explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1142: Coverage

2022-03-23T10:45:42Z

141.101.104.58: /* Transcript edit */

{{comic
| number = 1142
| date = December 3, 2012
| title = Coverage
| image = coverage.png
| titletext = My resonant tunneling diode phone has limited range but a short enough wavelength to penetrate even the densest cages. This gives me a major combat advantage, hopefully.
}}

==Explanation==
The caption "faraday cagematch" is a portmanteau of "faraday cage" and "cagematch".

A {{w|Faraday cage}} is a cage of conducting material that interferes and blocks out {{w|electromagnetic radiation}} like cell phone signals, provided the material is of the appropriate thickness and the gaps between the "bars" are significantly smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. A {{w|cage match}} is a type of professional wrestling match in which the participants fight in a ring enclosed by a metal cage. The comic caption is a play on the two terms, putting [[Cueball]] into a cage match in the Faraday cage that is blocking his reception.

Also the fact that Cueball gets hit in the face immediately after stating that the coverage is awful might be a joke about the different meanings of the word cover, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing#Defense|in boxing for example] the word cover-up is a defensive technique, while [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_network#Mobile_phone_network|cell phone coverage] refers to the connection quality of his phone to the mobile phone network. The fact that Cueball, obviously referring to his phone signal, complains about awful coverage (caused by the faraday cage) while his head is also badly or not at all covered (caused by himself), which allows his opponent to strike him, might be described as ironically comedic.

The title text is a play on a rule in cage matches that states that a participant wins if they are first to escape the cage. {{w|Tunneling diode|Tunneling diodes}} are capable of fast operation, allowing a device to generate high frequency signals, which are more capable of penetrating the mesh openings in a Faraday cage.

Randall uses Faraday cages again in [[Faraday Tour]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is looking at a phone.]
:Cueball: Man, the coverage here is ''awfu—''

:[Another man punches Cueball.]
:[Caption below the panel:] Faraday cagematch
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Portmanteau]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Phones]]

2509: Useful Geometry Formulas

2021-09-01T07:38:06Z

141.101.104.58: Added a missing possessive apostrophe.

{{comic
| number = 2509
| date = August 30, 2021
| title = Useful Geometry Formulas
| image = useful_geometry_formulas.png
| titletext = Geometry textbooks always try to trick you by adding decorative stripes and dotted lines.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a STRIPED AND DOTTED TEXTBOOK ILLUSTRATOR. Explain the formulas for each of the areas, and also the correct formula for the 3D object they seems to represent. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic showcases area formulae for four two-dimensional geometric shapes which each have extra dotted and/or solid lines making them look like illustrations for 3-dimensional objects - the first, a simple equation for a circle, the second an equation for a triangle with a semi-elliptic base, the third an equation for a rectangle with an elliptical base and top, and the fourth a hexagon consisting of two opposing right angled corners and two parallel diagonal lines connecting their sides. In each case, only the outline of each shape is measured.

Such illustrations are commonly found in geometry textbooks, which need to depict three-dimensional figures on a two-dimensional page. They use slanted lines to indicate edges receding into the distance, and dashed lines to indicate an edge occluded by nearer parts of the solid. The joke is that the formulae given here are for the area of each two-dimensional shape within its outer solid lines, not for the surface area or volume of the illustrated 3D object (as would be shown in the geometry textbook). The title text continues the joke by claiming that the dotted lines are simply decorative.

The illustrations depict the following plane or solid figures, depending on the interpretation.

Top left.&emsp;A circle (illustrating a sphere) with radius r. The equation for the area of a circle is A = πr2 as is given below the figure. The surface area of a sphere is 4πr2 , which is what we would have expected from the figure. The volume of a sphere is 4/3 πr3.

