The science of Hollywood vandalism

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In a scene in the show "Breaking Bad" the main character ( a highschool chemistry teacher turned meth trafficker) notices someone he dislikes pull into a gas station. While the person is away from the vehicle talking to the mechanic in the building the teacher guy nonchalantly opens the second guy's hood and places a wet squeegy in the guy's motor on top of the battery- connecting the two terminals- walks away- and the car motor explodes in a fireball.

How accurate is that physics wise? Obviously short circuiting a car battery is dangerous. But would it be that dramatic? Does the fact that the squeegy is dripping wet add to the effect?

Nothing so spectacular. Shorting out a car's battery will not make the entire car explode. Nor will a single shot from a .44 Magnum, "the most powerful handgun in the world". Explosions are theatrics, used to entice movie-goers into sticking around until the ending credits. Think "Dirty Harry".

Take away all the theatric special effects, and the producers will have to rely on plots and characters, with some decent costumes and set design thrown in. Think "Bridges of Madison County".

Of course it is entirely accurate. How would anyone dare doubting Walt?!

The battery might overheat, but it wouldnt explode. The reaction would be self limiting anyhow as the heat and electrolysis would reduce the amount of water thus reducing conduction.

If it was a lithium battery, then its more plausible

They devoted a whole 'mythbusters' to Breaking Bad.
I wont spoil it, it's a good watch.

But if the T shaped squeegy is metal- along the spine of that holds the rubber and the sponge-along the top of the T- and that metal rod connects both terminals - it would be constant conduction. Wouldnt it?

Yes it would, 'squeegy' was lost in translation, I thought it meant sponge !

Only as long as it remained in contact with both terminals. Unless the squeegee was composed of a large amount of high-melting-point metal, it would most likely melt and fall away from the terminals.

Most squeegees are made of aluminum, not titanium.

KOOL!

I was thinking that Mythbusters ought to address this, but apparently theyre way ahead of me. I just got the DVD of the first season of BB-so everyone on the planet is ahead of me about "Breaking Bad".

Ever since "Fatal Attraction" I have pondered questions about Hollywood hooliganism.

It struck me that Glenn Close's character was being overly labor intensive by pouring acid all over the finish of Micheal Douglas's car. That she shoulda just put maple syrup into his gas tank. But then I read that the whole sugar in the gas tank thing is "an urban myth" and that it doesnt do anything (even though a neighbor's grown kid supposedly had his engine ruined that way by someone doing that). Mythbuster did test that too - but I forgot whether they busted it or confirmed it (I guess I had to go to work at my night shift before that episode was over-that night).

But we had snow here, and I had to squeegee my car windows at a gas station, and I noticed that the standard gas station squeegee doesn't even seem to have any exposed metal parts anyway!

Because when I think 'Breaking Bad', plot and characters don't come to mind; it's all just mindless explosions and action scenes.

It is actually very difficult to make a car explode. I've seen a car hit so hard it flipped end-over-end, landed on its roof, and spun. No kaboom. No fire. No smoke. No dangerous gasoline leak. After that, I reflexively laugh whenever I see a movie or TV show car collision ending in explosion. I've seen reality. The explosions are silly.

Even the battery trick in Breaking Bad won't work. It is actually difficult to make things explode.