A group of young men appear doing a series of science experiments.

Phil is in her twenties, clean-shaven and with short curly dark blond hair. He wears gray trousers, a blue T-shirt and a yellow lab coat.

Phil says HAVE YOU EVER
DONE A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
AND WONDERED IT WOULD BE
LIKE IF YOU DID IT BIG?
I HAVE.
MY NAME IS PHIL
AND I TAKE YOUR EVERYDAY
SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
AND DO THEM BIG.

Phil appears under the water, in a skydiving chamber and on a trolley.

Phil says THIS IS SCIENCE MAX!
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE.

The logo of the show appears. It’s a black and yellow triangle with an exploding element inside and a blue sign across that reads "Experiments at Large."

Voices shout SCIENCE MAX!

Clips from today’s show roll.

Phil says THIS EPISODE OF SCIENCE MAX
IS ALL ABOUT EARTHQUAKES.

Buster says EXCITING.

Phil and another scientist balance on a moving platform.

Phil says HOW DO
WE BUILD SOMETHING
THAT WON'T FALL
APART WHEN SHAKEN?
PLUS, A LOT OF OTHER
WAYS TO SHAKE THINGS
OR BUILD THINGS.

Phil shouts SCIENCE!

Phil says ALL
ON THIS EPISODE
OF SCIENCE MAX!
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE.
GREETINGS SCIENCE
MAXIMITES, MY NAME IS PHIL
AND THIS IS SCIENCE MAX!
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE.
TODAY, WE'RE GONNA BE
LOOKING AT EARTHQUAKES.
EARTHQUAKES!
HUH.
TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING
AT HOW TO BUILD SOME....

The shelves in the lab start shaking.

(ITEMS HITTING GROUND)

Phil says THAT WAS SUPPOSED
TO HAPPEN EARLIER.
TODAY, WE'RE GOING
TO BE LOOKING
AT HOW TO BUILD
SOMETHING THAT STANDS UP
TO THE SHAKING
OF AN EARTHQUAKE.
EARTHQUAKES HAPPEN
WHEN TWO PLATES
ON THE EARTH'S
SURFACE RUB TOGETHER
AND IT CAUSES THE
GROUND TO SHAKE.

Items fall from the shelves.

(ITEMS HITTING GROUND)

He says CAUSES THE GROUND TO SHAKE.
SOMETIMES IT SHAKES A LITTLE,
SOMETIMES IT SHAKES A LOT.
CHANCES ARE YOU DO
NOT LIVE IN A PLACE
THAT HAS EARTHQUAKES.
BUT IF YOU DO, ASK
AN ADULT WHAT TO DO
DURING AN EARTHQUAKE
SO YOU CAN BE SAFE.
MODERN BUILDINGS THAT ARE
BUILT IN EARTHQUAKE ZONES
ARE DESIGNED TO
WITHSTAND THE SHAKING
BUT HOW DO SCIENTIST AND
ENGINEERS BUILD A BUILDING
THAT STANDS UP TO THE
SHAKING OF AN EARTHQUAKE?
WELL, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE
GOING TO BE LOOKING AT TODAY.
FIRST THING WE HAVE TO DO
IS SIMULATE AN EARTHQUAKE.
WE'RE GOING TO
BUILD A SHAKER TABLE
AND HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:
TWO BOOKS...

The table shakes and Phil falls to the floor.

(ITEMS HITTING GROUND)
(SIGH)

He gets back up and says TWO BOOKS, FOUR ELASTIC BANDS,
AND FOUR RUBBER BALLS.
WAIT, WAIT, OKAY.

He picks up two balls from the floor.

He says FOUR RUBBER BALLS.
ALRIGHT.
SO THE FIRST THING
YOU DO IS ACTUALLY
TAKE YOUR FOUR ELASTIC BANDS
AND WRAP THEM AROUND YOUR BOOKS.
PUT ONE SET ON ONE SIDE,
ON SET ON THE OTHER SIDE
'TIL YOU HAVE THAT.
THEN, YOU TAKE YOUR FOUR BALLS
AND YOU STICK THEM
IN BETWEEN THE BOOKS
IN THE MIDDLE-ISH AREA,
BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE
THEM TOO CLOSE TO THE EDGES,
AND NOW TWO AT THE BACK.
AND, TA-DA, YOU'VE MADE
YOUR OWN SHAKER TABLE.
"WHAT ARE YOU SHAKING?" YOU ASK?
I WILL SHOW YOU.
YOU BUILD A TOWER.
LIKE THIS ONE HERE THAT I
BUILT OUT OF BUILDING BLOCKS.
SO HERE'S WHAT YOU DO.
YOU'LL NEED YOUR
BASE TO BE SECURELY ATTACHED
TO THE SHAKER TABLE.
I USED PAINTERS TAPE BECAUSE
IT WILL COME OFF AGAIN
WITHOUT HARMING THE BOOKS.
NOW WHAT I WANT TO FIND OUT
IS JUST HOW MUCH SHAKING
THIS TOWER CAN TAKE
BEFORE THE TOWER
FALLS APART. READY?

