10 TV Shows That Got Science Completely Wrong

5. Replacement Battery - Breaking Bad

four days out breaking bad
AMC

Breaking Bad rightly received praise from critics upon its release for being one of the most scientifically accurate shows ever released on television. However, even a show this smart has to rely on suspension of disbelief every now and then. And while there was temptation to include the makeshift bomb bit from season 1, there was a bit more egregious one just out of sight.

In the episode Four Days Out, Walt and Jesse are stuck out in the desert due to their RV's battery dying. Walt then proceeds to MacGyver a makeshift mercury battery for the car to get them back to civilization. But would this actually work?

Well yes, but actually no.

See, while it would absolutely make a charge for the jumper cables to carry to the battery, it wouldn't be anywhere near enough to actually jump start the car and get them back to civilization. At most, it would have produced around 12 volts and around 20-30 amps of juice. Not nearly enough to charge a Winnebago battery.

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John Tibbetts is a novelist in theory, a Whatculture contributor in practice, and a nerd all around who loves talking about movies, TV, anime, and video games more than he loves breathing. Which might be a problem in the long term, but eh, who can think that far ahead?