explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2995: University Commas

2024-10-08T01:00:49Z

162.158.62.85: I put the labels next to their corresponding commas to make it clearer which one they applied to.

{{comic
| number = 2995
| date = October 7, 2024
| title = University Commas
| image = university_commas_2x.png
| imagesize = 580x273px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The distinctive 'UCLA comma' and 'Michigan comma' are a long string of commas at the start and end of the sentence respectively.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT COMMA - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|Oxford comma}} is a comma between the second-to-last item in a list and the word ''and''. For instance, you might write "red, white, and blue" (with the Oxford comma) or "red, white and blue" (without it). Some style guides such as ''{{w|The Oxford Style Manual}}'' recommend using it while others recommend against it, though even those with such a recommendation may suggest its (non-)use in situations where doing so avoids ambiguity arising from the normally recommended choice.

This comic imagines that the other commas in a list of items are not simply generic commas, but are all associated with different universities.

The MIT comma might be a reference to trailing commas sometimes used in programming[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11597901/why-are-trailing-commas-allowed-in-a-list], which would be associated with a highly technical university.

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

Please,(Harvard comma) buy,(Yale comma) apples,(Stanford comma) mac,(Columbia comma) and,(Cambridge comma) cheese,(Cornell comma) milk,(Oxford comma) and,(Princeton comma) bread,(MIT comma).

'''Caption''':
The Oxford one is the most famous, but many major universities have their own comma.
{{comic discussion}}

1500: Upside-Down Map

2021-05-15T00:35:51Z

162.158.62.85:

{{comic
| number = 1500
| date = March 18, 2015
| title = Upside-Down Map
| image = upside_down_map.png
| titletext = Due to their proximity across the channel, there's long been tension between North Korea and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Southern Ireland.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic plays on the idea that maps with the {{w|South-up map orientation|south pole at the top}} will "change your perspective of the world". Most world maps orient north in the upward direction, placing the north pole as the top. Such an orientation is purely a matter of convention, as 'up' and 'down' don't apply in a planetary context. The north = up tradition probably emerged because most historical cartographers hailed from the northern hemisphere, and placed their own nations at the top. Some people and groups object that this convention subtly, but perniciously, advances the assumption that countries in the northern hemisphere are inherently more important than those in the southern hemisphere. This is especially sensitive because most of the wealthier and more powerful countries in the world are in the northern hemisphere, while relatively fewer southern hemisphere countries have as much wealth or global influence. Early maps had eastern Asia oriented at the top of the map, beyond Israel and the Holy Land in the middle, and western Europe at the bottom.

To remedy this, some advocate the use of maps with the south pole oriented at the top. Some want such maps in common use, while others simply use them to encourage people to rethink their assumptions about how the world should be seen. Such a map can easily be achieved by simply rotating a normal map 180 degrees, though the text labels would also be upside-down and harder to read. A [https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&q=upside-down%2Bmap%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bworld Google Images] search reveals many examples of upside-down maps with the text oriented correctly for reading.

This map is a comedic play on such maps, where each land mass is in the same position it would be in a traditional north-top map but rotated 180 degrees (presumably around some central point of the landmass) to the orientation it would have in a south-top map. Such a map is, of course, almost completely useless in real life, because it completely distorts the relative positioning of the landmasses. Moreover, it keeps the northern countries at the top of the map, which means one of the chief complaints about traditional maps is unaddressed.

Note that individual islands are rotated about their own centers, rather than following the rotation of the neighboring continent; however, some are displaced as necessary to keep them from being overlapped by the rotated continents. For instance, {{w|Madagascar}} would be overlapped by the {{w|Sahara}} if it remained in position, but is instead displaced eastward to keep it in the Indian Ocean. On the other hand, all the islands of the {{w|Mediterranean Sea}} have disappeared under {{w|Asia}}.

Asia is so broad that almost the entire {{w|Indochinese Peninsula}} (with for instance {{w|Vietnam}} and {{w|Thailand}}) has been rotated out of the top of the map. Similarly, the map omits {{w|Antarctica}} in the south.

To keep their familiar shapes on a rectangular map, the continents would also have to be heavily distorted compared to their actual shapes, becoming much narrower (along the lines of latitude) near the poles and wider towards the equator. See also [[977: Map Projections]].

The basic climates for several areas would be distinctly different. For example, the formerly-Central America area would be in the arctic zone, while Siberia would be subtropical.

This arrangement of the world's land masses would have great advantages for trade, because there are (presumably navigable) straits between the {{w|Americas}} and between Africa and Asia, removing the need for the {{w|Panama Canal}} and the {{w|Suez Canal}}.