He starts shaking the books and the tower falls down.

He says WHOA.
AND THERE IT GOES.
AND WHEN YOU'VE DONE THAT,
WHAT YOU DO IS YOU
BE A SCIENCE MAXIMITE
AND YOU DESIGN
ANOTHER TOWER...

He takes out a wider construction.

He says AND YOU TAPE IT DOWN
TO YOUR SHAKER TABLE
AND SEE IF YOU CAN
MAKE THIS TOWER
FALL DOWN IN AN EARTHQUAKE.

He shakes the books but the tower stays put.

He says AND IF YOU'VE BUILT
IT REALLY WELL,
IT PROBABLY WON'T.
(LAUGHS)
BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO
JUST USE BUILDING BLOCKS.
THERE'S ALL KINDS OF OTHER
MATERIALS YOU CAN USE.
CHECK OUT THIS BUILDING
WHICH IS REALLY
TALL AND YOU'LL SEE
THERE'S A CUP AT THE TOP
AND THAT'S FOR A BASEBALL.
(BASEBALL DROPS)
PUT IT UP AT THE TOP
AND THAT MEANS THERE'S
A WEIGHT UP THERE
AND WE SHAKE IT AND
WE SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

He shakes the books and the tower falls.

He says OH, NO!
OH!
THERE IT GOES!
SO THAT IS WHAT WE'RE
GOING TO BE DOING
TODAY ON SCIENCE MAX,
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE.
WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING
A GIANT SHAKER TABLE
AND PUTTING A GIANT
STRUCTURE ON TOP
AND SEEING HOW WE
DESIGN IT TO MAKE SURE
IT STANDS UP TO THE
SHAKING OF AN EARTHQUAKE.
I'M GOING TO NEED AN
EXPERT TO HELP ME THOUGH.
I KNOW, ANNE WOULD BE
REALLY GOOD AT THIS.
OKAY, ALL I NEED
TO DO IS GET ANNE
AND WE CAN START.

He puts on a yellow lab coat and tries to start the portal.

He says OH, COME ON.
THERE IT IS. ALRIGHT.
(MACHINE WHIRS)

He appears next to Ann in the shape of a chair.

Ann is in her twenties, with shoulder-length straight brown hair and wears jeans and a blue sweatshirt.

Phil says HI ANNE, I...
WHOA, I FEEL WEIRD.
WHY DO I FEEL WEIRD?

Ann says I THINK YOU'RE A CHAIR.

Phil says WELL,
THAT'S NOT GOOD.
HOLD ON A SECOND.

The chair turns into Phil.

Phil says AM I GOOD?
OKAY, HI ANNE,
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
HERE'S YOUR LAB COAT.

Ann puts on her lab coat and says THANK YOU.

Phil says SO YOU'RE FROM LET'S
TALK SCIENCE, RIGHT?

Ann says I AM.

Phil says ALL ABOUT SCIENCE
EDUCATION JUST LIKE US.
TODAY I NEED YOUR
HELP TO MAX OUT
OUR EARTHQUAKE TABLE.
THIS IS THE TABLE PART,

Ann says THIS IS GREAT.

Phil says OBVIOUSLY, BUT THIS IS A TOWER
I'VE MADE OUT OF
POPSICLE STICKS.
SO, IN ORDER TO MAX IT OUT,
I'VE ALREADY BUILT A
LARGE SHAKER TABLE.
COME ON.
THIS IS MY LARGE SHAKER TABLE.

He shows Ann two large wood sheets with four basketballs in the middle.

Phil says SO IT'S GOT BASKETBALLS
UNDERNEATH AS THE FOUR BALLS
BUT IT WORKS EXACTLY THE SAME.

They stand on the platform and it shakes.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

Phil says OKAY, SO WHAT KIND OF
TOWER SHOULD WE MAKE
FOR THE SHAKER TABLE?

Ann says WE WANT SOMETHING TALL.
WE'LL REINFORCE IT
A COUPLE OF SPOTS.
BUT, THE TRUE TEST,
IT'S GOTTA HAVE
SOME SORTA WEIGHT ON TOP
SO THAT IT WILL MIMIC THE WEIGHT
THAT WOULD BE ON A REAL TOWER.