Top right.&emsp;An isosceles triangle of height h combined with a semi-ellipse with semiaxes a and b (illustrating a right elliptic cone). The area of the triangle is bh, and the area of the semi-ellipse is π/2 ab. The equation for this area is A = 1/2 πab + bh as is given below the figure. However, if this was in a text book then a=b even if drawn like this, thus the cone has a circular base, in the 3D drawing. Such a "normal" cone has an area A = πb^2 + πbh. (a=b). That cone's volume would be πr^2*h/3. Taking the 3D drawing literal with a≠b then the lateral surface area of a right elliptic cone is 2a√(b2 + h2) ∫01 √(a²h²(t²-1) - b²(a²+h²t²)/a²(t²-1)(b²+h²)) dt. The volume is π/3 abh.

Bottom left.&emsp;A rectangle of width d and height h between two semi-ellipses of semi-minor axis r (illustrating a right elliptic cylinder). The area of the rectangle is dh and the area of the two half-ellipses equals the area of one full ellipse, π/2 dr. The equation for this area is A = d(πr/2 + h) as is given below the figure. For a 3D representation the cylinder has circular base so d = 2r, (not elliptical as indicated in the 2D drawing). Such a cylinder has a surface area of 2πr^2 + πdh. The volume of such a cylinder is πr^2h. Taking the 3D drawing literal with d≠2r then the lateral surface area of the right elliptic cylinder is 4h ∫01 √(1 - t²(1-4r²/d²)/1 - t²) dt. The volume is π/2 rdh.

Bottom right.&emsp;A convex hexagon with three pairs of parallel sides and two right angles at opposite vertices (illustrating a rhomboid-based prism). The area of the rectangle representing the front face of the prism is bh. The area of the upper parallelogram is db sin θ. The area of the right parallelogram is dh cos θ. The equation for this area is A = bh + d(b sinθ + h cosθ) as is given below the figure. The surface area of the prism would be 2bh + 2db sinθ + 2dh. The volume is bdh sinθ.

In the history of the development of computer-generated 3D graphics, calculations of the apparent visual area taken up by the projection of a volume may have been useful in occlusion-like optimizations, where each drawn pixel may be passed through many fragment shaders.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Four figures in two rows of two, each depicts a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object, with solid lines in front and dotted lines behind. Each figure has some labeled dimensions represented with arrows and a formula underneath indicating its area. Above the four figures is a header:]
:Useful geometry formulas

:[Top left; a 'sphere', or a circle with a concentrict half-dotted ellipse sharing its major axis, with the shared semi-major radius labeled 'r']
:A = πr²

:[Top right; a 'cone', or a triangle with the base replaced by a half-dotted ellipse. The triangular/conic height is 'h'. The ellipse in place of the base has semi-minor axis 'a' and major axis 'b']
:A = 1/2 πab + bh

:[Bottom left; a 'cylinder', or a pair of ellipses connected by verticals. The vertical side/edge is shon as height 'h'. The ellipses have semi-minor axis r, in the lower half-dotted ellipse, and major axis d, across the upper ellipse]
:A = d(πr/2 + h)

:[Bottom right; a 'rhomboid-based prism', or a semi-regular hexagon with identical pairs of vertical, horizontal and diagonal sides, plus three more congruent pairs (one of each dotted) all linking inwards from their own vertex to meet at one of two complimentary points within. The representative horizontal line is marked 'b', a vertical is 'h', a diagonal as 'd'. Between the base horizontal and the lower internal diagonal is a non-'rightangled' angle 'θ']
:A = bh + d(b sinθ + h cosθ)

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Math]]

2507: USV-C

2021-08-25T19:30:33Z

141.101.104.58: /* Explanation */ Its symmetry is already mentioned, so no need to repeat that exactly again. (And, as per last edit summary, it's a choice of two, not entirely omnidirectionally free.)

{{comic
| number = 2507
| date = August 25, 2021
| title = USV-C
| image = usv_c.png
| titletext = Ultra-Serial Violet C light is unpolarized, so you don't have to flip the polarizing filter over when you get the orientation wrong the first time.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE CURATOR OF THE EVER EXPANDING CURSED CONNECTORS COLLECTION - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is the fourth installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #280: USB-C to UV-C. It follows [[2503: Memo Spike Connector]] (#102).

This comic depicts a cable that converts from USB-C (at the top of the picture) to UV-C (at the bottom).

{{w|USB-C}} is a rotationally symmetrical {{w|Universal Serial Bus}} (USB) connector. {{w|Ultraviolet#UVC|UV-C}} is a range of {{w|ultraviolet light}} with wavelengths between 100 and 280 nm. This is often used as a germicide, so this comic may also be related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The title text mentions that the UV-C is {{w|Polarization_(waves)|unpolarized}}. This is compared to connector 'polarization', or lack of it, in that USB-C does not force you to use a single {{w|Electrical_connector#Keying|correct orientation}} when using it.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A cable with a USB-C connector on one end and a UV-C LED on the other end is shown]
:Cursed Connectors #280
:USB-C to UV-C
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Cursed Connectors]]
[[Category: Comics with color]]

Talk:367: Fandom

2016-08-10T17:21:25Z

141.101.104.58:

"The text says that Ron Paul wants the New Republic to adopt the Corusca gem as standard currency." Not quite. This is a riff on the term {{w|Gold Standard}}, which is where the actual currency unit (whatever the local version is, e.g. various national versions of dollars, pounds, franc, mark, etc...) is directly linked to an actual physical bit of gold (or rather, ''en mass'', the total currency corresponds to the entire gold reserve). It's like the government saying "I'll pay you in gold, but we can keep it safer than you, so we'll keep hold of the gold and give you a note/token to say that you own a share of it". Tokens/notes get passed around as indirect ownership of the gold is transfered in exchange for goods and services. The total money in the economy is tied directly to the gold possessed. This rather has the effect of making gold worth "as much as gold is worth" (transaction fees excepted) if it's a fairly constant commodity. (Although you can still mine gold, and gold is also useful as a resource, e.g. in electrical and electronic connections. And creating works of art in gold create items that are worth more than just the material costs, while melting them down returns only the material costs and the added difference is lost once more.) In times of old this was reflected in gold coinage (and subserviant coinage), but we'd long since transitioned to the 'gold by proxy' situation.

Anyway, without unilaterally revaluing the proxy currency (giving them a different, usually lesser, share of the gold reserves) or significantly expanding the reserves this rather constrains the growth of the economy, for whatever reason that might be desired or required. This may limit international trade, as well as the ability to 'virtualise' money for non-physical transfers, government bonds, etc. For this reason every single (last I heard) currency in the world, that is not still made of gold itself (probably none of them, BICBW), is 'off the Gold Standard', and there's effectively as much money in a country as a government says there is, with the physical (and non-physical?) money being a Fiat Currency (Fiat=="Let it be.."). This can make everyone 'richer' (see also Quantative Easing), or at least have higher values, whether or not their actual purchasing power increases accordingly, and is very easy to integrate with the manipulation of 'virtual money'. But as seen over recent times there are problems.

Even before these problems, there have been some hard-nosed economists (or politicians, either with a considered point of view, or just looking for a distinct personal platform to impress various sectors of the electorate with) trying to get one or other national currency back to the Gold Standard. The arguments for and against such a reattachment (as with the arguments for and against the original disconnection) are many and varied, and I wouldn't personally care to suggest the best course of action. (Or whether a different limited resource, along the same lines, should be adopted as Gold Equivalent, where not already applicable.)

I'm not entirely sure if Ron Paul is calling for a return to the Gold Standard, IRL, although it's the kind of thing that politicians like him do like to say (whether or not they actually mean it). However, it seems as if the Extended Universe version of Ron Paul is calling for the Star Wars equivalent, tying the equivalent currency of the Republic (Galactic Standard Credit?) to reserves of an equivalent limited resource of value (the Corusca Gem). I have no idea if the gem can be used for anything practical, but sounds like it is probably mainly valuable for its appearance (and the fact that it is already used in trading), rather like Latinum in the Star Trek universe which apparently cannot be produced (or duplicated) by replicators. Unlike gold itself, which is relegated to a convenient substrate within which the naturally liquide latinum itself is more handily encased and handled.

...er, yes. Much too much information (and possible errors in explanation) there. But just saying. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 16:46, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

I think it's worth mentioning, that Ron Paul retired from Congress in January 2013, and the linked article about Corusca gems says that "The first canonical appearance of Corusca gems was in the 2014 mobile-game Star Wars: Galactic Defense, in which they are used as in-game currency", thus it seems that (probably just one imagined by Mr. Munroe, but nevertheless) Ron Paul has achieved his goal. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.58|141.101.104.58]] 17:21, 10 August 2016 (UTC)

1594: Human Subjects

2015-10-23T07:59:56Z

141.101.104.58: some alternative explanations

{{comic
| number = 1594
| date = October 23, 2015
| title = Human Subjects
| image = human_subjects.png
| titletext = After meeting with a few of the subjects, the IRB actually recommended that you stop stressing out so much about safety guidelines.
}}

==Explanation==
This strip plays on certain experiments involving {{w|Human subject research|human subjects}}. [[Ponytail]] is questioning the reliability of [[Megan]]'s experimental results, given that her human subjects appear to be extremely unusual and highly sociopathic.

In the first panel, she mentions that several {{w|Treatment and control groups|control group}} members – that is, ordinary people not subject to any experimental conditions – had been arrested for arson. This is "troubling", as the control group would not be expected to have such a high rate of incidence, while if the trend had occurred in the experimental group the drug could be identified as the cause of the arson, due to unexpected {{w|side effect}}s. The implication is that her subjects are not representative of the general population, but appear to have been selected from some aberrant subpopulation, such as a prison or mental institution. Or she could have recruited them through an announcement only sociopaths could find interesting.

The second panel alludes to the {{w|prisoner's dilemma}}, in which two subjects must independently decide whether to "collaborate" or "defect" – the latter giving them a personal reward at the expense of punishing the other subject. If the subjects are defecting without being offered rewards, they must be sociopaths.

The last panel mentions the {{w|Milgram experiment}}, in which subjects are encouraged by disguised experimenters to provide shocks to unseen human subjects. In this case, however, electric shocks had no role in the experiment, and the subjects must have smuggled the necessary equipment in, for the express purpose of hurting people unknown to them – truly sociopathic behaviour.

The title text refers to safety procedures normally required by {{w|institutional review board}}s, which are centralised groups within universities that ensure that experiments are ethical and safe. The joke is that for an IRB to recommend dispensing with safety procedures, the human subjects must really, ''really'' deserve bad treatment. They could also worry that explaining safety rules to these subject may give them even uglier ideas.

There is no explanation given as to why one researcher is running experiments across the diverse disciplines of pharmaceuticals, psychology and cosmetics.

==Transcript==
[Ponytail and Megan sit at a desk.]

Ponytail: We're concerned that some of your results may be tainted by the fact that your human subjects are ''awful''.

Megan: What do you mean?

[Ponytail picks up a sheet of paper.]

Ponytail: Several participants in your drug trial were arrested for arson.

Megan: Side effects can be unpredictable.

Ponytail: They were in the control group.

Ponytail: In your prisoner's dilemma study, 80% of the participants chose to betray their partners ''before'' the experimenter had a chance to tell them about the reward.

Megan (off-panel): Definitely troubling.

[Ponytail shows Megan another sheet of paper.]

Ponytail: In one experiment, your subjects repeatedly gave electric shocks to a stranger in another room.

Megan: That's a famous psychological-

Ponytail: This was a study of moisturizing creams!

Megan: Yes, we're not sure how they snuck in all that equipment.

