explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1766: Apple Spectrum

2023-08-26T16:53:21Z

162.158.158.241: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1766
| date = November 30, 2016
| title = Apple Spectrum
| image = apple_spectrum.png
| titletext = If I were trapped on a desert island, and could have an unlimited supply of any one type of apple, I'd be like, "How did this situation happen?"
}}

==Explanation==

The comic shows a {{w|spectrum}} of different types of apples, with {{w|Red Delicious}} towards the bad end of the spectrum, and {{w|Honeycrisp}} towards the good end of the spectrum. Although most spectra are only one-dimensional, {{w|Granny Smith}} is on some side branch, implying that the taste is so different from the other two that it deserves its own category. (Granny Smith apples have a distinctively tart, or sour, flavor with a subtle sweetness, and is commonly used for cooking, as opposed to the other mentioned varieties that are quite sweet and primarily eaten raw.) [[Randall]] has previously shown his disdain for Red Delicious apples in footnote 1 in [https://books.google.com/books?id=tgZIBAAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA97#v=onepage&q&f=false this what if]; he also ranked green apples as tastier than red apples in [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]]. The labeling of Red Delicious as "bad" compared to apples in general is perhaps unwarrantedly uncharitable; most apple trees produce fruit so bad that it is considered unfit for any purpose but fermentation. On the rare occasions that a tree naturally produces palatable apples, it is grafted onto other trees so that they will produce more of its apples instead of their own--all Granny Smiths are genetically identical. For a long time, though, in the US apples were mainly divided into three sorts. In case of the Red Delicious apples the color, not the taste was deemed most important to the buyers which (along with the genetic variability of Red Delicious) lead to many Red Delicious apples breeds that looked great, but actually tasted bad leading to a big restructuration of the apple market.

In the title text, Randall observes a common type of hypothetical question designed as a creative way to inquire about a person's preferences: If he were on a desert island with an unlimited access to something they like -- in this case, unlimited supply of any one type of apple -- what would he choose? However, Randall gives an unorthodox and unexpected answer to the typically playful hypothetical by taking it literally and questioning how such a situation would occur. How did he get stuck on the island, and how did he get a literally unlimited supply of apples? In reality, a desert island is unlikely to have an unlimited supply of any food{{Citation needed}}, let alone apples.

Randall's opinions on Red Delicious apples were referenced again in the title text for [[2820: Inspiration]].

==Transcript==
[A mapping, showing types of apples. Each apple is in a bubble]
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bad ⟵ Red Delicious — Regular apples — Honeycrisp ⟶ Good
 |
 Granny Smith
 ↓
 Doing their own thing
</div>

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]

Talk:2357: Polls vs the Street

2020-09-12T01:10:10Z

162.158.158.241:

Love the title text! [[User:Fwacer|Fwacer]] ([[User talk:Fwacer|talk]]) 23:56, 9 September 2020 (UTC)

I Edit Conflicted with someone (2 minutes too late, after quite a bit of typing, then half a dozen Captcha submissions - just two to put ''this'' text in). If anyone wants to review my attempt, I'm HTML-commenting it in this gap...

...I already knew I'd have to Wikilink some bits, and can see at least one typo. Maybe I'll integrate some into what's there now, myself but probably not tonight. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.241|162.158.158.241]] 00:39, 10 September 2020 (UTC)
:(Self-reply) Looking into it, I must have been editing for a whole hour, actually. Didn't feel like it, but given there wasn't even a transcript when I started (but the BOT had been replaced) I must have been. And I want paying for all the Captcha responses I'm asked for. It seems I'm either being 'a useful idiot' for slavishly helping the Algorithm, or I am far better(/worse?) at identifying traffic lights, crosswalks, motorbikes, traffic and bicycles than "the man on the street" that pre-populated the Captcha knowledgebase thresholds... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.175|162.158.158.175]] 00:54, 10 September 2020 (UTC)
::I swear half of the answers were wrong in the first place. One time I took a capatcha and it misidentified a mailbox as a parking meter and I had to answer wrong on purpose to get through.
:::One that I didn't get a 'by' on (I'm convinced that being correct just gives you another test in order to generate that result with more authority) was a request for "bicycle" that featured a surface-painted bike-lane symhol. I said "skip" as there was no actual bike (like features that clearly look cross-walkish but aren't even on the road, or horizontal). So unless most other people had a more generous/playful citeria, I should have been correct. And I'm a whiz at identifying hydrants (in my mind?) Of all kinds of colours, but I think there must be far too many opposing opinions. (Traffic Lights: Do you just highlight the lit bits? The composite frames upon which all the lights sit? The whole lot including the support poles/cables? And do you choose frames that have a sneaky tiny bit of overlap of your chosen feature, but are otherwise mostly empty? Or exclude squares that have a slice that wouldn't be recognised as such if given in isolation?) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.110|162.158.159.110]] 13:04, 10 September 2020 (UTC)
::::Select everything containing a part you would expect to receive if you ordered it fully assembled from amazon. Full frame, but cables not included. All of the car. All the nuts on the hydrants. All the lines on the crosswalk. Mailbox includes the stick in the ground, but not the wall of the house when mounted on one. If it takes a second glance to tell it isn't what it asked for, then select it anyways. normies don't have time to double check their answer when trying to post their lols on cat videos.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.39|108.162.238.39]] 13:59, 11 September 2020 (UTC)
:::::Well, sounds like what I do with edge-cases (except I do check carefully, so that I'm ''right'', no matter what), but if other people are being sloppy, I'll have to he careful to be sloppy, eh? ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.241|162.158.158.241]] 01:10, 12 September 2020 (UTC)
Reminiscent of this beautifully snarkastic tweet. https://twitter.com/DavidLJarman/status/1302719537234599936 [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.173|172.68.189.173]] 03:27, 10 September 2020 (UTC)
In England the word on the Street is most often SLOW (in Wales it's is ARAF SLOW) :-D [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 18:56, 11 September 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2357: Polls vs the Street

2020-09-10T00:41:15Z

162.158.158.241:

Talk:2357: Polls vs the Street

2020-09-10T00:39:39Z

162.158.158.241:

Talk:2356: Constellation Monstrosity

2020-09-09T13:50:46Z

162.158.158.241: (...which means this was also wrong.)