Phil says RIGHT, SO, MAYBE I
CAN GET A PLASTIC BIN
AND I'LL JUST PUT SOME
SANDBAGS FOR WEIGHT INSIDE.

Ann says THAT WOULD BE PERFECT.

Phil says AND THEN, BALLS,
SO THAT WHEN IT FALLS OVER
THE BALLS WILL GO EVERYWHERE.

Ann says THAT WOULD BE PERFECT.

Phil says OKAY, GREAT.
SHAKE OFF!
(MOANING)
I THINK WE SHOULD JUST GET OFF.

Now the logo of the show crushes a table of elements on screen.

(MOTOR WHIRRING)

Now Phil leans on a lab table. On the table lie two glasses of water, a plastic container and a model house.

He says ANOTHER THING THAT HAPPENS
DURING AN EARTHQUAKE
IS SOIL LIQUEFACTION.
LIQUEFACTION MEANS
SOMETHING TURNS TO LIQUID.
IN THIS CASE, THE VERY GROUND
YOU MIGHT BE STANDING ON.
HERE'S HOW YOU CAN EXPERIMENT
WITH SOIL LIQUEFACTION.
ALL YOU NEED IS
A PLASTIC CONTAINER
AND SOME WATER, NOT VERY MUCH,
BARELY ENOUGH TO COVER THE
BOTTOM OF THE CONTAINER
BECAUSE WHAT YOU'RE
GONNA PUT IN NEXT
IS SAND.
AND YOU WANNA PUT IT IN THERE
AND SPREAD IT AROUND.
JUST ADD ENOUGH SAND SO IT JUST
STARTS TO TURN DRY ON
THE VERY LAST LAYER.
SO, HERE IS A HOUSE THAT
I'M GOING TO PUT ON TOP.
AND NOW, I WILL
SIMULATE AN EARTHQUAKE.
THE WATER RISES UP
AND IT SORTA TURNS
TO LIQUID.
SOIL LIQUEFACTION.
AND HEAVY THINGS
LIKE HOUSES AND CARS,
THEY TEND TO SINK LIKE THAT.
AND THEN, THE SOIL REHARDENS
AND EVERYBODY'S HOUSES
ARE STUCK IN THE MUD.
NOW, LET'S MAX IT OUT.
THIS IS A GIANT TUB
OF SAND AND WATER
AND THIS IS
A VIBRATING PLATFORM
THAT WILL SIMULATE
AN EARTHQUAKE.
NOW, AS YOU CAN SEE,
THIS SAND IS TOTALLY SOLID.
I CAN JUMP ALL
AROUND ON THIS SAND.
NO PROBLEM.
BUT, WHEN I TURN ON
THE VIBRATING TABLE
AND SIMULATE AN EARTHQUAKE
THINGS WILL CHANGE.
(MACHINE RUMBLES)

Phil stars sinking in the sand.

Phil says THE VIBRATIONS
BRING THE WATER BELOW THE SAND
TO THE SURFACE AND CAUSES THE
SAND PARTICLES TO SEPARATE.
WHAT WAS SOLID NOW TURNS LIQUID
IN MY SIMULATED EARTHQUAKE
AND I START TO SINK.
I'M UP TO MY SHINS!
(MACHINE STOPS)
AND THERE YOU GO.
SOIL LIQUEFACTION!

Phil starts wiggling.

He says WHOA!
HEY, LOOK AT THAT.
IT'S TOTALLY SOLID.
(LAUGHS)
WOO-HOO!
SOIL LIQUEFACTION!
I'M TOTALLY...
UH OH, YOU KNOW WHAT I REALIZED?
WHEN IT STOPS VIBRATING, IT
REALLY BECOMES SOLID AGAIN
AND IT'S VERY TOUGH TO...

He grunts and tries to take his legs out of the sand.

He says WELL, THERE YOU GO.
SOIL LIQUEFACTION.
I'M REALLY KINDA STUCK IN HERE.
(MOTOR WHIRRING)

(music plays)

Phil says SO ANNE AND I
HAVE MADE A LARGE SHAKER TABLE.
NOW IT'S JUST A MATTER
OF DESIGNING A BUILDING.
WE USE SOME LUMBER
AND CUT IT UP,
USED SCREWS TO ATTACH
IT ALL TOGETHER,
PUT A PLATFORM ON
TOP FOR OUR WEIGHT,
AND ATTACH IT SECURELY
TO OUR SHAKER TABLE.
THE BUILDING IS SUPER SIMPLE.
JUST FOUR CORNERS
AND A FEW PLANKS
AROUND THE OUTSIDE.
NO STRUCTURE IN THE MIDDLE.
AND FINALLY, THE BIG
HEAVY WEIGHT ON THE TOP.
WE ATTACH A POLE
TO THE SHAKER TABLE
SO WE CAN SHAKE
FROM A SAFE DISTANCE
AND TRY IT OUT.
VERY SLOW...

