Of all the episodes over its 14 years on air, “The Myth Breaker” co-host by Adam Savage The most popular result was the golf cart of 2009. experimentThis car test requires team to cover the fourth generation Ford Taurus in hundreds of pounds clay and engraved dimples on its surface to see if it improves. Taurus‘ energy saving. How can covering a car with dents begin to improve the aerodynamics of the original design? It works on Golf ballSo why doesn’t it work in cars? At least that’s what the myth goes.
As a golf ball flies through the air, the dimples create turbulent airflow that actually causes air to slide around the surface of the ball, allowing it to fly farther than if it were smooth. The myth the team set out to test was whether adding similar dimples to the surface of a car would increase its fuel efficiency.
Savage is particularly proud of the experiment because it was designed and executed using sound scientific methodology, while at the beginning of the show’s run, the co-hosts were still finding their footing as a science show. “Mythbusters” collaborated with teams from the Academy of Art’s automotive department, using NASA technology to test prototypes and performing complex tests to reach their conclusions. Savage considers the experiment to be the “Mythbusters” team’s greatest myth busting yet, even though the results actually proved the myths correct.
After a series of rigorous fuel economy tests between the unmodified Taurus and the golf ball Taurus, they concluded that the golf ball cart had about 14 percent better fuel efficiency than the original cart. To put the 14 percent increase in fuel efficiency into context, that would bring the 25 mpg rating to 28.5 mpg or the 30 mpg rating to 34.2 mpg.
The results of “Mythbusters” were so impressive that it even caught the attention of a Big Three automaker, who did similar testing with a pre-existing clay model, although they claimed to have found different results. Savage said it was great to waste a big company’s time, and it was great to be able to influence professional scientists. Thanks for your service, Mr. Savage.
