A while back, I wrote about an episode of Mythbusters on Discovery Channel – where they had debunked the myth that two cars colliding at 50mph impact with a force equivalent to hitting a solid wall at 100mph.
I noticed tonight that someone has picked up the same episode and has commented on it.
We are all led to believe that if two cars travelling at 50mph hit each other head on, the impact speed would be 100mph.
They proved that wrong.
Talk about wrong end of the stick!
The combined speed of the impact is a mathematical quantity – something going at 50mph hitting something else going at 50mph in the exact opposite direction results in a combined impact speed of 100mph.
What they really did in the show was prove that the forces involved were only equivalent to a 50mph impact against a solid wall and not to those resulting from a 100mph impact against a solid wall.
None of those who have so far replied have spotted the error – which just goes to show what I have often said about ADIs. They really ought to leave some subjects alone!