Ann says FORWARD.

They both move the pole slowly.

Phil says LET'S SEE HOW
MUCH SHAKING IT CAN STAND
WITH OUR SHAKEOMETER.

A yellow triangle icon with a clock inside appears on screen.

Phil says SEEMS TO BE OKAY.
OH, NO.
WHOA,
OH NO!

The construction falls after 3 seconds.

Phil says WE BARELY
START TO SHAKE OUR TOWER
BEFORE IT COLLAPSES.
THAT DIDN'T REALLY
LAST VERY LONG, DID IT?
IT COMPLETELY
FOLDED UP ON ITSELF.
WHAT DO WE DO TO FIX
THIS, MAKE IT BETTER?

Ann says I THINK THE EASIEST
THING WE CAN DO
IS TO USE THICKER WOOD.
IT WILL MAKE IT LESS WOBBLY.

Phil says OKAY, SURE,
LET'S MAKE ANOTHER ONE.
HIGH FIVE?
WE DO HAVE LOTS OF WOOD,
THAT'S A GOOD THING.

Ann says ANNE
AND I ARE TRYING
SMALL IMPROVEMENTS
EVERY TIME.
THERE.
OUR LAST BUILDING
USED THINNER PIECES OF WOOD.
NOW WE'RE USING THICKER WOOD
WHICH WE THINK WILL
HELP KEEP THE WEIGHT
AT THE TOP FROM
COLLAPSING THE BUILDING.
EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE
DESIGN OF OUR BUILDING
IS THE SAME.
WE PUT THE WEIGHT AT THE TOP,
AND FIX OUR POLE,
AND WE'RE GOOD TO GO.
ALRIGHT, YOU READY?

They start moving the pole back and forth.

Ann says STARTING TO CREAK.

Phil says BUT IT RECOVERS AND
YOU CAN SEE IT LEAN,
AND THEN IT COMES BACK
AND IT RESETS.

Ann says DEFINITELY DOING
BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE.

Phil says OH, NO.
I'M IMPRESSED.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
(TOWER HITTING GROUND)

The tower falls after 5 seconds.

Ann says DEFINITELY DID BETTER
THAN THE FIRST ONE.

Phil says IT DID BETTER
THAN THE FIRST ONE

Ann says AND THE THICKER WOOD
DEFINITELY HELPED.

Phil says BUT IT WAS REALLY
STARTING TO TURN.

Ann says I THINK ON THE
NEXT ONE WE NEED
SOME PLATFORMS IN THE CENTER
TO HELP STRENGTHEN IT EVEN MORE.

Phil says EARTHQUAKE
BUILDING VERSION 3.0.
THICKER WOOD THIS TIME
BUT WITH PLATFORMS
IN THE MIDDLE.

SO WE'RE GOING TO SEE
HOW WELL THIS VERSION WORKS
WITH THESE MIDDLE PARTS THAT
WILL HOPEFULLY REINFORCE...

Ann says AND THEY'RE JUST LIKE
THE FLOORS OF A BUILDING.

Phil says OKAY, LET'S FIND OUT IF
IT WILL MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE.

Ann says IT'S STARTING
TO WOBBLE A LITTLE
BUT IT'S LOOKS PRETTY GOOD.

Phil says AS SOON
AS WE START SHAKING
IT'S REALLY OBVIOUS, THIS
BUILDING IS MORE SOLID.

Ann says IT'S STARTING TO CREAK.
IT'S REALLY STARTING TO CREAK.

Phil says THE
PLATFORMS IN THE MIDDLE
REALLY SEEM TO
IMPROVE THE STRUCTURE.
YOU CAN SEE IT BEND
ALL THE WAY OVER
AND STILL RECOVER.
BUT STILL IT'S
NOT LONG BEFORE...

Ann says IT'S REALLY STARTING TO LEAN.
(TOWER HITTING GROUND)
(BOTH LAUGHING)

The tower falls after 6 seconds.

Phil says WOW, THE EXTRA
PIECES REALLY KINDA
MADE IT MORE IMPRESSIVE.

Ann says IT DEFINITELY LASTED A LOT
LONGER THAN THE OTHER TWO.

Phil says IT DID. BUT HERE'S
WHAT I'M WONDERING.
ARE WE GOING IN THE
WRONG DIRECTION?

Ann says WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

Phil says BECAUSE IF IT'S REALLY SOLID,
IT RESISTS THE CHANGE.

