Could that actually happen? The bus jump from Speed

Transcript: http://www.davidcolarusso.com/blog/?p=32#more-32

The Tabletop Explainer is an intermittent educational vlog presenting answers to viewer questions, brief science lessons, and ideas for teachers and students. It is a feature of my blog "Tilts at Windmils" which can be found at http://www.davidcolarusso.com/blog/

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• range
• equation
• speed
• bus
• jump
• projectile
• motion
• phylm
• tabletop
• explainer
• science
• physics

[patchen1111]

what is the equation called? and why does it work

[dcolarusso]

@patchen1111 the equation used in the video is commonly called the range equation. The Wikipedia article "Range_of_a_projectile" has a derivation.

[MissAnonymisss]

what are the measurement u use to put in the range equation

im after

R = ?

d = ?

g = 9.8 m/s^2 <--- is that right

[dcolarusso]

@MissAnonymisss I'm not sure what you're referencing as d, but the assumed values, which are stated in the clip are: an initial velocity (v_0) of 68 miles/hour and a range (R) of 50 feet, and "yes" the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s^2, but if we're working with English Units, we need to use 32 ft/s^2.

[entehrend]

mythbusters did this.

it didnt work

[teloiv2]

I simply cannot believe these responses.

You don't need a degree in physics - just look at it - even if the gap to be jumped was only twenty feet and the bus was going 200 miles per hour - it would still drop too fast. Some things should simply be common sense.

[TobyBartels]

Contrary to your conclusions, the movie's jump is completely unrealistic. The obvious clue, which you dismiss as ‘an artefact of Hollywood tinkering’, shows this: the bus was really driven on a ramp (not appearing in the previous shot). That ramp is not only the reason that the bus has the weird angle of attack but also the reason that the real stunt bus (as described in other comments) made the jump at all!

[TobyBartels]

You say of 5 degrees ‘That's not much of an angle’, but it is! That's more than 8.5% grade, which is rather steep for a bus to drive on, and much steeper than anything that would be put into a freeway being built in a metropolitan area. It looked fake when I first saw the movie, and now that I see the physics behind it, it looks even faker.

[smuggecko]

interesting video and very informative

[yettii0077]

@teloiv2 if there was no incline then yes..

[TheSteelersrock1010]

the bus jump did happen ..just not like you see in the movie ....they filmed this scene on a highway that really wasn't finished ..a stunt man drove the bus hit a ramp that was made to look like part of the highway the bus went air born when it landed it did mess up the bus pretty bad ...then computers was used to take the film and make it look like there was a gap in the highway ...so with the computer special effects and a good stunt man you got a good bus jump

[kooltomax]

It should be common sense you can't jump a bus or any other vehicle without a ramp.

[potatoes4200]

@GungFuPanda um, no it didn't. did u watch the episode or are you just deaf and blind?

[realworldbycj]

Wouldn't make it. Pure and simple. Have Mythbusters do it if you're curious enough.

[KingsWorld2010]

no way, this could never happen. It don't take a rocket scientist to work this one out. You're video and argument is a waste of time.

[DarthLegoMaster2011]

@BMFstudiosNYC That would be the ramp which special effects covered up. Movies tend to fake the effects of gravity for the sake of the action.