Suggestion for Episode: Analysis of "Knife in Toaster"

[nowrd2xpln]

This video was posted recently on youtube. Its a video of a guy jabbing a knife into a toaster followed by a big explosion.

 I think it would be cool to do the math what happened, determine whether it is plausible,  test it, and  maybe do some measurements in a controlled environment!

"Idiot Puts Knife In Toaster"

Published on Jun 6, 2013
Some idiot fell for peer pressure and decided to put a knife in a toaster. Skip to 1:03 for explosion.

Cheers!

[c4757p]

Yeah... I don't think that's how toasters work.

That's also the most annoying thing I've forced myself to watch in a very, very long time.

[mariush]

Some kid's homework for the subject "Photoshop for videos" or  "Viral marketing campaign". Or in more simple terms... FAKE.

1:05 knife is about 2-3 cm above the toaster
1:06 white band in middle of screen
1:07 fireworks.

0:07 no bottle on the black table on top left side, plastic bag all the way on the left of the counter top
1:07 bottle with some yellow/orange content on the table.
0.57 cut in the video

they just recorded themselves inserting the knife into an unplugged toaster and reacting like that, then they separately recorded without moving the camera the toaster exploding (remotely triggered). Then they just overlayed the videos in post production.

Or they just faked the whole toaster.

The incandescent nichrome wire or whatever is there could probably be shorted to the grounded metal but the wire/heating element wouldn't explode so violently. The fuse would trip faster than the reaction time of such metal.

[c4757p]

The incandescent nichrome wire or whatever is there could probably be shorted to the grounded metal but the wire/heating element wouldn't explode so violently. The fuse would trip faster than the reaction time of such metal.

Their loud obnoxiousness suggests they're probably American, and most toasters here have a floating chassis. It wouldn't even be that entertaining - just a couple douches poking a knife around.

[smashedProton]

I really want to take away that knife...  the punk waving it in everyone's faces

[EEVblog]

Lame attempt at a fake viral video.

[Monkeh]

I think it would be cool to do the math what happened, determine whether it is plausible,  test it, and  maybe do some measurements in a controlled environment!

I think it'd be a complete waste of time, as anyone with a basic education knows that it simply would not do that.

If you want to see someone poke something until it explodes, go ask Photon.

[c4757p]

I really want to take away that knife...  the punk waving it in everyone's faces

Eh, just wait for Darwin's revenge. It's much easier.

[vk6zgo]

I think it would be cool to do the math what happened, determine whether it is plausible,  test it, and  maybe do some measurements in a controlled environment!

I think it'd be a complete waste of time, as anyone with a basic education knows that it simply would not do that.

If you want to see someone poke something until it explodes, go ask Photon.

Yes,it would either be a fairly large "zap " if he shorted  the mains to earth,or he would  just quietly electrocute himself!

As far as poking something that explodes--does anybody remember flashcubes?

They had a couple of slots on the bottom,& I was idly poking one of these with a screwdriver,whilst talking on the phone,when the flash went off!

The person on the other end of the phone  must have wondered what happened,as I was speechless for a while------the flashcube was quite close to my face.

I always thought they operated from a throw-away battery in the Instamatic cameras,but it seems there was some other mechanism in play.

[IanB]

I always thought they operated from a throw-away battery in the Instamatic cameras,but it seems there was some other mechanism in play.

As you discovered, they were mechanical. Inside the cube was a piece of spring steel wire bent back under tension and held behind a small stop. When you pressed the camera shutter a plastic pin was made to poke up through the base of the cube and push the steel spring off its stop, allowing it to spring back and whack against the firing pin on the base of the flash bulb, setting off the bulb. When you prodded the screwdriver in there you pushed the spring off its stop and emulated the normal action of the camera.

[firewalker]

Our fhashcubes used a high voltage piezo-electric mechanism on the camera to start the reaction.

Alexander.

[IanB]

There were electronic flash cubes too. The spring loaded Magicube is the one on the right:



It was "magic" as it didn't require a battery.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Totally fake. Best case you'd get a bit of a flash and a pop - no way anything capable of breaking the casing.
Even with fuses and breakers bypassed, you wouldn't get enough instantaneous energy release - it might continue to arc a bit afterwards. 

[Psi]

There were electronic flash cubes too. The spring loaded Magicube is the one on the right:

lol, i've not seen one of those in like 20 years.

[jancumps]

Same here. One of the first things that I opened.
Absolutely no batteries involved in camera or cube (Kodak instamatic I think)
It was fascinating for a young kid.