Ann says OKAY, I SEE WHERE
GOING WITH THIS.

Phil says SO IF WE MAKE IT FLEXIBLE
IT CAN RESIST THAT
SHAKING OF AN EARTHQUAKE.

Ann says I THINK IT'S WORTH A SHOT.

Phil says YEAH, OKAY, LET'S DO IT.
(GLASS BREAKING)

Now Buster’s kitchen appears on screen.

Buster has short curly dark blond hair and wears a striped shirt and a red apron.

Buster says BEING A CHEF
IS MY ABSOLUTE PASSION
AND COOKING UP SCIENCE RECIPES
IS MY SPECIALTY.
I'M BUSTER BEAKER AND THIS
IS COOKING WITH SCIENCE.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)
OH, HELLO. WELCOME TO
COOKING WITH SCIENCE.
I'M BUSTER BEAKER.
MY TUNA FISH AND
MEATBALL SUB SOUP
IS COMING ALONG QUITE NICELY
BUT WHAT WILL WE
HAVE FOR DESSERT?
I KNOW, HOW ABOUT EARTHQUAKE
BUILDINGS. (LAUGHS)

On his working tables lie two aluminum trays. One is full of gelatin with a tower of vanilla cookies on top and the other one is full of crispy rice with a chocolate cookie building on top.

He says IT'S A BUILDING MADE
OUT OF WAFER COOKIES
BUT THE PEOPLE ON VANILLA STREET
BUILT IN THE GELATIN
NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THE PEOPLE ON
CHOCOLATE STREET
BUILT IN THE CRISPY
RICE PART OF TOWN.
EXCITING.
NOW HERE COMES THE EARTHQUAKE.
OH, NO. IT'S SHAKING.
THE SHAKING HAS COME AND GONE
FOR THE PEOPLE ON
CHOCOLATE AVENUE
AND THEIR BUILDING
IS STILL STANDING.
NOW LET'S TAKE A LOOK OVER
HERE ON VANILLA STREET
AND HERE COMES AN EARTHQUAKE.
OH, NO. OH, DEAR.
LOOKS LIKE THE PEOPLE
ON VANILLA STREET
ARE GOING TO HAVE TO
REBUILD THEIR BUILDING
BECAUSE IT'S ALL FALLEN
OVER AND BEING EATEN.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)
DELICIOUS.
BUILDING CAN BE
BUILT THE SAME WAY
BUT THE KIND OF SOIL THEY SIT ON
MAKE A LARGE DIFFERENCE
IF THERE'S AN EARTHQUAKE.
SHAKY, WIGGLY SOIL
OR SOLID NON-MOVING SOIL.
SO THERE YOU GO, AN EXPERIMENT
YOU CAN TRY AT HOME.
DELICIOUS.
WELL, I'M BUSTER BEAKER AND
THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME
ON THIS EPISODE OF
COOKING WITH SCIENCE.
NOW TO TRY MY SOUP.
(APPLAUSE)
(LOUD BEEP)

A slate appears with the caption "Seismometer in 60 seconds."

On the bottom right corner of the screen appears a countdown timer that starts at 60 seconds.

Phil says SEISMOMETER
IN 60 SECONDS.
LEARNING HOW TO PREDICT
AND MEASURE EARTHQUAKES
IS AN IMPORTANT
BRANCH OF SCIENCE.
THE EARTH IS SHAKING
BUT WHICH WAY DID THE
EARTHQUAKE COME FROM?
IT'S ALL ABOUT
MEASURING THE VIBRATIONS
AND TO DO THAT YOU NEED
A SEISMOMETER.
ALL YOU NEED IS A BALL,
SOME PAPER CUPS,
SOME MODELING CLAY,
A PENCIL AND SCIENCE TAPE
WHICH IS THE SAME
THING AS INVISIBLE TAPE
EXCEPT I USE THIS
TAPE FOR SCIENCE.
FIRST, TAKE YOUR PENCIL
AND STICK IT STRAIGHT DOWN
INTO THE MODELING CLAY.
THEN, YOU TAKE YOUR CUPS AND
YOU ARRANGE THEM IN A CIRCLE
AND TAPE THE CUPS DOWN.
AND THAT GOES
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
JUST LIKE THAT.
NOW WHAT YOU DO
IS YOU TAKE A BALL
AND YOU CAREFULLY
BALANCE IT ON THE PENCIL.
NOW YOU HAVE CREATED
A SEISMOMETER.
IT WILL TELL YOU WHAT DIRECTION
AN EARTHQUAKE CAME FROM.
WATCH, I WILL BE THE EARTHQUAKE.
READY?

