MythBusters Episode 29: Cooling a Six pack

A six pack of beer can be rapidly cooled by burying it in sand, pouring gasoline on top of it, and lighting the gasoline.

busted

The fire did not significantly alter the temperature of the beer; in fact, the fire actually raised the temperature slightly, not to mention burying the beer made the cans sandy.

(With this myth quickly busted, Adam and Jamie tested other cooling methods. A carbon dioxide fire extinguisher was able to cool a six pack to a satisfactory temperature in approximately 3 minutes. In terms of practicality, though, one’s best bet is to use icy salt water, which cooled the beer to an ideal temperature in 5 minutes. Barring that, normal ice water was next fastest at 15 minutes. The other methods tested (the freezer, ice only, and the refrigerator) did not cool the beer rapidly enough to warrant their use in a spur-of-the-moment event.)

The ancient people of Babylon created a crude battery for use in electroplating.

plausible

An overnight plating of zinc over copper seemed to work very well.

The ancient people of Babylon created a crude battery for use in acupuncture therapy?.

plausible

The electricity from the batteries was felt through the acupuncture needles, though the needles eventually grew hot, causing the Build Team to theorize this technique also being used as a form of torture.

The ancient people of Babylon created a crude battery for use in testing spiritual resolve.

plausible

While the ancient batteries were not used on the recreation Ark of the Covenant due to their weak charge (approximately a third of a volt each, or almost 4 volts for a set of ten), Adam theorized that, if any charge was felt with the batteries, the ancient people would believe it to be of divine origin due to their lack of knowledge about electricity.