{{comic discussion}}

1392: Dominant Players

2014-07-12T15:37:24Z

141.101.104.58: Capablanca only became world champion once and lost his next title match (in 1927); there were no matches in the intervening years

{{comic
| number = 1392
| date = July 9, 2014
| title = Dominant Players
| image = dominant_players.png
| titletext = When Vera Menchik entered a 1929 tournament, a male competitor mocked her by suggesting that a special 'Vera Menchik Club' would be created for any player who lost to her. When the tournament began, he promptly became the first member of said club, and over the years it accumulated a large and illustrious roster.
}}

A [http://xkcd.com/1392/large larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd - which can be reached easily from here as always, by clicking on the comic number above.

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Why are some of the players paths red and some gray? Why compare basketball to chess?}}
The comic shows the rise and fall of players' strengths in two games, {{w|basketball}} and {{w|chess}}. For chess, there is an overall chart, and a women's chart.

For basketball, it uses a {{w|Player_efficiency_rating|player efficiency rating}}.

For chess, it uses the {{w|Elo rating}}. It explains that since Elo is relatively new (it was adopted by the World Chess Federation, FIDE, in 1970), the rating is extrapolated backwards in time and are thus shown as dashed lines before it was generally adopted. 
Interestingly it can be {{w|Elo_rating#Elo_ratings_beyond_chess|read on the Elo wiki page}} that {{w|Sports Reference|Sports-reference.com}} uses the Elo rating system to rate the best professional players in '''basketball''', football, baseball and hockey .

*There are several references at given times of a career path. These can either be noted with:
**A node on the path. An arrow will point to the note and state a fact.
**Dashed path (not including chess player paths from before 1970 where they were all dashed as explained above). An arrow will point to the dashed part and state a fact. (Only for basketball)
**The {{w|Starburst (symbol)|starbursts}} at the end (or beginning) of a path. A fact will be stated next to the node. These are references to a player disappearing (or reappearing) in unusual circumstances. (only for either Chess panel)
*Some of these are intended to provide context (such as "Loses to Deep Blue"), while others are tangents or jokes.
*These references are listed below in order of appearance. If it is a dashed line or a starburst it will be mentioned:

'''Basketball'''
* {{W|Wilt Chamberlain}} - "Becomes the first and so far only player to score {{w|Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game|100 points in a game}}". (In 1962)
* {{w|Jerry West}} - "The Guy in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NBALogo.svg The NBA logo]" from 1969. (Read 5th paragraph in this {{w|National_Basketball_Association#Celtics.27_dominance.2C_league_expansion.2C_and_competition|wiki section}})
* {{w|Kareem Abdul-Jabbar}} - "{{w|Airplane (film)|Airplane}}". (A comedy film from 1980 where he played the co-pilot Roger Murdock)
* {{w|Magic Johnson}} - "{{w|Magic_Johnson#HIV_announcement_and_Olympics_.281991.E2.80.9392.29|HIV announcement}}". This part of his path is dashed. (The line is dashed from 1991 to 1995 - where the fear of Aids forced him to retire)
** He {{w|Magic_Johnson#Return_to_the_Lakers_as_coach_and_player_.281994.2C_1996.29|returned to play once more}} in the season from 1995-1996
* {{w|Michael Jordan}} - "{{w|Michael_Jordan#First_retirement_and_baseball_career_.281993.E2.80.931994.29|Baseball career}}". This part of his path is dashed. (from 1993-1994 he played Baseball - i.e. his first retirement)
* Michael Jordan - "{{w|Space Jam}}". (An animated comedy film from 1996 starring {{w|Bugs Bunny}} and Jordan - who was the only live character during most of the movie)
* Michael Jordan - "{{w|Michael_Jordan#Second_retirement_.281999.E2.80.932001.29|Second retirement}}". This part of his path is dashed. (He retired again from 1999–2001)
** He then {{w|Michael_Jordan#Washington_Wizards_comeback_.282001.E2.80.932003.29|came back}} to play two more years from 2001-2003...
* {{w|LeBron James}} - "{{w|The Decision (TV special)|The Decision}}" (a television special from 2010 about a heavily hyped decision as to which team he would play for the next season)

