Editing 582: Brakes
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
| − | A car's brakes fail on a winding mountain road. As a response, the driver calls a live radio phone-in show, overlooking the fact that he is in immediate danger and has no time to gather outside advice before improvising a solution. The driver | + | A car's brakes fail on a winding mountain road. As a response, the driver calls a live radio phone-in show, overlooking the fact that he is in immediate danger and has no time to gather outside advice before improvising a solution. The driver loses control of the car and plunges over a cliff. |
If this ever happens to you, | If this ever happens to you, | ||
*Try pumping the brakes, it may rebuild enough pressure to slow you down | *Try pumping the brakes, it may rebuild enough pressure to slow you down | ||
| − | *Downshift into second and then first gear, which should | + | *Downshift into second and then first gear, which should limit your vehicle's speed |
| − | *Use your "emergency brake" | + | *Use your "emergency brake," it's not just for parking |
*Otherwise, find a safe place to coast to a stop, if possible, or else | *Otherwise, find a safe place to coast to a stop, if possible, or else | ||
| − | *Try to wreck your car in a way that won't kill you | + | *Try to wreck your car in a way that won't kill you or your passengers. Aim for something that will slow you down before stopping you, like a stand of bushes. |
http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-a-Car-with-No-Brakes | http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-a-Car-with-No-Brakes | ||
| Line 21: | Line 21: | ||
The title text refers to {{w|Tom and Ray Magliozzi}} who were the co-hosts of the weekly radio show {{w|Car Talk}}. It was a car advice/comedy radio show often aired on {{w|NPR}} stations. While there is some actual advice given on the radio show, it's presented as a comedy/entertainment show. Much of the show did involve the hosts "gasping and hacking" as they ask non-relevant questions of the callers and add their own commentary or relate other personal asides and stories. | The title text refers to {{w|Tom and Ray Magliozzi}} who were the co-hosts of the weekly radio show {{w|Car Talk}}. It was a car advice/comedy radio show often aired on {{w|NPR}} stations. While there is some actual advice given on the radio show, it's presented as a comedy/entertainment show. Much of the show did involve the hosts "gasping and hacking" as they ask non-relevant questions of the callers and add their own commentary or relate other personal asides and stories. | ||
| − | Since he claims that he has 6.5 funny seconds, he must have connected with them way before going over the cliff. Because in 6.5 seconds a car would fall approximately 200 m (½*g*t^2, with g = 9.81 m/s^2, and t the time in seconds. This will give 207 m, but there will be a lot of air resistance). It is clear from the drawing that the | + | Since he claims that he has 6.5 funny seconds, he must have connected with them way before going over the cliff. Because in 6.5 seconds a car would fall approximately 200 m (½*g*t^2, with g = 9.81 m/s^2, and t the time in seconds. This will give 207 m, but there will be a lot of air resistance). It is clear from the drawing that the call is still going almost straight out into the air, so it is still almost at the height where it left the road at quite a high speed (to get this far away without turning the engine down towards earth yet.) And the is just about 5 car length to the ground, which would make this a 10-15 m drop only (which would take less than 2 seconds to fall). But according to the comic it seems like he first connected with the show, just when the car has left the road... |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
:Of the potential responses to my brakes' failure, I did not choose the best. | :Of the potential responses to my brakes' failure, I did not choose the best. | ||
| − | :[A cliff is visible, with a car flying off it | + | :[A cliff is visible, with a car flying off it.] |
:Voice from car: Hello, you're on Car Talk. | :Voice from car: Hello, you're on Car Talk. | ||
==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
| − | * NPR made a shirt out of this comic | + | * NPR made a shirt out of this comic, it can be seen at [http://shop.npr.org/products/car-talk-cartoon-t-shirt shop.npr.org]. |
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