He hits the table and the ball falls in a cup near Phil.

He says DID YOU SEE THAT?
THE BALL FELL INTO THE
CUP FACING THE DIRECTION
THAT I HIT THE TABLE.
AND NOW I'M GONNA HIT
THE TABLE FROM OVER HERE.
YEP, IT FELL IN THE DIRECTION
THAT I HIT THAT TABLE.
OKAY, LET'S TRY FROM OVER HERE.
THERE YOU GO,
YOUR VERY OWN SEISMOMETER
THAT YOU CAN USE TO MEASURE
EARTHQUAKES...
THAT YOU CREATE ON THE TABLE.

The timer reaches 0.

(UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC)

A slate appears with the logo of the show.

Phil says BACK TO
OUR EARTHQUAKE BUILDING.
ANNE AND I TRIED A
FEW DIFFERENT DESIGNS
AND THEY EACH GOT
A LITTLE BETTER.
BUT NOT WE'RE WONDERING
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN
IF WE BUILT THE TOWER OUT
OF VERY FLEXIBLE MATERIAL.
WE USED SOME PLASTIC TUBING
AND ATTACHED THE WOOD
WITH BUNGEE CORDS,
WHICH ARE LIKE BIG ELASTICS.

Phil shakes the structure and says WOW, OKAY, SO IT LOOKS GOOD.

Ann says SO LET'S TEST IT.

Phil says OKAY.

They start moving the pole back and forth.

Phil says AND SURE ENOUGH,
WHEN WE START SHAKING IT,
THE TOWER HOLDS UP
TO AS MUCH SHAKING
AS WE CAN GIVE IT.

Ann says WAIT.

Phil says WHAT?

Ann says AREN'T WE MISSING SOMETHING?

Phil says YEAH, WE'RE MISSING
THE WEIGHT AT THE TOP.
OF COURSE.

Ann says SO I THINK WE NEED
TO TRY IT AGAIN.

Phil says SO WE ADD
THE WEIGHT TO THE TOP
AND THEN EVERYTHING CHANGES.

Ann says WE'RE MAKING IT TWIST.

Phil says OH, DEAR.

Ann says IT'S TWISTING.

Phil says A
FLEXIBLE TOUR IS GREAT
UNTIL YOU TRY TO PUT
A WEIGHT AT THE TOP
THEN IT JUST SEEMS
REALLY UNSTABLE.
(BOTH SCREAMING)

The tower bends over.

(TOWER HITTING GROUND)
OH!
(CHUCKLES)

Phil says LOOK AT THAT,
IT'S TOTALLY BENT.

Ann says IT DIDN'T BREAK AT
ALL IT JUST FELL OVER.

Phil says YEAH, IT COULDN'T
EVEN SUPPORT THE WEIGHT.

Ann says SO IT WAS ALMOST TOO FLEXIBLE.

Phil says SO I GUESS WE SHOULD
GO TO A MORE RIGID DESIGN
BUT WHAT IF WE CHANGE
THE SHAPE A LITTLE BIT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING?

He grabs a ladder and says THIS IS A VERY STABLE
SHAPE, TRIANGLE.
CAUSE TRIANGLES
ARE REALLY STRONG.
WHAT ABOUT IF WE CAN MAKE AN X.

He crosses two wood shafts on a side of the ladder.

Ann says LIKE A TRIANGLE
WITHIN A TRIANGLE.

Phil says TRIANGLE, AND THEN TRIANGLE.
SO THAT REALLY REINFORCES
ALL OF THE SHAKING.
LIKE ALL OF THE MOTION.

Ann says WE'LL NEVER KNOW UNTIL WE TRY.

Phil says ALRIGHT.
(UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC)

The logo of the show appears with the caption "Max Fax."

Phil appears sitting on one of four chairs and says UH, OH. I HAVE ALL
MY FRIENDS COMING OVER
AND I DON'T HAVE A TABLE.
WELL THAT'S OKAY.
I WILL MAKE A TABLE
USING MY FRIENDS.
THIS IS AN AWESOME
EXPERIMENT YOU CAN DO
WITH FOUR FRIENDS.
COME ON IN SCIENCE FRIENDS.
I'VE GOT SAM, AND DYLAN,
AND PAULIE HERE TO HELP ME.

Sam has long straight brown hair in a ponytail.

Dylan has short brown hair and a beard and he wears glasses.

Paulie has long wavy brown hair in a half-do and wears glasses.

They all wear lab coats.

