Ep 2. Lead Balloon!

In season six, episode two of Mythbusters titled "Lead Balloon!" Adam, Jamie, and the rest of the Mythbusters team take on their usual assortment of myths, but this time, they involve lead. The episode kickstarts with the team exploring whether it's possible to make lead-weight balloons that can float. Adam and Jamie try to determine the effects of heated air on a balloon filled with lead shavings, and they also conduct an experiment with helium and air-filled balloons, which they fill with lead shavings. Finally, they build one large balloons, called the Lead Zeppelin, filled with lead shavings and heated to judge whether it could achieve lift-off.

In the second myth of the episode, the team explores whether bullets made out of wax and ammunition could be used to kill someone. Adam, Jamie, and the rest of the team conduct several experiments to test the plausibility of the myth. They start off by incorporating ballistics gel, which is analogously similar to human muscle tissue, and shooting wax bullets and round ball bullets. They then increase the speed of the bullets and shoot them at faster speeds to observe their accuracy, including whether they could penetrate human skin and organs.

For their third myth, the team explores whether it's possible to smash the windshield of a car with a penny. The team uses a computer-run firing system to shoot pennies, nickels, and dimes out of a weapon and to determine the probability of each coin penetrating the windshield of various cars. The team also investigates the running coins, which appears to be pushed back by the surface of the windshield of the car.

In the final myth of the episode, the team explores whether two cars driving at high speeds could create a vacuum that can pull someone off the ground. After determining that the myth was not theoretically feasible, the team pushed aside physics and set out to recreate the scene regardless, using a helix design for the roadway and a mannequin.

This episode of Mythbusters showcases the dedication and creativity that the team members bring to each experiment. Although some of the myths tackled may seem ridiculous, their experiments and results are based in science and aimed to disprove or prove common myths. This episode shows the intricacies of scientific reasoning and experimentation, the importance of being curious and asking questions, and the significance of testing assumptions before categorizing them as facts.