Sorry for the delay in science notes. There were things that got in the way.

Block and Tackle

I don’t really like calling it that. A better term is a compound pulley. But the key to all of the simple machines is force vs. distance. If you increase the distance over which you apply a force, you can get a larger force output of the machine over a shorter distance. That’s exactly what happens with a “block and tackle”.

Here is a more detailed post about compound pulleys. https://www.wired.com/2017/01/physics-of-a-compound-pulley/

If you want to see a DIY pulley from an earlier MacGyver episode, here you go:

Drinking Without Getting Drunk

This one is pretty good. Yes, you can drink without getting drunk. Check this out (actually, don’t read it because you don’t have access) —https://www.nature.com/articles/nnano.2012.264

But basically it’s alcohol oxidase with some other stuff added. When mixed with alcohol, this makes aceteldehyde—the main thing that causes hangovers. MacGyver could get alcohol oxidase from alcohol test kits.

Note: I’m not a biochemist, I got this info from my brother (a biochemist).

DIY Chloroform

Don’t make this stuff. But it is possible. Actually, I’m not even going to include the link.

Mechanical Stuff

Using a hammock as both a ladder and a body sling? Yup, that’s good. Using a chain as a DIY car boot. That works too. Not much to explain, but I think both of those hacks are great.

Chloroform Bomb

In order to knock out everyone in the room (including himself), MacGyver throws some chloroform in a container into a fire. It explodes and everyone gets knocked out. Sure, this would be tough to do in real life—but it’s a least plausible.

DIY Arc Lamp

Wait. There wasn’t an arc lamp in this episode was there? Nope. It get cut out of the beginning. However, I made an arc lamp anyway as part of my DIY videos. It’s awesome.