fighters is because when they joined the allies already were well into their bombing raids. American fighters were mainly meant to escort bombers and defend them against German fighters. One advantage of a relatively small caliber weapon is that you can carry a lot of ammo which is good if you need to escort something for a long time. The German fighters used 37mm though against bombers with the 20mm for use against fighters. The 37mm cannon only had enough ammo for a few salvo's but when on the defensive that doesn't really matter as you only really have 1 engagement and return home immediately.

[@Dabeyoun]

Airplanes during the Great War and the Second World War aimed fixed guns into their enemies. I would bet it is easier to do in a car with enough practice.

[@AndrewNiccol]

Huh? Aren't the machine guns on airplanes always fixed? F-16, F-22, F-35… Actually I don't know any airplane that uses moveable machine guns.

[@hunted4blood]

@@AndrewNiccol The B-17 and the AC-130J both have movable turrets, but that's kinda cheating because I'm pretty sure those are both for engaging ground targets.

[@emptyforrest]

@@hunted4blood lol, no. those turrets where to defend against fighters....

[@hunted4blood]

@@emptyforrest Oh, my mistake. Thanks for the correction. It's not cheating then!

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Yup, turrets on bombers to defend against fighters, but fighters had fixed guns basically since someone figured out how to synchronize the gun with the propeller to stop shooting your own powerplant. Some WWI planes had a gunner with a turret, but that quickly went away. And before that they basically did drive-bys, or rather fly-bys with the pilot using their pistol to shoot at the other plane.

[@Ma_X64]

Those car wheel spikes... If you take some cheap HSS drill bits and TIG it onto a cutting edge (not as drill, as alloy), then the edge will be very strong against any common mild steel. I saw this trick applied to a welder's slag hammer and have done it -- works very good!

[@matnels277]

Sometimes I think they have the best job in the world and then I watch episodes like this. I can’t believe they managed the spinning bullet in that weather. As an Aussie that sought of cold would literally kill me 😂

[@Youtubeforme88]

06:50 wouldnt it be safer and more logical to attack passenger side? Too late to talk but safety was my first thought

[@Renevas]

My guess is that they sincerely underestimated the effectiveness of those spike.

[@cmccrazy]

@@Renevas that was my guess too, for the first test.. but surely the second spike test with the horns could easily be mounted on the other side of the wheels after realizing the potential for damage.. so I'm really not sure what they were thinking

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Not only would it be safer for the target, but the driver could also see more easily where the spike is poking.

[@Orphioux]

They were saving that side of the car for Jamies rim buster

[@alainbourgault1937]

Adam: "Fixed machine guns are stupid and don't work" A10 warthog: "BRRRRRRRRRRT!!!!!"

[@keakuma]

they treat it like guns mounted on vehicles is a spy movie myth, while basic modern warfare is basically "let's stick a gun to this vehicle!"

[@Fernando-ek8jp]

That thing ain't a fixed machine gun, it's a machine gun with wings attached to it.

[@alainbourgault1937]

@@Fernando-ek8jp So are you saying that a machine gun mounted "fixedly" to an airplane is not a fixed machine gun but a machine gun that is mounted "fixedly" to a vehicle is?

[@Fernando-ek8jp]

@@alainbourgault1937 No, I'm making a joke that the A10 is more of a giant gun that just happens to be able to fly rather than a plane with a weapon.

[@alainbourgault1937]

@@Fernando-ek8jp Ah ok, I misunderstood what you were saying, my apologies.

[@Wanton110]

The spy machine gun always reminded me of Interstate '76

[@TVD1984]

Brilliant reference, what a game that was. Easily hands down one of my favourite games of all time.

[@cycoholic]

Absolutely loved Interstate 76. Interstate 82 was ok. Never been anything close to either of these again. Activision, I'm looking at you!

[@borntoclimb7116]

The spy car myths are great.

