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H2 Bonus Round question

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bricon:

--- Quote ---Would I be correct in guessing that, when trying for the car, all nine keys are dummies, and the winning or losing sound effects are simply played based on which was picked?
--- End quote ---

The sound of the car turning over and/or starting is indeed a sound effect, due to regulations prohibiting starting a car with an audience present.  However, the cars do actually start, they are driven very slowly into the studio from the balcony area behind the studio.  They have only about half a gallon of gas in them.

Depending on the type of car offered, sometimes the keys are all dummies; the Mercedes (or was it the BMW?)  for example has a "key" that looks sort of like a Zippo lighter with a short blade sticking out.  Not very aesthetic for the keyrack, nor would they fit in the rack in some cases.

Kevin Prather:
If the keys are all different, wouldn't losing keys not fit in the lock?

Brandon Brooks:
[quote name=\'whoserman\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 06:05 PM\'] If the keys are all different, wouldn't losing keys not fit in the lock? [/quote]
That wouldn't be the case at all.  They will all fit; only one will turn.

Try putting a car key into the same model car that's not yours.  It'll fit, but it won't turn.

Brandon Brooks

Kevin Prather:
i guess that makes sense

clemon79:
[quote name=\'whoserman\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 04:21 PM\'] i guess that makes sense [/quote]
 It does if you know how (most) locks work. The key goes in the hole, and the bumps on the key cause the tumblers to be raised to a certain level, depending on how big the bump is. If you have the right key, this will cause all of the tumblers to rise to the same (and correct) level, and the lock turns. Otherwise, the tumblers are out of line, and the lock doesn't turn.

Kinda the same idea with those old-skool keys they use with the safe, except in that case the little teeth on the key act as a lever to turn over the tumblers, which will only throw the lock if turned in the right combination. The REALLY old-skool keys only flipped a single tumbler, which is why you see old locks picked with hairpins in movies like "Misery". You just need to flip the tumbler over so the knob is unlocked.

(I imagine it's much the same with those "switchblade" keys that Bricon refers to (which are also used in the new Volkswagens), and I can see leaving those off the board for aesthetic reasons. I'd guess that the contestant is briefed in advance of this and asked to "make it look good", since the whole "engine turning over" thing is canned anyhow.)

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