Object
Pressure Block (Trigger Mechanism)
A sturdy, smoothed stone slab etched with measured lines and symbols on its surface. Among three identical blocks arranged in the chamber's floor pattern, this specific block serves as the critical pressure trigger for disarming the explosive floor trap. Each block is marked with imperial (feet/inches) and metric (metres/centimetres) scales. The Doctor uses Sarah’s scarf as a ruler to calculate a precise pressure point on the block’s markings—162.4 centimetres of force, or about seven stitches of pressure—translating the measurements into a safe passage formula that halts the detonation sequence. The block's singular role as the only safe activation point among identical blocks is key to its function.
1 appearances
Purpose
To serve as a pressure-sensitive trigger mechanism within a larger explosive trap, converting calculated measurements into a binary numerical activation code that halts the detonation sequence.
Significance
The critical component that determines survival or annihilation; the Doctor’s intellectual gamble risks everything on reading the block’s markings correctly, transforming trigonometry into a vector for defusing a deathtrap.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used