Science of Stupid

What do you get if you combine a BMX, a quarter-pipe, a 360-degree backflip and a 180-degree spin? Yes, a BMX flair trick, but also a lot of potential Science of Stupid material. In this episode, host Richard Hammond explores the science behind center of pressure, momentum and Boyle's Law. Check out the potential hazards when skim-boarding, attempting an aerial kick and launching a bottle rocket.

Through ridiculous user-generated clips of jumping on a snowmobile, spinning a guitar and vaulting over canals, host Richard Hammond studies how to control pitch midair, looks at the importance of timing and finds out how centripetal force can make you look like a rock star.

Host Richard Hammond examines the ways to injure and humiliate oneself when throwing a Frisbee, driving a hovercraft and attempting a hockey stop. Discover what happens when momentum meets friction, when tilt is miscalculated and when you get caught out by lift.

On this episode of Science of Stupid, host Richard Hammond discovers what happens when you ignore Newton's third law, separate fact from friction and make a mess of your center of mass. You won't want to miss these outrageous user-generated videos of the possible danger of biking downhill, balancing on a ball and standing on a moving car.

Join host Richard Hammond as he explores what physicists call "moments" and finds lots of madness. He'll look at reasons not to try to harness the momentum of a large flightless bird, and how to generate vertical velocity with a puck. Learn all of this from people humiliating themselves while riding an ostrich, cornering in a go-kart and jumping through hoops.

Through ridiculous user-generated footage of people racing on lawnmowers, abusing inflatables and striking a pinata, host Richard Hammond explains how not to manage pressure, inertia and centrifugal force.

In this episode of Science of Stupid, see the many ways to humiliate yourself when climbing a lamppost, busting a break-dance move and riding an off-road skateboard. Host Richard Hammond explores how to balance multiple masses and how to minimize the angle of impact ... or not.

Join host Richard Hammond as he looks at how to minimize friction using wheels, varying degrees of impact force and the effects of having a high center of mass. See these principles put to use through user-generated videos of rotating on a pommel horse, running through walls and jumping while wearing rollerblades.

Standing on your head, turning on a Jet Ski or attending a wedding all have the potential to go terribly wrong, according to the user-generated clips in this episode. Host Richard Hammond looks at the dangers of momentum in dance, friction on ice and parabolas at weddings.

Learning about the dangers of angular momentum in dance, friction in ice skating and rotation in soccer.

Ever wonder about the hazards of playing beer pong? Find out what they are, along with the many things that can go wrong when vaulting over walls and bouncing on gym balls, on this episode of Science of Stupid. Host Richard Hammond explores the relationship between trajectory and impact, the downside of elastic restoring force and how to balance momentum and friction.

On this episode of Science of Stupid, host Richard Hammond demonstrates three kinds of friction. He'll explore the relationship between stretch and speed and reveal some hard facts on centrifugal force, all while witnessing the hazards of Rollerblading, spinning nunchucks and riding on miniature motorbikes.

In this episode of Science of Stupid, user-generated videos show the hazards of ballet dancing, Jet Skiing or just taking part in a good old pillow fight. Join host Richard Hammond to learn how the gyroscopic effect works and why momentum is vital when mounting a horse bareback. Then get to grips with the impulse momentum theorem.

Check out all the things that could possibly go wrong when visiting a waterpark, chest bumping and attempting a spinning karate kick. Host Richard Hammond finds out what happens when ultimate tensile stress is exceeded and how to master axis of rotation.

Excruciating embarrassment and pain await the unsuspecting in this episode. Table tennis players must prepare like any other sports pros, especially in China, where 300 million people play. But, as in any high-speed activity, so much can go wrong. And if you have unwanted hair and are thinking about getting smooth, you might want to tune in for some helpful science that will make the procedure as painless as possible.