DAY SEVEN POST ONE

Today has been a productive one thus far. I've discovered a list of problems solved by MacGyver. The best part of this website is that the people writing it like to point out when MacGyver is wrong about the science (or, very rarely, right). Among the better are:

MacGyver plugs a sulfuric acid leak with chocolate. He states that chocolate contains lactose and sucrose (chemically C12H22O11), which are disaccharides. The acid reacts with the sugars to form elemental carbon and a thick gummy residue (proved to be correct on Mythbusters).

MacGyver uses salt combined with sugar and a small amount of chemical enhanced weed killer to create dynamite with a battery acid trigger.

MacGyver creates a distraction by building a mechanism in a church bell tower with two candles, a leather strap from the lady photographer's purse and some firecrackers. The strap holds a bell in the tower to one side. The clapper has a lit candle attached to it. The firecrackers are taped to the inner surface of the bell. The other candle is set up to burn through the strap. When it does, the bell is released, and the flame of the candle attached to the clapper contacts the firecrackers, igniting them. When they explode, the sound is amplified by the bell, and the guards in the street are distracted.

MacGyver escapes from the back of a plane mid flight by attaching a parachute to a car and driving it out the back of the plane, landing to safety.

MacGyver uses the spring from a ballpoint pen as a replacement for a throttle linkage spring in a truck's engine. While this would very temporarily work to replace a broken linkage spring, a broken linkage spring would not cause the truck to stall out as shown in the episode. Rather, without the spring the throttle would stay open, causing the truck to accelerate uncontrollably.

To put out an oil rig fire, MacGyver sets off a nitroglycerin explosion in order to consume enough oxygen to put out the fire. N.B. nitroglycerin gives off oxygen when it detonates.

MacGyver uses a dubious ultrasonic device to crack the eyeglasses of a would-be assailant.

He later uses two candlestick holders, a floor mat, and an electrical powercord as a makeshift defibrillator to revive a fallen comrade.

MacGyver also makes a lie-detector out of a sphygmomanometer, a wire and an alarm clock by placing the wire under the connection of the sphygmomanometer on the arm and running it to the alarm clock's buzzer.

He then states that when the man (who is already sweating) sweats it triggers the alarm.

And that's only season one!