This is some human centipede sh*t. Constellation centipede? 22:53, 7 September 2020 (UTC)
:I was sorely tempted to add this in myself, as a reference, but I thought I'd do the 'wholesome' stuff first, and only just decided to stop adding/changing my submissions for a while in case I'm causing other people some edit-conflicts. (Someone may also want to wikilink the named constellations, perhaps say something about the greek-letter 'numbering' of constituent stars of a constellation that would run out of subsidiary names in this meta-constellation, etc, which are other things I was thinking about.) So, if you really feel like it needs mentioning, you are of course at liberty to fill your boots accordingly. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.176|162.158.158.176]] 23:44, 7 September 2020 (UTC)

This could be referencing how NASA recently mentioned a 13th start sign Ophiuchus, https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/starfinder2/en/ especially because it is placed prior to Scorpio/Libra/Virgo/Leo

The International Astronomical Union calls the constellation "Scorpius" (https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/#sco).
:But they probably don't officially recognise the actual picture of a scorpion, so perhaps it's at least as valid to reference the not-quite-identical astrological grouping by name. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.197|162.158.158.197]] 12:27, 8 September 2020 (UTC)

He'd already been kicked out of the IAU in
[[541: TED Talk]]. How did he regain admission?
:There's a starman waiting in the sky, he'd like to come and meet us but he thinks he'd blow our minds. There's a starman waiting in the sky. He's told us not to blow it 'cause he knows it's all worthwhile... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.197|162.158.158.197]] 12:27, 8 September 2020 (UTC)

This is probably in part a reference to the fact that Zubenelgenubi, Zubeneschamali, and Zubenelhakrabi, while astronomically in Libra, are artistically and linguistically in the constellation Scorpio ("zuben" means "claw") [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.30|108.162.245.30]] 20:14, 8 September 2020 (UTC)
:Ah, you beat me to it! As a teenager (sometime in the last century), I volunteered at a planetarium in New York City (no, not ''that'' one), where I learned the names of the stars in the claws of Scorpius that were cut off by the IAU and "given" to Libra. [[User:Mr. I|Mr. I]] ([[User talk:Mr. I|talk]]) 22:54, 8 September 2020 (UTC)

Does someone want to explain the title text? I've been awake to 04:00 every night doing homework and I don't really feel up to it today.

Also, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA [[User:Bubblegum|bubblegum]]-[[User_talk:Bubblegum|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Bubblegum|contribs]] 06:19, 9 September 2020 (UTC)
:(You break proper page rendering, for me, with your unbroken lines of text. You considerately put in BRs, but that's still twice as wide as the usual frame for me - and I'm not even using a portrait view...)
:a) Astronomers have loads of stars like Denebola that are catagorically listed as things like "β-Leonis" (for the most visible, and Flamstead/Gould numbers for others), which now need reindexing under this new grouping name (F/G numbers can stay the same, but the greek-index would be necessarily be shuffled, as you can't suddenly have four separate βs, even if you're happy differentiating a single letter when it actually turns out to be an N-ary system or coincidental in-line occultation). It'd not be inconceivable to add a "Munroe Id" field to every electronic database and treat the 'old' β-Leonis as non-classification name like Denebola, but it's a fuss that has no real advantages compared to the effort of the undertaking.
:b) Astrologers have a similar issue. "You're a typical Leo!", they may say currently, perhaps even "...on the cusp with Virgo", in establishing someone's link to the progression and precession of the heavens. A "fire" sign. With such'n'such 'planets' (includes Moon and Sun) passing into and out of it to establish subtle elements of Destiny. So if you merge them, this new sign (built up of air, earth fire ''and'' water signs, what is it now... a ventilation brick?) now has to encompass ~33.3% of people (rather than ~8.3% of everybody, as now) and, at least at the upper levels of astrological 'calculation', has the same planets influencing all of them equally, meaning far more people finding it simultaneously profitable to look for a new job/love, take care of their money/health, share/retain an unspecified secret, etc. And they'd have to pad out the columns in the paper with nine (or three?) star-signs in the space they once had twelve. Probably have to tack on some totally nonsensical cold-reading generic bullshit, or something!
:But how to say this neatly in the Explanation, that which aint already there, I wouldn't know. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.110|162.158.159.110]] 08:52, 9 September 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2356: Constellation Monstrosity

2020-09-09T13:47:32Z

162.158.158.241: (Me again. I know why I made that error (had '4' in my head, so gave ¼ in percentage, not ⅓), and I'm correcting myself.)

This is some human centipede sh*t. Constellation centipede? 22:53, 7 September 2020 (UTC)
:I was sorely tempted to add this in myself, as a reference, but I thought I'd do the 'wholesome' stuff first, and only just decided to stop adding/changing my submissions for a while in case I'm causing other people some edit-conflicts. (Someone may also want to wikilink the named constellations, perhaps say something about the greek-letter 'numbering' of constituent stars of a constellation that would run out of subsidiary names in this meta-constellation, etc, which are other things I was thinking about.) So, if you really feel like it needs mentioning, you are of course at liberty to fill your boots accordingly. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.176|162.158.158.176]] 23:44, 7 September 2020 (UTC)

This could be referencing how NASA recently mentioned a 13th start sign Ophiuchus, https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/starfinder2/en/ especially because it is placed prior to Scorpio/Libra/Virgo/Leo

The International Astronomical Union calls the constellation "Scorpius" (https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/#sco).
:But they probably don't officially recognise the actual picture of a scorpion, so perhaps it's at least as valid to reference the not-quite-identical astrological grouping by name. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.197|162.158.158.197]] 12:27, 8 September 2020 (UTC)

He'd already been kicked out of the IAU in
[[541: TED Talk]]. How did he regain admission?
:There's a starman waiting in the sky, he'd like to come and meet us but he thinks he'd blow our minds. There's a starman waiting in the sky. He's told us not to blow it 'cause he knows it's all worthwhile... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.197|162.158.158.197]] 12:27, 8 September 2020 (UTC)

This is probably in part a reference to the fact that Zubenelgenubi, Zubeneschamali, and Zubenelhakrabi, while astronomically in Libra, are artistically and linguistically in the constellation Scorpio ("zuben" means "claw") [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.30|108.162.245.30]] 20:14, 8 September 2020 (UTC)
:Ah, you beat me to it! As a teenager (sometime in the last century), I volunteered at a planetarium in New York City (no, not ''that'' one), where I learned the names of the stars in the claws of Scorpius that were cut off by the IAU and "given" to Libra. [[User:Mr. I|Mr. I]] ([[User talk:Mr. I|talk]]) 22:54, 8 September 2020 (UTC)

Does someone want to explain the title text? I've been awake to 04:00 every night doing homework and I don't really feel up to it today.

Also, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA [[User:Bubblegum|bubblegum]]-[[User_talk:Bubblegum|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Bubblegum|contribs]] 06:19, 9 September 2020 (UTC)
:(You break proper page rendering, for me, with your unbroken lines of text. You considerately put in BRs, but that's still twice as wide as the usual frame for me - and I'm not even using a portrait view...)
:a) Astronomers have loads of stars like Denebola that are catagorically listed as things like "β-Leonis" (for the most visible, and Flamstead/Gould numbers for others), which now need reindexing under this new grouping name (F/G numbers can stay the same, but the greek-index would be necessarily be shuffled, as you can't suddenly have four separate βs, even if you're happy differentiating a single letter when it actually turns out to be an N-ary system or coincidental in-line occultation). It'd not be inconceivable to add a "Munroe Id" field to every electronic database and treat the 'old' β-Leonis as non-classification name like Denebola, but it's a fuss that has no real advantages compared to the effort of the undertaking.
:b) Astrologers have a similar issue. "You're a typical Leo!", they may say currently, perhaps even "...on the cusp with Virgo", in establishing someone's link to the progression and precession of the heavens. A "fire" sign. With such'n'such 'planets' (includes Moon and Sun) passing into and out of it to establish subtle elements of Destiny. So if you merge them, this new sign (built up of air, earth fire ''and'' water signs, what is it now... a ventilation brick?) now has to encompass ~33.3% of people (rather than ~8.3% of everybody, as now) and, at least at the upper levels of astrological 'calculation', has the same planets influencing all of them equally, meaning far more people finding it simultaneously profitable to look for a new job/love, take care of their money/health, share/retain an unspecified secret, etc. And they'd have to pad out the columns in the paper with nine (or four?) star-signs in the space they once had twelve. Probably have to tack on some totally nonsensical cold-reading generic bullshit, or something!
:But how to say this neatly in the Explanation, that which aint already there, I wouldn't know. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.110|162.158.159.110]] 08:52, 9 September 2020 (UTC)

2356: Constellation Monstrosity

2020-09-07T23:35:15Z

162.158.158.241: /* Explanation */ Describing the mash-ups, both visually and nominally.

{{comic
| number = 2356
| date = September 8, 2020
| title = Constellation Monstrosity
| image = constellation_monstrosity.png
| titletext = It's rare to get both astronomers and astrologers equally mad at you, but apparently I've messed up both a bunch of star location databases AND the will of the fates.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Sagicapriquarius. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Constellation}}s in the night sky are formed by pattern-forming various {{w|Asterism (astronomy)|asterisms}} and other 'obvious' stellar relationships in the night sky.

Being rather subjective, {{w|Chinese constellations|different cultures}} have inculcated differences in their interpretations, some subtle and others less so, for the exact same objective views of the night sky. Even where the same groupings are recognised, different cultures can 'see' different forms behind that group of stars. However, observers in the southern hemisphere will see entirely new constellations not visible to those in the northern one, and vice-versa, whilst observing those patterns fully visible to both (on the {{w|ecliptic}}) as inverted and therefore may inspire vastly different conceptualised images or even connectivities.

Randall has taken one particular {{w|zodiac}} (or at least part of the one associated with western astrology and used historically as the organisational references that modern astronomy uses for its cataloguing nomenclature) and imagined further 'lines' connecting stars to link up four separate constellations, to create a portmanteau constellation with a {{w|portmanteau}} name.

The four constellations used here are Scorpio (the scorpion), Libra (the scales), Virgo (the virgin/maiden) and Leo (the lion), sequentially spread across the sky in positions relating to a span of astrological dates running 'backwards' from late November through to late July. The name Randall gave this meta-constellation, however, uses a different order to combine as "Virg(o, l)ibra(, )scor(pio & )leo". Possibly "Scorlibirgoleo", or a similar mash-up with the same source order, did not roll together nicely enough for his liking.

In reality, apparent proximity upon the 'night-time sphere' does not guarantee actual proximity radially. Naming issues should not change any scientific understanding, but it could have a knock-on effect to the cataloguing if that is rearranged to obey the new 'object' grouping.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2354: Stellar Evolution

2020-09-03T14:29:36Z

162.158.158.241:

No comment. [[User:Lightcaller|Lightcaller]] ([[User talk:Lightcaller|talk]]) 01:32, 3 September 2020 (UTC)

Are we sure the title text references cooking a lobster? I was fairly certain it was an allusion to partisan politics in Maine using the traditional blue/red framework. A quick scan of the Wikipedia page on Maine politics seems to support that. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.222|108.162.215.222]] 03:19, 3 September 2020 (UTC)
:I, on the other hand, was wondering why the politics came into it, when it was clearly just star+lobster reference... Strange, eh? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.156|141.101.107.156]] 03:56, 3 September 2020 (UTC)
:I'm sure it could be both. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.128|162.158.75.128]] 11:11, 3 September 2020 (UTC)
::I'm not at all sure that {{w|Maine#State_and_local_politics|the stats}} actually match the supposed analogy, without a long stretch of imagination to ignore the 'purple divide' yet uncrossed. And I don't get the feeling that Randall would be even wanting to ''joke'' that anywhere may "suddenly become significantly redder". But that's just IMO. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.241|162.158.158.241]] 14:29, 3 September 2020 (UTC)

2354: Stellar Evolution

2020-09-03T03:32:30Z

162.158.158.241: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2354
| date = September 2, 2020
| title = Stellar Evolution
| image = stellar_evolution.png
| titletext = It may remain in equilibrium for some time, slowly growing, and then suddenly become significantly redder.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SUN-COOKED LOBSTER.Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is a pun on the {{w|main sequence}}, the continuous and distinctive band of stars that appear on Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams.Stars on this band are known as main-sequence stars. These are the most numerous true stars in the universe, and include the Earth's Sun. The main sequence forms a major part of a star's lifecycle, with smaller stars spending more time on it, where they transform hydrogen to helium via nuclear fusion to generate energy and sustain itself.

[[Miss Lenhart]] starts off apparently describing the main sequence. However, she veers off into the {{w|history of Maine}}, mentioning the separation of Maine from {{w|Massachusetts}} and its {{w|lobstering}} industry, similar to how towards the end of their lifespans, stars break off from the main sequence to form red or blue giants and more away from the main sequence line on the diagram, and rounds it all off by making a play between "main" and the U.S. state of "{{w|Maine}}", which are {{w|homophones}}.

In the title text, Miss Lenhart creates ambiguity by describing both a main sequence star's transition into a {{w|red giant}}, Maine’s recent political shifting from Democratic (blue state from 1992 through 2012) to partly Republican (half the state voted red for Trump in 2016)[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_states_and_blue_states#Table_of_presidential_elections_by_states_since_1972 for recent presidential elections], and a lobster's reaction to being cooked, turning from a bluish-green to bright red-orange.

==Transcript==
:[Miss Lenhart stands in front of a chalkboard. On the board are squiggly lines of text and a series of growing circles]
:Miss Lenhart: After a star begins fusing hydrogen, it may reach a stable equilibrium in which it separates from Massachusetts and develops a thriving lobster industry.
:Miss Lenhart: This is known as the Maine Sequence.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]

2354: Stellar Evolution

2020-09-03T03:31:57Z

162.158.158.241: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2354
| date = September 2, 2020
| title = Stellar Evolution
| image = stellar_evolution.png
| titletext = It may remain in equilibrium for some time, slowly growing, and then suddenly become significantly redder.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SUN-COOKED LOBSTER.Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is a pun on the {{w|main sequence}}, the continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness or Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams.Stars on this band are known as main-sequence stars. These are the most numerous true stars in the universe, and include the Earth's Sun. The main sequence forms a major part of a star's lifecycle, with smaller stars spending more time on it, where they transform hydrogen to helium via nuclear fusion to generate energy and sustain itself.

[[Miss Lenhart]] starts off apparently describing the main sequence. However, she veers off into the {{w|history of Maine}}, mentioning the separation of Maine from {{w|Massachusetts}} and its {{w|lobstering}} industry, similar to how towards the end of their lifespans, stars break off from the main sequence to form red or blue giants and more away from the main sequence line on the diagram, and rounds it all off by making a play between "main" and the U.S. state of "{{w|Maine}}", which are {{w|homophones}}.

In the title text, Miss Lenhart creates ambiguity by describing both a main sequence star's transition into a {{w|red giant}}, Maine’s recent political shifting from Democratic (blue state from 1992 through 2012) to partly Republican (half the state voted red for Trump in 2016)[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_states_and_blue_states#Table_of_presidential_elections_by_states_since_1972 for recent presidential elections], and a lobster's reaction to being cooked, turning from a bluish-green to bright red-orange.

==Transcript==
:[Miss Lenhart stands in front of a chalkboard. On the board are squiggly lines of text and a series of growing circles]
:Miss Lenhart: After a star begins fusing hydrogen, it may reach a stable equilibrium in which it separates from Massachusetts and develops a thriving lobster industry.
:Miss Lenhart: This is known as the Maine Sequence.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]

2354: Stellar Evolution

2020-09-03T03:31:02Z

162.158.158.241: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2354
| date = September 2, 2020
| title = Stellar Evolution
| image = stellar_evolution.png
| titletext = It may remain in equilibrium for some time, slowly growing, and then suddenly become significantly redder.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SUN-COOKED LOBSTER.Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is a pun on the {{w|main sequence}}, the continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness or Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams.Stars on this band are known as main-sequence stars. These are the most numerous true stars in the universe, and include the Earth's Sun. The main sequence forms a major part of a star's lifecycle, with smaller stars spending more time on it, where it transforms hydrogen to helium via nuclear fusion to generate energy and sustain itself.

