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#1 2006-08-07 03:17:17
- Devantè
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Driving Drunk or Driving while Talking on a Mobile Phone?
The Mythbusters proved that drunk driving is more dangerous than driving while talking on a mobile phone. Reead on for more information.
The Mythbusters set out on to a racetrack to prove that drunk driving is, in fact, more dangerous than talking on a mobile phone. They used three people - A female, a male, and another male. They were given ordinary cars, and they were all asked to perform three tasks - They were asked to try parallel parking, stopping at a certain sign, and going through an obstacle course. Of course, the Mythbusters tried each of these shortly after drinking a short amount of alcohol. They were asked no to eat anything for 2-3 days, for the maximum result. The drunk driving was terrible - Everyone failed the parallel parking and stopping at the sign, and one of them even failed all three tasks! They then tried the same with a mobile phone. They proved that it was easier driving with a mobile phone because of two reasons - One, they had better control while driving, and two, they could easily put the mobile phone down if they were to crash or have an accident.
Thus, the Mythbusters proved that drunk driving is more dangerous by a wide margin than driving while talking on a mobile phone.
#2 2006-08-07 05:30:31
- Ricky
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Re: Driving Drunk or Driving while Talking on a Mobile Phone?
You can't prove anything with a sample size of 3.
"In the real world, this would be a problem. But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist. So we'll go ahead and do that now..."
#3 2006-08-07 06:31:54
- Zhylliolom
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Re: Driving Drunk or Driving while Talking on a Mobile Phone?
All this hate for MythBusters Ricky, what did they do to you!?
But you're right, maybe they should take a statistics course and reform their testing style afterwards.
#4 2006-08-07 06:39:45
- Ricky
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Re: Driving Drunk or Driving while Talking on a Mobile Phone?
Their motive is good, but they are forced to reach conclusions so that people will watch. They never end a segment with, "Our test was inconclusive" even when it is extremely obvious (this situation for example) that is was.
"In the real world, this would be a problem. But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist. So we'll go ahead and do that now..."
#5 2006-08-07 16:59:22
- Devantè
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Re: Driving Drunk or Driving while Talking on a Mobile Phone?
Actually, they do do that sometimes. They end their show with a 'busted', 'confirmed' or a 'plausible'. The myth that you could drown in quicksand was 'busted' because you couldn't drown in it - Like many of their tests and myths.
(I apologize if you watch Mythbusters 
)
Last edited by Devanté (2006-08-07 17:03:10)
#6 2006-08-07 23:34:16
- Ricky
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Re: Driving Drunk or Driving while Talking on a Mobile Phone?
Plausible does not mean inconclusive. Plausible means that it is possible, so it isn't exactly a myth, but it most likely won't happen.
Inconclusive means that the test did not give them enough to make any sort of conclusion. Plausible is, on the other hand, a conclusion.
"In the real world, this would be a problem. But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist. So we'll go ahead and do that now..."
#7 2006-08-08 06:10:58
- ben
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Re: Driving Drunk or Driving while Talking on a Mobile Phone?
Umm. What's going on here? I thought this section was supposed to be about mathematically cool facts we have discovered?
By all means chat about drunks vs moby's, but surely this is the wrong place to do it.
#8 2006-08-08 06:15:27
- Devantè
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Re: Driving Drunk or Driving while Talking on a Mobile Phone?
This isn't the wrong place to do it...this forum is for Mathematics and Science.
#9 2006-08-08 09:57:07
- All_Is_Number
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Re: Driving Drunk or Driving while Talking on a Mobile Phone?
Devanté wrote:
The Mythbusters proved that drunk driving is more dangerous than driving while talking on a mobile phone. Reead on for more information.
The Mythbusters set out on to a racetrack to prove that drunk driving is, in fact, more dangerous than talking on a mobile phone. They used three people - A female, a male, and another male. They were given ordinary cars, and they were all asked to perform three tasks - They were asked to try parallel parking, stopping at a certain sign, and going through an obstacle course. Of course, the Mythbusters tried each of these shortly after drinking a short amount of alcohol. They were asked no to eat anything for 2-3 days, for the maximum result. The drunk driving was terrible - Everyone failed the parallel parking and stopping at the sign, and one of them even failed all three tasks! They then tried the same with a mobile phone. They proved that it was easier driving with a mobile phone because of two reasons - One, they had better control while driving, and two, they could easily put the mobile phone down if they were to crash or have an accident.
Thus, the Mythbusters proved that drunk driving is more dangerous by a wide margin than driving while talking on a mobile phone.
This part tells me they were trying to prove driving drunk was more dangerous, instead of trying to find which is more dangerous. The difference is subtle, but very important.
Mythbusters is after ratings. Their conclusions are often challenged by those better versed in the scientific method.
You can shear a sheep many times but skin him only once.
#10 2006-08-08 10:51:30
- MathsIsFun
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Re: Driving Drunk or Driving while Talking on a Mobile Phone?
I like Mythbusters more for the practical workshop stuff than for the science.
Their (three?) attempts at the soldiers walking across the bridge problem was so much fun. But not, of course, conclusive.
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman