Doctor Who: 15 Science Lessons To Build Your Own Sonic Screwdriver

0 Header 11 The Name Of The Doctor

Ever since the Sonic Screwdriver first appeared in Fury From The Deep , it has fascinated viewers. Starting off as a futuristic way to remove a screw it progressed and gained additional functionalities over the years. The Second Doctor used it to screw/unscrew screws, burn through a door, and hack a computer. The Second Doctor used the screwdriver a total of seven times during his three year tenure , and it was viewed as just one of many contraptions the Doctor used. Future Doctors, with some exceptions, used more of the ever-increasing functions of the screwdriver to save the world, the galaxy, or even the universe€”much to the chagrin of many a viewer who take polarising views of the little device. Some people refer to it as the Doctor's Gallifreyian Army Knife, yet other complain it's nothing more than a deus ex machina. Since 1967 it has gone from being a curious tool the Doctor occasionally pulled to a device that is constantly in his hands. In the 50th year of the Doctor, it seems odd to see the Doctor without the screwdriver in his hand. But this is not an article to discuss whether the screwdriver is overused or not. I am here to explain, in real world acoustic sciences, how the sonic screwdriver could possible do what it does. Not every function will be explained as that would create n article far too long. Instead I will cover the acoustic basics of the better known uses.
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Contributor

An artist and a computer geek before the two became synonymous. Combined them into data visualization which just seemed natural. But my real passion is Doctor Who. I write for the magazine Whotopia with my colleague Jürgen. Presented on my blog, The Doctor and Me, are essays and data analysis of Doctor Who. Working to amass large Doctor Who datasets allows for the analysis of the show unlike anything else. The most recent dataset is every use of the sonic screwdriver which is currently approaching 900. And every time an old episode comes on, there is a chance of spotting yet one more use that was tucked away.