. [[Miss Lenhart]] starts off apparently describing the main sequence. However, she veers off into the {{w|history of Maine}}, mentioning the separation of Maine from {{w|Massachusetts}} and its {{w|lobstering}} industry, similar to how towards the end of their lifespans, stars break off from the main sequence to form red or blue giants and more away from the main sequence line on the diagram, and rounds it all off by making a play between "main" and the U.S. state of "{{w|Maine}}", which are {{w|homophones}}.

In the title text, Miss Lenhart creates ambiguity by describing both a main sequence star's transition into a {{w|red giant}}, Maine’s recent political shifting from Democratic (blue state from 1992 through 2012) to partly Republican (half the state voted red for Trump in 2016)[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_states_and_blue_states#Table_of_presidential_elections_by_states_since_1972 for recent presidential elections], and a lobster's reaction to being cooked, turning from a bluish-green to bright red-orange.

==Transcript==
:[Miss Lenhart stands in front of a chalkboard. On the board are squiggly lines of text and a series of growing circles]
:Miss Lenhart: After a star begins fusing hydrogen, it may reach a stable equilibrium in which it separates from Massachusetts and develops a thriving lobster industry.
:Miss Lenhart: This is known as the Maine Sequence.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]

2352: Synonym Date

2020-08-29T00:40:06Z

162.158.158.241: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2352
| date = August 29, 2020
| title = Synonym Date
| image = synonym_date.png
| titletext = We need some grub to munch--I'll go slouch over to the kitchen.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an AUTOMATON. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

2351: Standard Model Changes

2020-08-27T06:33:43Z

162.158.158.241: Fix symbols

{{comic
| number = 2351
| date = August 26, 2020
| title = Standard Model Changes
| image = standard_model_changes.png
| titletext = Bugs are spin 1/2 particles, unless it's particularly windy.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by VIN DIESEL. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In this comic strip, Randall is proposing some changes to the {{w|Standard Model}} of particle physics. The currently accepted particle table has 17 slots - 12 fermions (six quarks and six leptons) and five bosons (four gauge bosons and one scalar boson, the Higgs). This comic consists of a normal version of the particle table to which Randall has made substantial alternations and additions, which are drawn in red over the black and white table.

While the Standard Model's predictions are very well supported by experiments, the physics community has identified several flaws in it (e.g. it lacks any particles to convey gravity), and so lots of research is committed to searching for "{{w|Physics beyond the Standard Model}}". Some of Randall's changes are sort of intended to fill some of those gaps, but for the most part they are nonsensical.

=== Quarks ===

Randall's proposed changes to the quarks are relatively restrained -- he proposes only that the "strange" and "charm" names should be moved to bosons, while the strange quark should be renamed the "right quark" and the charm quark should be renamed the "left quark", so that all quarks will have "ordinary" directional names.

In reality, the original quark model proposed by Murray Gell-Mann included only three quarks, with the "strange" quark so named because the particles that contained them were ''strangely'' long-lived relative to their masses. The "charm" quark was so named when it was proposed because it brought a "charming" symmetry to the weak interaction, which we now understand is because it completes the second generation of quarks, along with the strange quark. When a third generation of quarks was proposed, they were called top and bottom by analogy to the up and down quarks (which are so named because of the spin they carry).

=== Leptons ===
While Randall leaves two leptons, the electron and the muon, untouched, he has opted to discard the tau lepton entirely. Each of these three leptons has an associated neutrino; Randall has decided to discard all but the electron neutrino, as he has decided that three are too many neutrino types. He has also replaced the standard symbol for the neutrino, the Greek letter ν (nu), with a capital N, in order to avoid confusion between ν and v, the two letters appearing similar. In place of one of the neutrinos, Randall has introduced a new elementary particle that supposedly explains the existence of dark matter. The nature of dark matter is one of the most famous mysteries in physics: galaxies seem to have much higher gravity than their detectable matter would account for, yet this mysterious form of matter does not seem to interact with other matter in any detectable way.

=== Bosons ===

Randall proposes several new names for existing particles. First, that the {{w|W and Z bosons}} should be renamed to the charm and strange bosons, respectively (taking the names from the quarks), and second, that the {{w|Higgs boson}} should be named the {{w|Vin Diesel}} boson, as he considers {{w|Peter Higgs}}'s name to be too boring to be given to a particle. The Higgs boson is known in the popular press (to the chagrin of many physicists, including Higgs) as "{{w|The God Particle (book)|The God Particle}}", which is certainly a flashy name, but which itself was changed by the editors of the book of the same name from its authors' originally-intended title: The ''Goddamn'' Particle.

Speaking of the popular press, Randall also proposes that a false decoy "Magic" particle should be added to the Standard Model, to trip up promoters of {{w|quantum mysticism}}.

The title text references {{w|Spin (physics)|quantum spin number}}, a property of particles in physics that bears similarities to actual spinning. Although the "cool bugs" particle is put in the {{w|scalar boson}} group with spin 0, Randall states that it instead has spin 1/2, like a fermion. In fact, all known fermions have spin 1/2. It is thus not clear whether the "cool bugs" particle obeys the {{w|Pauli exclusion principle}} or not. The joke comes from Randall treating quantum spin as actual spin and introduces wind blowing the "cool bugs" particle around as if they were made of actual bugs, which they are not{{Citation needed}}.

