Car Myths Quiz
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these ... cars? See how well you know man's OTHER best friend.
A car with a dimpled exterior could get better gas mileage than the same car with a smooth body.
True
False
When MythBusters Jamie and Adam covered a car with a dimpled clay shell, its fuel efficiency improved by 11 percent. The dimpled clay reduced the amount of drag, or wind resistance, on the car by disrupting air particles when they made contact with the automobile. This caused the air to bounce off rather than cling to the car.
Leonardo da Vinci designed a car around 500 years ago.
True
False
The Italian genius sketched a primitive car around 1478, although he never attempted to build it. However, in 2004 a team of Italian engineers successfully constructed da Vinci's dream car for the first time.
The generally accepted "risk zone" in which a driver might be hurt by an airbag is within 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) of inflation.
True
False
The high-risk zone for the driver airbag is within 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters) of inflation — that's where the force of deployment is greatest.
To minimize your chances of airbag injury, back up: Experts say if you park yourself about 10 inches (25 centimeters) from the wheel while driving, you should be in the clear.
To minimize your chances of airbag injury, back up: Experts say if you park yourself about 10 inches (25 centimeters) from the wheel while driving, you should be in the clear.
The height of a speed camera can affect your car's ability to beat it.
True
False
When MythBusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman initially tested — and busted — the myth that license plate blockers can help drivers beat speed cameras, some fans questioned whether the height of their speed camera's tripod was correct.
In true MythBusters fashion, the duo re-tested their results with the camera at different heights, and it captured the license plate information in each scenario.
In true MythBusters fashion, the duo re-tested their results with the camera at different heights, and it captured the license plate information in each scenario.
The earliest snowplows predate the motor car.
True
False
According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the earliest accounts of snowplow use in the United States date back to 1862 in Milwaukee. Back then, horses pulled the plows — which were attached to carts — through the snowy streets. Motorized snowplows didn't show up until about 1913.
It's easier to cling to the hood of the car than the roof.
True
False
If the car windows are up, and you're on a straight road, the hood does offer a somewhat better surface for sturdy gripping.
But if the driver makes a turn, the resulting centrifugal force remains perpendicular to the car and your body, making it impossible for you to stay attached.
But if the driver makes a turn, the resulting centrifugal force remains perpendicular to the car and your body, making it impossible for you to stay attached.
You can't roll down power windows in a sinking car.
True
False
Although power windows might seem like the logical escape route from a sinking car, they won't be your ticket to safety. Just like the pressure differential inside and outside the car prevents the door from opening until the cabin completely fills up with water, the same science applies to power windows.
The water pressure exerted against the windows is too strong for even the electrical mechanism to overcome it.
The water pressure exerted against the windows is too strong for even the electrical mechanism to overcome it.
A dirty car is more fuel efficient than a clean one.
True
False
People driving the dirty car myth argue that the grimy coating improves aerodynamics, much like the effect of dimples on golf balls. Those tiny dents disrupt air particles as they flow across a golf ball, reducing wind resistance — or drag — and sending it sailing 37 percent farther than a smooth ball would travel.
But randomly distributed dirt particles do just the opposite on cars, creating more drag as air particles cling onto the grime. According to MythBuster calculations, that filth effect cuts fuel economy by around 10 percent.
Correct
Don't quit your day job.
Correct
Not too shabby. You're on the verge of becoming the next great buster of myths.
Correct
Great job! Adam and Jamie would be very, very proud.
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