President Obama challenges 'Mythbusters' crew to test Archimedes legend

President Obama challenges ‘Mythbusters’ crew to test Archimedes legend

Oct. 18, 2010 3 AM PT

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The crew of Discovery Channel’s popular science program, ‘Mythbusters,’ frequently gets ideas from fans. But they are about to take on a challenge from a particularly famous viewer: President Obama.

On the episode set to air Dec. 8, the president will appear in a walk-on and challenge Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman to test the legend of Archimedes. Supposedly, the ancient Greek mathematician destroyed an invading Roman fleet by using only mirrors that reflected the sun’s rays. Savage and Hyneman will devise an experiment to test the legend and report back the results.

President Obama will announce his ‘Mythbusters’ participation during a White House event Monday celebrating math and science competition winners from schools around the country. Savage and Hyneman will be in attendance.

-- Scott Collins (twitter: @scottcollinsLAT)

Show Tracker

Scott Collins

Scott Collins is a former staff reporter for the Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times. He joined the staff in 2004 after previous stints at the Hollywood Reporter and Inside.com. Author of the book “Crazy Like a Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat CNN,” he is a frequent pop-culture expert on national TV, radio shows and industry panels. He left The Times in 2016.