{| class="wikitable"
! Particle !! Symbol !! Actual particle !! Actual symbol !! Explanation
|-
| Up quark || u || {{w|Up quark}} || u || No change.
|-
| Left quark || l || {{w|Charm quark}} || c || Randall is continuing the pattern of naming quarks after directions. This wouldn't work well with [[474: Turn-On]] unfortunately. The charm quark was named due to bringing a "charming symmetry" to the weak interaction, completing the second generation of quarks.
|-
| Top quark || t || {{w|Top quark}} || t || No change.
|-
| Gluon || g || {{w|Gluon}} || g || No change.
|-
| Vin Diesel boson || V || {{w|Higgs boson}} || H || {{w|Peter Higgs}} is a British theoretical physicist who predicted the existence of scalar bosons, particles with spin 0. Randall suggests that the Higgs boson needs a flashier name and proposes to rechristen it the "Vin Diesel boson", named after American actor {{w|Vin Diesel|Mark Sinclair}}, who has nothing to do with physics.{{Citation needed}}
|-
| Down quark || d || {{w|Down quark}} || d || No change.
|-
| Right quark || r || {{w|Strange quark}} || s || Randall is suggesting this name to match the charm (now left) quark. Particles containing this quark were considered "strangely long-lived". What's strange is how Randall assigns the charm quark the left and the strange quark the right, when so many languages have it the other way around. But since when has Randall cared?
|-
| Bottom quark || b || {{w|Bottom quark}} || b || No change.
|-
| Photon || γ || {{w|Photon}} || γ || No change.
|-
| {{w|Graviton}} || G || (none) || (none) || The graviton is a hypothetical particle which mediates the force of {{w|gravity}}, and would probably belong in the {{w|gauge boson}} group. Randall is taking a very breezy point of view, stating that it would probably be fine to include it even though its existence has not been confirmed yet. It is not recommended to act this way.{{Citation needed}}
|-
| Electron || e || {{w|Electron}} || e || No change.
|-
| Muon || µ || {{w|Muon}} || µ || No change.
|-
| (none) || (none) || {{w|Tau (particle)|Tau lepton}} || τ || The tau lepton is a lepton with average lifetime much shorter than the electron or the muon. Randall apparently considers this particle redundant and states "No one needs tau leptons".
|-
| Strange boson || s || {{w|Z boson}} || Z || The Z boson is one of two particles (three, counting the W boson's different charges) that mediate the {{w|weak force}}, named for having '''z'''ero charge. Randall suggests the strange quark's name would be better suited for this particle.
|-
| Magic || M || (none) || (none) || Randall apparently considers magic to exist and be a particle, both of which are blatantly false.{{Citation needed}} He suggests this particle as a decoy to trip up {{w|quantum mysticism}} promoters, possibly because [[1528: Vodka|he has been possessed]] by [[Black Hat]] and is [[356: Nerd Sniping|trying to run them over with a truck]].
|-
| Electron neutrino || Ne || {{w|Electron neutrino}} || νe || Randall is annoyed by the similarity of the Greek lowercase nu (ν) and the lowercase V (v). Interestingly Randall leaves the "electron" part of its name in even though he has done away with the other neutrinos.
|-
| (none) || (none) || {{w|Muon neutrino}} || νµ || Randall thinks one neutrino is enough, and to be honest, who can argue with him?
|-
| {{w|Dark matter}} || D || {{w|Tau neutrino}} || ντ || Dark matter is a form of matter thought to account for most of the universe's mass. Randall claims to have found it by replacing the tau neutrino with it. This would easily be the most abundant particle in the universe.{{Citation needed}}
|-
| Charm boson || c || {{w|W boson}} || W || The other mediator of the '''w'''eak force. Randall is suggesting that it would suit the charm name more than the charm quark.
|-
| Cool bugs || 🐞 || (none) || (none) || Randall has decreed that extremely small bugs are fundamental particles. Bugs in reality are several orders of magnitude larger than any of the other particles{{Citation needed}} and would not make a good elementary particle{{Citation needed}} for a number of extremely obvious reasons{{Citation needed}} and would make physics pretty frightening to some people.{{Citation needed}} Randall pencils down the insect emoji as the symbol of the cool bugs particle.
|}

==Transcript==
[A chart of the Standard Model of particle physics with red marks all over the chart.] 
Changes I would make to the Standard Model

[In reading order:] 
u up, connected to the down quark below. 
c charm, connected to the strange quark below, in faded gray with a red l left written over it. Above is a red note with an arrow pointing to the charm quark. The note reads, 
Consistent quark names (use "strange" and "charm" for bosons) 
t top, connected to the bottom quark below. 
g gluon 
H Higgs, in faded gray with a red V Vin Diesel writted over it. To the right is a red note with an arrow pointing to the Higgs boson, which reads, 
With all respect to Peter H, the Higgs boson needs a flashier name 

d down, connected to the up quark above. 
s strange, connected to the charm quark above, in faded gray with a red r right written over it. 
b bottom, connected to the top quark above. 
γ photon 
G graviton, in red with a red border. To the right is a red note with an arrow pointing to the graviton, which reads, 
Let's just include it, it's probably fine 

e electron, connected to the electron neutrino below. 
µ muon, connected in faded gray to the muon neutrino below, with red rounded corners cutting it off. 
τ tau, connected to the tau neutrino below, in faded gray with a red scribble over it. On the tau lepton is a red note which reads, 
No one needs tau leptons 
Z Z boson, with the Z symbol and the Z in the name in faded gray. The symbol has a red s written over it and the Z in the name is scribbled out in red. The word strange is written in red between the symbol and the name. 
M magic, in red with a red border. To the right is a red note with an arrow pointing to the magic particle, which reads, 
Decoy particle for people making nonsense claims about "quantum" philosophy stuff 

v e electron neutrino, with the e as a subscript of the v, connected to the electron above. The v is in faded gray and a red N with a circle around it is written on it. Below is a red note with an arrow pointing to the electron neutrino, which reads, 
Fix neutrino symbol so I stop mixing up ν and v 
v μ muon neutrino, with the µ as a subscript of the v, connected to the muon above, in faded gray with a red scribble over it. On the muon neutrino is a red note which reads, 
Too many neutrinos 
v τ tau neutrino, with the τ as a subscript of the v, connected to the tau lepton above, in faded gray. Written over it is a D dark matter in red with a red border. Below the tau neutrino is a red note with an arrow pointing to it, which reads, 
We found it! 
W W boson, with the W symbol and the W in the name in faded gray. The symbol has a red c written over it and the W in the name is scribbled out in red. The word charm is written in red between the symbol and the name. 
🐞 cool bugs, in red with a red border. To the right is a red note with an arrow pointing to cool bugs, which reads, 
Very small bugs are fundamental particles now