[@Valfaun]

somehow this episode felt really weird. despite having the usual runtime it felt like half of it was missing and i was just watching a montage

[@doott843]

Gotta keep this saved for WW3

[@7errafirma]

at 15:30, just as the narrator says the bullet embedded itself in ice, you can actually see the bullet flying upwards in slo mo.

[@juanusa121]

4:52 what a jeopardy for motobiker

[@stephenmartin1982]

I can't look at block ice like that without thinking The Big Boss/Fists of Fury

[@gabrielvieira6529]

LOL 9:15 REVERSE Spin LOLOLOL

[@Sethioz]

30:33 that's actaully not true, reason why ice is slippery, is not because of melting or the water barrier, it's because particle in ice are able to move over eachother. in vacuum, water will boil instantly as there's no pressure to hold it back, so according to his logic, ice wouldn't be slipper in vacuum, but it is. lot of people think that ice is slippery because of the watery layer on top, but that's not true. real reason why ice is slippery, is because of how particle are able to freely move over eachother. look it up, there are some good videos about it.

[@TitusX49]

Hear those stock metal crashing sound effects that are used in half life

[@houseofsaudisthebeast]

youd think they would know that bullets spin without having to test it and yet here we are

[@Ekhin]

I’m all oiled up and ready to go

[@thamires.magalhaes]

Why are 25 videos from this season hidden?

[@Djheffeson]

nice

[@Netbug]

I would've opted to damage the passenger side of the car with that spike weapon, for safety's sake.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

So basically you have to be in a frozen lake for a spinning bullet possible.

[@victorperon1940]

wtf the car running backwards in 38:23

[@Legendarium-PL]

They seal company names on clothes, cars and even on their tires 21:24 And what about company names on ships ? 21:35 😏

[@Games_and_Music]

Yeah, i noticed that as well, mostly because i was watching another episode earlier about the Solar Ray 3.0 and Hellboy punch in season 7, where they did the punch at the same place, but did blur out the letters on the boat. Which in turn caught my eye, because in another episode i remember seeing a big "China" on one of those ships, but i don't remember seeing the big white letters. But yeah, seeing the blur on the other episode caught me off guard, and now not seeing it also caught me off guard. So i guess they took more liberties in this season, or yeah maybe the blur department had an off-day.

[@jarrodbright5231]

In this episode the Mythbusters learn that military technology is used by the military because it works.

[@AndrewNiccol]

Why bullets can't spin on ice but can spin on lake in winter?

[@SMGJohn]

They can spin on the ice but you need a high enough angle so the bullet ricochet, their issue with the ice test was the bullet just ricochet into the grass instead of into a block of ice, they did get one ricochet on the ice blocks judging from audio.

[@CybersteelEx]

They fail to obey the golden ratio thus failed to achieve Spin.

[@Games_and_Music]

@@SMGJohn Yeah, they maybe should've built more of a ice box to shoot into, rather than having it bounce off ice into nowhere. I'm not really sure what they were thinking there, but to be honest, i thought the video was faked, but the more they started testing, the more i started believing in it, but that first test was a waste. Now that i've seen it happen it makes perfect sense to me, the bullet touches ice/snow all around, which doesn't create much friction because of the liquid film that gets created, so it retains the spin that it got from the barrel until it cannot overcome the friction. I guess i'm just distrustful of "found potato footage" on the web.

[@calumsanderson6741]

i love how american the spinning bullet myth is

[@_Not.all.RC_]

yus

[@AAYAN_X805]

33:01

[@workingguy3166]

15:10

[@gatovillano7009]

at 21:53, clearly he has a magnet under the ice to make the bullet spin

[@MrMarinus18]

30:45 That isn't actually how it works. Ice is not completely solid and under high pressure it actually acts like a liquid because of it's structure. This is the same mechanism that allows glaciers to flow.

[@Fernando-ek8jp]

I love that Brian is one of the most boring looking dudes ever, but is anything but.

[@pjschu3297]

pretty cool episode despite it's not one of the first 4 seasons episodes 😋🤍