Phil says SO EVERYBODY TURN TO YOUR LEFT
AND SIT SIDEWAYS ON THE CHAIR
AND THEN SCOOCH THE
CHAIRS IN TO THE MIDDLE
AND THEN EVERYBODY LEANS
BACK ON TO THE KNEES
OF THE OTHER PERSON.
AND THEN, THIS IS WHY I
SAID YOU NEED FOR FRIENDS
CAUSE YOU NEED THE FIFTH PERSON
TO REMOVE THE CHAIRS!

Another woman releases the chairs. Nobody falls.

Phil says THE REASON WHY THIS WORKS
IS BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S WEIGHT
IS BEING SUPPORTED ON THE LEGS
OF THE PERSON NEXT TO THEM.
OKAY, WE'RE GONNA ROTATE
IN A CIRCLE EVERYBODY.
OKAY, READY?
HERE WE GO. ROTATING.
ROTATING.
SCIENCE TABLE.
HEY, WE'RE PRETTY GOOD AT THIS.
(ALL LAUGHING)
OH NO, OH NO!

They fall to the floor.

(LAUGHTER)

Phil says SO THERE YOU GO.
AWESOME WAY TO MAKE A
TABLE USING YOU FRIENDS.
WELL DONE, WELL DONE.

They high-five.

Phil says SCIENCE.
(UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC)

The logo of the show appears under a magnifying glass with the caption "Mini Max!"

A voice says MINI MAX!

Phil says HERE'S AN
EXPERIMENT YOU CAN DO
TO IMPRESS THE ADULTS
IN YOUR HOUSE.
YOU NEED THREE GLASSES
ALL OF EQUAL HEIGHT
AND THREE KNIVES,
NOT SHARP KNIVES,
THE DULL KNIVES YOU USE,
MAYBE THE ONES YOU
USE AT DINNER TIME.
TAKE YOUR THREE KNIVES AND
PUT THEM IN A TRIANGLE.
ALL EQUALLY SPACED OUT.

He overlays the knives by the blades with the handles equally distant from each other.

He says THEN, MOVE THE KNIVES TOGETHER
TO MAKE A LITTLE
TRIANGLE LIKE THAT.

He moves the blades so a small triangle appears in the middle.

He says THEN WHAT YOU WANNA DO
IS YOU WANNA CAREFULLY
ARRANGE THE KNIVES
SO EACH KNIFE IS
GOING ABOVE ONE KNIFE
AND BELOW ANOTHER KNIFE.
SO THERE WE GO.
THEN YOU WANNA TAKE THIS
CAREFUL PATTERN THAT YOU CREATED
AND YOU WANNA PUT IT ON
TOP OF YOUR THREE GLASSES.
ONE WHERE EACH HANDLE OF
THE KNIVES ARE GOING TO BE.
AND IF YOU PLACE IT CAREFULLY
AND YOU'VE DONE THE
OVER-UNDERS CORRECTLY,
IT WILL STAY UP.
PRETTY AMAZING, THE KNIVES
SUPPORT THEIR OWN WEIGHT.
BUT, THEY DON'T JUST
SUPPORT THEIR OWN WEIGHT,
THEY CAN SUPPORT A
LOT MORE WEIGHT, TOO.

He places a glass full off water on the small triangle formed by the blades.

He says PRETTY AMAZING, RIGHT?
THIS IS A GREAT EXPERIMENT.
IT'S ALSO SOMETHING
REALLY INTERESTING
THAT WE CAN MAX OUT.
COME ON.
(FAST PACED DRUMS)
AND HERE YOU GO,
THE MAXED OUT KNIFE BALANCE.
I'VE GOT THREE PIECES OF LUMBER
AND THREE BARRELS
AND AS YOU CAN SEE
THE PATTERN IS EXACTLY THE SAME.
UNDER, OVER, UNDER,
OVER, UNDER, OVER.
(LAUGHS)
SO, THE QUESTIONS
IS, HOW MUCH FAITH
DO I HAVE IN SCIENCE?
(GRUNTS)

He sits on the triangle in the middle.

He says AH!
IT TOTALLY SUPPORTS MY WEIGHT.

He then stands up on it.

A caption reads "Don’t try this at home."

He says I KNOW IT'S GOING TO
WORK BECAUSE I KNOW
THAT A 2X4, WHICH IS THE
KIND OF LUMBER I'M USING,
CAN HOLD UP MY WEIGHT.
SO THAT MEANS THAT STRUCTURE-
WHOA-
CAN SUPPORT ME!
(LAUGHS)
SCIENCE!
YOU KNOW WHAT THE COOL THING IS?
THE COOL THING IS THAT EVEN
THOUGH IT'S HOLDING ME UP,
EACH ONE OF THESE PIECES OF WOOD
IS ONLY UP BECAUSE IT'S
SUPPORTED BY THE OTHERS.
YOU PULL ONE OUT AND...
IT ALL FALLS APART.
(UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC)

The logo of the show crushes a table of elements on the screen.