'''Chess'''
* {{w|José Raúl Capablanca|José Capablanca}} - "Terrifying chess God". An arrow points to the left of the panel with his name and the note beneath it. (Considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. As he died in 1942 this lies just outside of the chart. Anyway he had his best years all the way back in 1921-1927 where he was world chess champion)
* {{w|Alexander Alekhine}} - This is the first starburst. There is no text except his name. (He {{w|Alexander_Alekhine#His_final_year|died in 1946}} in Portugal)
* {{w|Bobby Fischer}} - "Vanished..." The second Starburst. (He did not actually vanish, but he did {{w|Bobby_Fischer#Sudden_obscurity|stop playing competitively}} for about 20 years starting in 1972. This is probably a reference to the 1993 film {{w|Searching for Bobby Fischer}}, which is not actually about Fischer, but about a player who partly models his career on Fischer's. The name ''Searching for Bobby Fischer'' may lead people to believe Fischer literally vanished, but that is not the case)
* Bobby Fischer - "...Reappeared then vanished again. He had problems." This is written below a double starburst with a short line between. (This is another reference to Fischer - there is no name or clear correlation, except the text that relates to the first reference. He {{w|Bobby_Fischer#1992_Spassky_rematch|resumed playing competitively}} in 1992 for a match. ''{{w|Bobby_Fischer#Life_as_an_.C3.A9migr.C3.A9|He had problems}}'' is a simplistic description of issues and controversies in Fischer's later life, including an arrest warrant (because he violated a U.S. embargo against Yugoslavia), unpaid taxes, controversy about his statements (including {{w|Antisemitism|anti-semitism}}), and mental problems. The U.S. eventually revoked his passport, and he was jailed for eight months in Japan. He then received Icelandic citizenship, and lived out the rest of his life there.)
* {{w|Garry Kasparov}} - "Loses to {{w|Deep Blue (chess computer)|Deep Blue}}". (In 1997 Deep Blue became the first computer to {{w|Deep_Blue_versus_Garry_Kasparov#1997_rematch|beat the current chess world champion}})
* {{w|Judit Polgar}} - "(see below)". The text in the brackets is written beneath her name. (She is the strongest woman chess player ever and can be seen rising from the gender-defined ranks of women's chess (below). She is the only women shown on this part of the chart. Below in the womans chart, there are several notes - see below.)

'''Chess (women)'''
* {{w|Vera Menchik}} - "Died in a missile attack on London". This is the Last starburst. (She was killed by an early guided missile - a {{w|V-1 flying bomb}} - launched by the Germans in {{w|World War II}}. For some reason her path does not seems to be dashed, as it should have been before 1970.)
* {{w|Sonja Graf}} - "Rating particularly uncertain". This is written above her name, with an arrow pointing there. As a matter of fact, she was clearly the second best woman and her path should be parallel to Menchik's from 1930's. (The path is already dashed indicating that it is a rough estimate, but there were probably very few data for woman chess players before 1960 explaining the note)
* {{w|Kira Zvorykina}} - "Kira Zvorykina (born 1919) continued playing in tournaments into the 21st century". (Zvorykina was never very high on the list, but can be seen twice centered on 1960 and 1980. She played her [http://ratings.fide.com/individual_calculations.phtml?idnumber=13500392&rating_period=2008-01-01&t=0 last game] rated by the {{w|World Chess Federation}} in October 2007 aged 88. She was still alive when this comic was released and will turn 95 if she lives until September this year 2014)
** She is the only player in all three panels whose path falls below the panel only to enter again later. This second entry is labeled with her last name - Zvorykina - on top of the path
* Judit Polgar, {{w|Susan Polgar}} and {{w|Sofia Polgar}} - "Sisters". (These three chess playing sisters are linked by a thin dashed line, snaking between their names on the chart. Judit is the youngest, Susan the oldest. Judit has now overtaken her sisters, Sofia never reaching the other two sisters level.)
* Judit Polgar - "{{w|Judit_Polgar#Making_history|Wins a game against Kasparov}}, making her the first woman to beat the world #1". (It took some attempts and some {{w|Judit_Polgar#Kasparov_touch-move_controversy|controversy}} before she managed to beat Kasparov in 2002, in a tournament that was played under rapid rules with 25 minutes per game and a 10 second bonus per move.)
* Judit Polgar - "Becomes first woman to rank in the overall top 10". (She is so far the only woman to break into the top 10 in the {{w|FIDE World Rankings}}. She ranked as high as {{w|Judit_Polgar#Combining_family_and_chess|eighth in the world}} in 2005)

