How does the Doctor keep track of his age?

[Arrim]

How does the Doctor count or keep track of his age?
Does he count it in years of experience or in years since he was born up to what ever the date happens to be?

[jempurpled]

He makes it up. In some episodes he says he's over a thousand and in others (recent episodes) he says 900's. It just depends on how he feels. It is possible that maybe he doesn't really know how old he is.

[Arrim]

Thanks.

Interesting and not surprising.

Is there any reference to what year the Doctor was born?

[jempurpled]

Arrim

Thanks.

Interesting and not surprising.

Is there any reference to what year the Doctor was born?

Not that I know of.

Gallifrey and Earth are two different planets in two different solar systems. A year maybe longer or shorter on Gallifrey than it is on Earth. Also days could be longer or shorter. It would be extremely difficult to figure out his age because of all the factors.

Plus, when a Time Lord has all the time in the universe, what is the point of keeping track?

[Mrs Manatee]

Well quite - there must be a point when you just stop counting!

[Arrim]

Good point about the galaxies and planets @Jambles-chan.

I bet the Doctor knows his age in Gallifrey and Earth years and just doesn't care when he tells people.

[Thats The Question]

It is relative. He doesn't live day to day, year to year like we do. Plus he doesn't sleep often, if at all. How can he measure it if there are no days and years to him.

[Ameria S]

He makes it up as he goes along. Much like everything else he does. blaugh

[Ciercy]

As much as the above theories may be true (and I agree with him making it up), why has it not come unto anyone's thought to just say... Maybe he can flat out ask his TARDIS? It has everything it'd need to, and it's sentient at that. Part of the time vortex or whatever... So phone the Blue Box.

Also, to those mentioning the difference in time spans on a planet. The series has made it clear that by the year 5000 (or whenever the hospital came active), the universe had a standard in calculations and warnings in how it'd work. So the difference between a Gallifreyan Year and Earth Year would be the same by that point and he'd have an accurate figure to relate to.

[Xiam]

He used to keep a journal of his travels, but... yeah, it's highly suspected that nowadays he just makes it up.

[Kani Jalo]

Motivational Desire

As much as the above theories may be true (and I agree with him making it up), why has it not come unto anyone's thought to just say... Maybe he can flat out ask his TARDIS? It has everything it'd need to, and it's sentient at that. Part of the time vortex or whatever... So phone the Blue Box.

Didn't he and she when she was Idris have an argument where she mentioned that he'd been opening her door inwards for about 700 years? She'd got stuck as a police box comparatively shortly after they stole each other, so he's about 800, since he said he was 90 when he "borrowed" her at some point (I think). If it was 100 years of travel before she got stuck, that definitely makes 900. *shrug* When he gave his age as being 1100, he had supposedly had 200 years in his time of living between when he dies in "The Impossible Astronaut" and when his companions meet up with his younger self... I don't really see any discrepancies, unless I was horribly mistaken somewhere along the line.

I agree that it's possible that he could also just be making it up, OR he could be giving his approximate age based on where he is in time (in some cases).

[Arrim]

Ishilied

Motivational Desire

As much as the above theories may be true (and I agree with him making it up), why has it not come unto anyone's thought to just say... Maybe he can flat out ask his TARDIS? It has everything it'd need to, and it's sentient at that. Part of the time vortex or whatever... So phone the Blue Box.

Didn't he and she when she was Idris have an argument where she mentioned that he'd been opening her door inwards for about 700 years? She'd got stuck as a police box comparatively shortly after they stole each other, so he's about 800, since he said he was 90 when he "borrowed" her at some point (I think). If it was 100 years of travel before she got stuck, that definitely makes 900. *shrug* When he gave his age as being 1100, he had supposedly had 200 years in his time of living between when he dies in "The Impossible Astronaut" and when his companions meet up with his younger self... I don't really see any discrepancies, unless I was horribly mistaken somewhere along the line.

I agree that it's possible that he could also just be making it up, OR he could be giving his approximate age based on where he is in time (in some cases).

I like both of these.

[Arrim]

Where did the Doctor "borrow" the Tardis from?

[Aleksandros]

Motivational Desire

As much as the above theories may be true (and I agree with him making it up), why has it not come unto anyone's thought to just say... Maybe he can flat out ask his TARDIS? It has everything it'd need to, and it's sentient at that. Part of the time vortex or whatever... So phone the Blue Box.

Also, to those mentioning the difference in time spans on a planet. The series has made it clear that by the year 5000 (or whenever the hospital came active), the universe had a standard in calculations and warnings in how it'd work. So the difference between a Gallifreyan Year and Earth Year would be the same by that point and he'd have an accurate figure to relate to.

I like the 'ask-the-TARDIS' solution. It sounds about plausible. xD

I mean, yeah, the TARDIS would have a standardized measurement of time and what not, so even if as time-travelers, they didn't go through time the same way as non-time travelers since you could theoretically, spend 24 hours in several 'days', all the TARDIS can really count is how long the Doctor himself has been around and then caluculate it in to the equivalent amount of time.

Tho tbh, it still makes me wonder if the TARDIS could do that if the Doctor was isolated from it for an extended amount of time. I mean, upon being reunited, how accurately would the TARDIS be able to say how long the Doctor spent away from her to be able to accurately know his age?

Does what I'm saying even make sense? LOL I don't even know myself. xD

[Arrim]

Aleksandros

Motivational Desire

As much as the above theories may be true (and I agree with him making it up), why has it not come unto anyone's thought to just say... Maybe he can flat out ask his TARDIS? It has everything it'd need to, and it's sentient at that. Part of the time vortex or whatever... So phone the Blue Box.

Also, to those mentioning the difference in time spans on a planet. The series has made it clear that by the year 5000 (or whenever the hospital came active), the universe had a standard in calculations and warnings in how it'd work. So the difference between a Gallifreyan Year and Earth Year would be the same by that point and he'd have an accurate figure to relate to.

I like the 'ask-the-TARDIS' solution. It sounds about plausible. xD

I mean, yeah, the TARDIS would have a standardized measurement of time and what not, so even if as time-travelers, they didn't go through time the same way as non-time travelers since you could theoretically, spend 24 hours in several 'days', all the TARDIS can really count is how long the Doctor himself has been around and then caluculate it in to the equivalent amount of time.

Tho tbh, it still makes me wonder if the TARDIS could do that if the Doctor was isolated from it for an extended amount of time. I mean, upon being reunited, how accurately would the TARDIS be able to say how long the Doctor spent away from her to be able to accurately know his age?

Does what I'm saying even make sense? LOL I don't even know myself. xD

Yeah! I get it! biggrin