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2351: Standard Model Changes

2020-08-27T06:23:26Z

162.158.158.241: Nu symbol

{{comic
| number = 2351
| date = August 26, 2020
| title = Standard Model Changes
| image = standard_model_changes.png
| titletext = Bugs are spin 1/2 particles, unless it's particularly windy.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by VIN DIESEL. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In this comic strip, Randall is proposing some changes to the {{w|Standard Model}} of particle physics. The currently accepted particle table has 17 slots - 12 fermions (six quarks and six leptons) and five bosons (four gauge bosons and one scalar boson, the Higgs). This comic consists of a normal version of the particle table to which Randall has made substantial alternations and additions, which are drawn in red over the black and white table.

While the Standard Model's predictions are very well supported by experiments, the physics community has identified several flaws in it (e.g. it lacks any particles to convey gravity), and so lots of research is committed to searching for "{{w|Physics beyond the Standard Model}}". Some of Randall's changes are sort of intended to fill some of those gaps, but for the most part they are nonsensical.

=== Quarks ===

Randall's proposed changes to the quarks are relatively restrained -- he proposes only that the "strange" and "charm" names should be moved to bosons, while the strange quark should be renamed the "right quark" and the charm quark should be renamed the "left quark", so that all quarks will have "ordinary" directional names.

In reality, the original quark model proposed by Murray Gell-Mann included only three quarks, with the "strange" quark so named because the particles that contained them were ''strangely'' long-lived relative to their masses. The "charm" quark was so named when it was proposed because it brought a "charming" symmetry to the weak interaction, which we now understand is because it completes the second generation of quarks, along with the strange quark. When a third generation of quarks was proposed, they were called top and bottom by analogy to the up and down quarks (which are so named because of the spin they carry).

=== Leptons ===
While Randall leaves two leptons, the electron and the muon, untouched, he has opted to discard the tau lepton entirely. Each of these three leptons has an associated neutrino; Randall has decided to discard all but the electron neutrino, as he has decided that three are too many neutrino types. He has also replaced the standard symbol for the neutrino, the Greek letter ν (nu), with a capital N, in order to avoid confusion between ν and v, the two letters appearing similar. In place of one of the neutrinos, Randall has introduced a new elementary particle that supposedly explains the existence of dark matter. The nature of dark matter is one of the most famous mysteries in physics: galaxies seem to have much higher gravity than their detectable matter would account for, yet this mysterious form of matter does not seem to interact with other matter in any detectable way.

=== Bosons ===

Randall proposes several new names for existing particles. First, that the {{w|W and Z bosons}} should be renamed to the charm and strange bosons, respectively (taking the names from the quarks), and second, that the {{w|Higgs boson}} should be named the {{w|Vin Diesel}} boson, as he considers {{w|Peter Higgs}}'s name to be too boring to be given to a particle. The Higgs boson is known in the popular press (to the chagrin of many physicists, including Higgs) as "{{w|The God Particle (book)|The God Particle}}", which is certainly a flashy name, but which itself was changed by the editors of the book of the same name from its authors' originally-intended title: The ''Goddamn'' Particle.

Speaking of the popular press, Randall also proposes that a false decoy "Magic" particle should be added to the Standard Model, to trip up promoters of {{w|quantum mysticism}}.

The title text references {{w|Spin (physics)|quantum spin number}}, a property of particles in physics that bears similarities to actual spinning. Although the "cool bugs" particle is put in the {{w|scalar boson}} group with spin 0, Randall states that it instead has spin 1/2, like a fermion. In fact, all known fermions have spin 1/2. It is thus not clear whether the "cool bugs" particle obeys the {{w|Pauli exclusion principle}} or not. The joke comes from Randall treating quantum spin as actual spin and introduces wind blowing the "cool bugs" particle around as if they were made of actual bugs, which they are not{{Citation needed}}.

