Street Genius

Engineer Tim Shaw tries a one-second car wash in the premiere of this series featuring science experiments.

The science behind flammable coffee creamer is examined. Also: breaking beer bottles; microwaving light bulbs.

An experiment combining raw meat and molten lead is examined. Also: torching teddy bears; testing the power of assault rifles; guessing which items can withstand laser rays.

Examining the effects of extreme temperatures. Included: cooking food with a lens used in lighthouses; how bass travels through a stereo system; torching an ice block with a flamethrower; dipping a balloon into liquid nitrogen.

Hollywood's biggest car chases and explosions.

Experiments generating up to a million volts in man-made lightning bolts.

Re-creating the familiar trick of pulling a tablecloth away without disturbing the table settings.

At a gas pump, Tim recreates the circumstances — cigarettes, cell phones and static electricity — that could cause a raging inferno capable of blowing up a car. Then he turns his attention to his car's sound system, playing heavy bass through a mix of cornstarch and water for a different type of dancing.

Tim invites us to guess which product normally stored in a garden shed could actually blow one apart. The answer is both explosive and enlightening. Next, he tests which object — a tennis ball, a cue ball, a rubber ball and a steel ball — is the bounciest. The outcome has some of the group baffled. Then Tim invites some diners at an open-air restaurant to find objects that will resist the fire power of a very unique type of blowtorch.

Tim attempts to shoot fire out of a shotgun. Also: microwave experiments; improvised explosives.

Tim cooks up breakfast using a car. Also: an improvised BBQ lighter; a minimalistic electric motor; a microwaved balloon.

Tim performs experiments involving pressure by heating up grocery store items. Also: a glass-bead grenade; an alchemy con job; a race in the desert.

Tim uses everyday items to create slick surfaces. Also: desert experiments; human construction; swimming-pool explosives.

Tim attempts to pop a balloon behind a pane of glass while keeping the glass intact. Also: a wine-bottle experiment; a watermelon electrocution; a test of the strength of human hair.

In this episode, host Tim Shaw tests the power of attraction. Tim finds out if an electromagnet can hold a 90-pound chandelier, or if it will come crashing to the ground. Then it's time for a pitch-perfect experiment as Tim demonstrates what happens to sand on top of a flat speaker when different tones are played through the speaker. Finally, Tim tries out three different types of tires to find which will stop the car the in the rain and which will deliver explosive consequences

Tim conducts experiments on thermite to determine if there's anything that can stand up to its intense heat. Also: a bar trick; a toilet-paper rope; a DIY rocket.

Tim heats champagne in a microwave in order to create a high-pressure scenario. Later, predictions are made for an experiment involving a spinning weight.

Tim shows off the science behind chain reactions using table-tennis balls, dominoes and Slinky toys. Also: an ostrich-egg experiment; a rotational-power example; an unlikely race.

Tim tests the volatility of gases found in blimps. Also: a spinning-disc trick; an eating challenge; a sound experiment; a liquid-nitrogen spectacle.

Tim uses a cannon to see which foods fly the farthest. Also: a sieve fire extinguisher; a cooking-oil illusion; a chili test; a nitrogen experiment.