In general not all possible players are included in these charts. For instance it is mentioned that Judit Polgar was the first woman ranked in the over all top 10. But only six players are shown on the over all chart around 2005, where she was ranked 8th. This is a general trend for all three charts. So this is [[Randall|Randall's]] subjective list of players that he has deemed to be ''Dominant Players'' and not a full list of the best ranked players during the time period. From the Womans panel below it is also clear that some of the other women would be ranked high enough to be visible on the upper chart. But still only Judit is shown there.

Another example of the above for Basketball would be the 2008–2009 season which was unique in that it was the only season in which more than one player posted an efficiency ratings of over 30.0 on the Player efficiency rating (see at the bottom of {{w|Player_efficiency_rating#Reference_guide|this section}} on Wikipedia). In that season three players broke this barrier: LeBron James (31.76), {{w|Dwyane Wade}} (30.46), and {{w|Chris Paul}} (30.04). LeBron is shown to top that season, But Dwayne is far below (thus the scale does not fit?) and Chris is not on the list (i.e. he was not deemed to be a dominant players according to Randall).

It is thus on Randall's whim that some NBA players have been left out of the chart in favor of players with lower career and yearly efficiency ratings. Example: {{w|Tim Duncan}}, {{w|Charles Barkley}}, {{w|Oscar Robertson}}, {{w|Kobe Bryant}}, and Chris Paul could all have been included.

A similar reason would explain why former World Champion Chess Grandmaster {{w|Viswanathan Anand}} has not been included in the Chess Chart. Anand is one of six players in history to break the 2800 mark on the FIDE rating list. He occupied the number one position in several rating lists between 2007 and 2011. It is possible that Randall is a huge fan of {{w|Magnus Carlsen}} and biased against Anand as evinced by the comic [[1287: Puzzle]] (Chess in a 'Go' board - there are no alternate colored squares as required by chess), though the interpretation of the comic and its comment appear to be a double-edged matter of debate.

Chess players {{w|Vladimir Kramnik}} and {{w|Levon Aronian}}, who have faced each other on multiple occasions in the 2010s, are shown as having their career paths entwined. It is a general trend observed every time two players paths cross each other more than once (the one on top the first time, will be below the second time and so forth. It is just more clear with these two than anywhere else).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
'''Dominant Players over Time'''

[Chart 1]
*Basketball (NBA/ABA)
:Player Efficiency Rating

[Chart 2]
*Chess
:Elo Rating

[Chart 3]
*Chess (Women)
:Elo Rating

==Trivia==
* The [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/4/45/20140710201235!dominant_players.png original comic] said about Kira Zvorykina "Continued playing in tournaments into the 20th century". The 20th century is the 1900's in which Zvorkina was born (on September 29, 1919 according to Wikipedia). Randall has corrected the notation to say "into the 21st century."
* The names of three NBA players have been misspelled: {{w|Neil Johnston}} (misspelled as "Neal"), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (missing hyphen), and {{w|Julius Erving}} (misspelled "Irving".)

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]

{{comic discussion}}