{| class="wikitable"
! Particle !! Symbol !! Actual particle !! Actual symbol !! Explanation
|-
| Up quark || u || {{w|Up quark}} || u || No change.
|-
| Left quark || l || {{w|Charm quark}} || c || Randall is continuing the pattern of naming quarks after directions. This wouldn't work well with [[474: Turn-On]] unfortunately. The charm quark was named due to bringing a "charming symmetry" to the weak interaction, completing the second generation of quarks.
|-
| Top quark || t || {{w|Top quark}} || t || No change.
|-
| Gluon || g || {{w|Gluon}} || g || No change.
|-
| Vin Diesel boson || V || {{w|Higgs boson}} || H || {{w|Peter Higgs}} is a British theoretical physicist who predicted the existence of scalar bosons, particles with spin 0. Randall suggests that the Higgs boson needs a flashier name and proposes to rechristen it the "Vin Diesel boson", named after American actor {{w|Vin Diesel|Mark Sinclair}}, who has nothing to do with physics.{{Citation needed}}
|-
| Down quark || d || {{w|Down quark}} || d || No change.
|-
| Right quark || r || {{w|Strange quark}} || s || Randall is suggesting this name to match the charm (now left) quark. Particles containing this quark were considered "strangely long-lived". What's strange is how Randall assigns the charm quark the left and the strange quark the right, when so many languages have it the other way around. But since when has Randall cared?
|-
| Bottom quark || b || {{w|Bottom quark}} || b || No change.
|-
| Photon || γ || {{w|Photon}} || γ || No change.
|-
| {{w|Graviton}} || G || (none) || (none) || The graviton is a hypothetical particle which mediates the force of {{w|gravity}}, and would probably belong in the {{w|gauge boson}} group. Randall is taking a very breezy point of view, stating that it would probably be fine to include it even though its existence has not been confirmed yet. It is not recommended to act this way.{{Citation needed}}
|-
| Electron || e || {{w|Electron}} || e || No change.
|-
| Muon || µ || {{w|Muon}} || µ || No change.
|-
| (none) || (none) || {{w|Tau (particle)|Tau lepton}} || τ || The tau lepton is a lepton with average lifetime much shorter than the electron or the muon. Randall apparently considers this particle redundant and states "No one needs tau leptons".
|-
| Strange boson || s || {{w|Z boson}} || Z || The Z boson is one of two particles (three, counting the W boson's different charges) that mediate the {{w|weak force}}, named for having '''z'''ero charge. Randall suggests the strange quark's name would be better suited for this particle.
|-
| Magic || M || (none) || (none) || Randall apparently considers magic to exist and be a particle, both of which are blatantly false.{{Citation needed}} He suggests this particle as a decoy to trip up {{w|quantum mysticism}} promoters, possibly because [[1528: Vodka|he has been possessed]] by [[Black Hat]] and is [[356: Nerd Sniping|trying to run them over with a truck]].
|-
| Electron neutrino || N_e || {{w|Electron neutrino}} || v_e || Randall is annoyed by the similarity of the Greek lowercase nu (ν) and the lowercase V (v). Interestingly Randall leaves the "electron" part of its name in even though he has done away with the other neutrinos.
|-
| (none) || (none) || {{w|Muon neutrino}} || v_µ || Randall thinks one neutrino is enough, and to be honest, who can argue with him?
|-
| {{w|Dark matter}} || D || {{w|Tau neutrino}} || v_τ || Dark matter is a form of matter thought to account for most of the universe's mass. Randall claims to have found it by replacing the tau neutrino with it. This would easily be the most abundant particle in the universe.{{Citation needed}}
|-
| Charm boson || c || {{w|W boson}} || W || The other mediator of the '''w'''eak force. Randall is suggesting that it would suit the charm name more than the charm quark.
|-
| Cool bugs || 🐞 || (none) || (none) || Randall has decreed that extremely small bugs are fundamental particles. Bugs in reality are several orders of magnitude larger than any of the other particles{{Citation needed}} and would not make a good elementary particle{{Citation needed}} for a number of extremely obvious reasons{{Citation needed}} and would make physics pretty frightening to some people.{{Citation needed}} Randall pencils down the insect emoji as the symbol of the cool bugs particle.
|}

==Transcript==
[A chart of the Standard Model of particle physics with red marks all over the chart.] 
Changes I would make to the Standard Model

[In reading order:] 
u up, connected to the down quark below. 
c charm, connected to the strange quark below, in faded gray with a red l left written over it. Above is a red note with an arrow pointing to the charm quark. The note reads, 
Consistent quark names (use "strange" and "charm" for bosons) 
t top, connected to the bottom quark below. 
g gluon 
H Higgs, in faded gray with a red V Vin Diesel writted over it. To the right is a red note with an arrow pointing to the Higgs boson, which reads, 
With all respect to Peter H, the Higgs boson needs a flashier name 

d down, connected to the up quark above. 
s strange, connected to the charm quark above, in faded gray with a red r right written over it. 
b bottom, connected to the top quark above. 
γ photon 
G graviton, in red with a red border. To the right is a red note with an arrow pointing to the graviton, which reads, 
Let's just include it, it's probably fine 

e electron, connected to the electron neutrino below. 
µ muon, connected in faded gray to the muon neutrino below, with red rounded corners cutting it off. 
τ tau, connected to the tau neutrino below, in faded gray with a red scribble over it. On the tau lepton is a red note which reads, 
No one needs tau leptons 
Z Z boson, with the Z symbol and the Z in the name in faded gray. The symbol has a red s written over it and the Z in the name is scribbled out in red. The word strange is written in red between the symbol and the name. 
M magic, in red with a red border. To the right is a red note with an arrow pointing to the magic particle, which reads, 
Decoy particle for people making nonsense claims about "quantum" philosophy stuff 

v e electron neutrino, with the e as a subscript of the v, connected to the electron above. The v is in faded gray and a red N with a circle around it is written on it. Below is a red note with an arrow pointing to the electron neutrino, which reads, 
Fix neutrino symbol so I stop mixing up ν and v 
v μ muon neutrino, with the µ as a subscript of the v, connected to the muon above, in faded gray with a red scribble over it. On the muon neutrino is a red note which reads, 
Too many neutrinos 
v τ tau neutrino, with the τ as a subscript of the v, connected to the tau lepton above, in faded gray. Written over it is a D dark matter in red with a red border. Below the tau neutrino is a red note with an arrow pointing to it, which reads, 
We found it! 
W W boson, with the W symbol and the W in the name in faded gray. The symbol has a red c written over it and the W in the name is scribbled out in red. The word charm is written in red between the symbol and the name. 
🐞 cool bugs, in red with a red border. To the right is a red note with an arrow pointing to cool bugs, which reads, 
Very small bugs are fundamental particles now

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]