487: Numerical Sex Positions

Numerical Sex Positions

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Title text: We didn't even get to the continued fractions!

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Explanation

Sex positions are body positions that people use to engage sexual intercourse or sexual activity. Many of them are named, although 69 is perhaps the only commonly used sex position that is named after a number. The name was given because the position parallels the two Arabic numeral digits in 69. In the comic, the narrator poses other numbers that can correlate to sex positions (regardless of feasibility), while Cueball and Megan try to approximate the shape of each.

69

This is the name of the only notable sex position on the list. The position features two people lying down with each of their mouth near or touching the other person's genitals to perform mutual oral sex.

99

This is similar to 69, but the first digit is "flipped". This position could refer to two people spooning while standing. Since this position is similar to 69, the two people could also be lying down, with the view of them being top-down.

71

This position features a person, who is Megan in this case, bent down on a table to resemble the number seven. The other person, Cueball, seems to be penetrating her while resembling the number one. This is similar to the doggy style position.

34

This is the first peculiar sex position, as both participants are unable to perform sex and resembling each digit. Cueball intends to perform a three, but exclaims "uh", as he has no idea how. Perhaps, Cueball can curl up in a fetal position while standing. Megan does try to form a four, but in vain.

It is unlikely that the number chosen is a coincidence to refer to Rule 34, which is an Internet meme that claims that anything on the Internet can be produced into pornography.

$\sqrt{8}$

This is another peculiar sex position; it also excludes one from resembling a digit. Cueball and Megan both stand in apathy, with the narrator addressing them to give it a try. Perhaps, one person is to contort into a figure eight while the other one lies on top.

The number is the square root of 8, which is $2\sqrt{2}$ when simplified and approximately 2.82842712475 when written in decimal.

ln(2π)

This is the last "sex position" given before Megan gives up and leaves, much to the disappointment of the narrator. If the position is done correctly, Cueball and Megan would be seriously crippled before performing sex.^{[citation needed]} However, this is to assume that only two participants are allowed. The number consists of six symbols instead of the usual two (accounting the parentheses that surround the operand), so this could imply that six people must participate to resemble each character correctly.

2π is 360° when referring to radians; it is equivalent to one turn. Pi (π) is a constant that is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159. ln is the natural logarithm function, which, when given a number, produces its logarithm to the base of Euler's number (e).

Continued fractions (title text)

The narrator is so frustrated, as we are told in the title text, because the partners quit before they were told to resemble a continued fraction. Obviously, it is impossible for two figures to humanly resemble a continued fraction, so most likely, it would involved more people.

A continued fraction is an expression written as a fraction which its denominator contains a sum involving another fraction. The fraction can also iterate indefinitely.

Gamma function definition (exclusively in xkcd: volume 0)

An additional line goes with the comic: "Hey, baby, wanna try $\underset{0}{\overset{\mathrm{\infty }}{\int }}{t}^{z-1}{e}^{-t}dt$ing?", which is yet another fictitious sex position.

Transcript

[Caption above the panels]

XKCD PRESENTS

a guide to

NUMERICAL SEX POSITIONS:

Narrator: 69

[Cueball and Megan perform a standing sixty-nine position i.e. mutual oral sex.]

Narrator: 99

[Cueball and Megan perform a standing spooning position.]

Narrator: 71

[Megan is bent over a table and Cueball takes her doggy-style.]

Narrator: 34

[Cueball looks at Megan, who is standing on one leg with her arms out.]

Cueball: Uh.

Narrator: $\sqrt{8}$

[Cueball and Megan are staring at each other.]

Narrator: Guys?

Narrator: ln(2π)

[Cueball just stands there while Megan is walking away.]

Narrator: Aww, c'mon...

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Discussion

While I just did fix the Wiki link I don't think this "Fourth Wall" is relevant. The joke is just that Cueball is trying more different numbers by some mathematical calculations but Megan is visibly annoyed. At the title text Cueball is disappointed because they still have to work on more complicated numbers. I'm sure this joke is just mixing Sex and Math, not more.--Dgbrt (talk) 19:18, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

There are a couple of reasons I believe there is a fourth wall violation here. In the transcript, you can see that the "Uh" is from Cueball, but the "Guys" and "Aww, c'mon" are not--they are from the narrator. Also, that it says "guys" suggests that it's someone outside talking to both of them.Matchups (talk) 01:12, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Standard rules of comic chat-bubbles tend to apply to most of Randels comics. Words spoken by characted are referenced by a line extending from the head, thoughts are contained inside of bubbles, and narrator speech is contained "outside" of the panels inside it's own box. -- Para (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I don't know if I was the only one anticipating the possibility of Imaginary sex. Actually, there's arguably plenty of that already, possibly complementing all the Real sex that actually happens. 178.107.63.150 23:53, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

My take? The whole thing is being narrated. The numbers are the voice over, the characters hear the narrator, and have to act out the numbers. They have trouble with 34 (rule 34), the square root of 8 could be anal, and the last one? Read it out loud, in 2 pie. Lesbianism or threesome. -- 67.149.185.0 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Just a reminder it is "LN", not "IN". 108.162.222.61 07:32, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

I read that last panel as Cueball wants a threesome by including someone named Ellen. -- Weirsbaski

I don't think that the characters in the first two panels are standing. I think they are viewed from above.
--Lou Crazy (talk) 14:17, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

Agreed. I changed it. 108.162.238.76 21:22, 19 January 2016 (UTC)

Well, someone seems to have changed it back. I also agree that the view is from above, it's fairly impossible to do a standing 69. -- The Cat Lady (talk) 15:02, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

The fifth panel (root of 8) is particuarly funny to Auusies, as here the word 'root' is slang for 'fuck'. 172.69.58.157 (talk) 09:20, 28 July 2024 (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
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