Phil says ANNE AND I
HAVE TRIED SOLID TOWERS
AND FLEXIBLE TOURS
AND NOTHING HAS WORKED
FANTASTICALLY YET
WITH THE BIG WEIGHT ON THE TOP.
HAVING A BIG WEIGHT AT
THE TOP OF OUR TOWER
MEANS WE NEED SOMETHING
THAT WILL RESIST
THE MOVEMENT OF THAT WEIGHT.
SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO
START WITH A TRIANGLE.
UNLIKE A RECTANGLE,
TRIANGLES ARE VERY STABLE.
A WIDER BASE HELPS
KEEP THE STRUCTURE
FROM SWAYING TOO MUCH
AND CROSS-BRACES IN THE MIDDLE
MEAN THAT THERE ARE OTHER
TRIANGLES WITHIN OUR TRIANGLE.
ALL THE BETTER TO
RESIST MOVEMENT.

An animation shows the process on a white board.

(UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC)

Ann and Phil now build a triangular tower.

Phil says AFTER ANNE AND I BUILT OUR TOWER
WE ADDED WEIGHT TO THE TOP,
SECURED IT TO THE BASE,
AND TRIED IT OUT.
OKAY, HERE WE GO.

They start shaking the platform.

Ann says IT'S LOOKING GOOD.

Phil says NO PROBLEM.

Ann says IT'S NOT TWISTING.
IT'S NOT LEANING.

Phil says NOT EVEN CREAKING.

Ann says NO, IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD.

Phil says WOW, THIS ONE IS REALLY SOLID.

Phil says AS YOU CAN SEE,
THIS TOWER IS WAY MORE SOLID
THAN OUR SQUARE TOWER
OR THE FLEXIBLE TOWER.
OKAY, LOOK AT THAT, LIKE
IF THAT'S NOT AN EARTHQUAKE,
I DON'T KNOW WHAT
IS. LOOK AT THAT.
LOOK AT THEY WAY THE
GROUND IS MOVING.

Ann says I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN
SHAKE IT MUCH MORE THAN THIS.

Phil says FASTER.

Phil says OUR
TRIANGULAR TOWER
IS UP PAST THE LEVEL OF SHAKING
THAT MADE THE OTHER
TOWERS COLLAPSE.
NOW IT'S TIME TO
MAX OUT THE SHAKING.
THERE'S ONLY ONE
LEVEL OF SHAKING
THAT WE CAN DO ABOVE THIS.

Ann says WHAT'S THAT?

Phil says WE SHAKE FROM EITHER SIDE.

(music plays)

Phil says WE
GIVE IT ALL WE HAVE.
THE FLOOR WAS BOUNCING
FROM SIDE TO SIDE,
THE TOWER WAS TILTING
AND TOTALLY SOLID.

Ann says IT'S STILL
HOLDING STRONG.

Phil says IN FACT,
ANNE AND I WORE OUT
BEFORE THE BUILDING SHOWED
ANY SIGNS OF FALLING OVER.
I THINK WE'VE DONE IT.

Ann says NICE JOB.

They high-five.

Phil says SCIENCE MAX,
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE
EARTHQUAKE PROOF BUILDING!
I MEAN, COME ON.
THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE.

Ann says I LIKE IT.

Now the end credits roll as gag reels from the show play.

Phil says HERE IS AN
INVISIBLE TOWER, HUH?
(LAUGHING)

In the sand container, Phil says I ESCAPED.

Buster says I'M JUST PREPARING MY,
I FORGOT MY LINE.
HELLO, JUST GONNA ADD SOME
MORE SALT TO THE SOUP.
DELICIOUS.

Phil says WELL, HUMANS HAVE
BEEN FIGURING OUT WAYS
TO FIGURE OUT JUST THAT...
I'VE SAID FIGURE OUT TWICE,
I'M GOING TO START AGAIN.
(GRUNTS)

Phil tries to pull trousers out of the liquefied sand.

Buster says ENGLISH IS NOT
MY FIRST LANGUAGE.

Phil leaves the trousers in the sand box and says I GUESS THOSE ARE
STAYING IN THERE.

Producer, Phil McCordic.

Directed by, Chris Chilco.

Canada Media Fund.

Rocket Fund.

With the participation of the Government of Ontario.

With the participation of The Canadian Film and Video Tax Credit.

Produced in association with TVO Kids.

Breakthrough.

Maximite 2 Productions Incorporated, copyrights 2016.