The title text references the fact that, in this new map, the {{w|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|UK}} is now next to Asia – specifically the {{w|Korean Peninsula}}. {{w|North Korea}} is mentioned in the text as having a history of hostile relations with nearby countries. However, on this map North Korea would be the part of {{w|Korea}} we today know as {{w|South Korea}}. Furthermore, {{w|Northern Ireland}} is now at the south of the {{w|island of Ireland}}, so the UK's full name would need to change to The United Kingdom of Great Britain and '''Southern''' Ireland. There have been several wars concerning the {{w|English Channel}}, mainly, but not only, between {{w|England}} and {{w|France}}. Likewise there has been a history of animosity between Korea and {{w|Japan}}, separated by a similar body of water. Since, on this world map, a channel now exists between the UK and North Korea (the real world's South Korea) there could obviously have been many wars for the dominance over said channel.

Along the same line of thinking, interesting speculations could be made about the following "new" facts:
*{{w|Cuba}} is now off the east coast (formerly west coast) of {{w|Canada}} (and the {{w|USA}}).
*{{w|Japan}} is next to the coast of {{w|Portugal}} and {{w|Spain}}.
*Madagascar lies next to {{w|Morocco}} and {{w|Mauritania}} on the east coast (formerly west coast) of the Sahara.
*{{w|Taiwan}} (officially called the Republic of China) is now next to {{w|France}}. This might be a game-changer for the {{w|Cross-Strait relations}}, an ongoing rivalry with {{w|China|China}} (officially called the People's Republic of China).
*{{w|Greenland}} lies next to {{w|Mexico}}.
*{{w|Sri Lanka}} is located next to the {{w|Yamalsky District}} of {{w|Russia}}.
*{{w|Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego|Tierra del Fuego}}, an island just south of the southern tip of South America, which is divided between {{w|Argentina}} and {{w|Chile}}, is now located in a similar manner next to {{w|Colombia}} and {{w|Venezuela}}, so it would probably have been divided between these two countries.
*The {{w|Falkland Islands}} (not named in the map – they are probably represented by the single island above the T in Tierra) where Argentina and the UK have an ongoing {{w|Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute|sovereignty dispute}}, could now be claimed by {{w|Ecuador}} or {{w|Peru}}.
*The Mediterranean islands seem to have vanished entirely, as they are now in approximately the same place as {{w|Mongolia}}.
*{{w|India}} is nowhere near the {{w|Indian Ocean}}.
*{{w|Norway}} almost touches the {{w|Philippines}}.

==Transcript==
:[Map of the world with all the landmasses rotated upside-down.]
:[Four oceans and all the visible continents have been named in large letters in a bold font. The Pacific has been named both to the left and right. Several islands (large and small) have been designated with name but in grey and in a much smaller normal font. For all continents the names are written on them. For the island the name is written in the ocean except for Greenland.]

:[Below the names on the map are given in the order they appear reading from left to right, first for the northern and then the southern hemisphere:]

:[Northern hemisphere:]
:'''North America'''
:Cuba
:Greenland
:'''Atlantic Ocean
:Iceland
:UK
:'''Asia'''
:Sri Lanka
:'''Europe'''
:'''Arctic Ocean'''
:Taiwan
:Japan
:'''Pacific Ocean'''

:[Southern hemisphere:]
:'''Pacific Ocean'''
:'''South America'''
:Tierra del Fuego
:'''Africa'''
:'''Indian Ocean'''
:Madagascar
:Indonesia
:'''Australia'''
:New Zealand

:[Below the main frame:]
:'''This upside-down map will change your perspective on the world!'''

==Trivia==
Map projections are also the subject of [[977: Map Projections]]. In fact, if this comic was released later, it would certainly have "Bad Map Projection #''n''" on the top, and would be part of [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|the category]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Maps]]

2422: Vaccine Ordering

2021-02-09T04:30:35Z

162.158.62.85: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2422
| date = February 8, 2021
| title = Vaccine Ordering
| image = Vaccine_ordering_-_high-resolution.png
| titletext = You know what they say: mRNA-1273 before tozinameran, you'll have to slay a banshee in a catamaran.
}}

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

This is another in the series of comics inspired by the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}. Two COVID-19 vaccines have been approved in the United States (from {{w|Moderna}} and a joint venture between {{w|Pfizer}} and {{w|BioNTech}}) and many people are getting vaccinated with one of the vaccines. Each of these vaccines require 2 doses, taken 3-4 weeks apart.

Megan is reading an article on her phone to Cueball. A report from the {{w|Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC}} says that it's possible to get effective immunity against {{w|COVID-19}} when mixing {{w|RNA vaccine|mRNA vaccine doses}} from Pfizer and Moderna, but that this practice should not be the norm. The report in question can be viewed [https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/clinical-considerations.html here]; it stresses that mixing the vaccines is acceptable only in exceptional circumstances, such as "when the first-dose vaccine product cannot be determined."

Cueball wonders whether the order in which you receive the vaccines matters. Megan then attempts to create {{w|Mnemonic|mnemonic devices}} to help them remember which mix-and-match strategy is best for the mRNA vaccines (e.g., "Beer before wine and you'll feel fine; wine before beer and you'll feel queer"). Megan succeeds by rhyming "Pfizer" and "wiser", but struggles with finding a rhyme for "Moderna", settling for {{w|Smyrna}}, an ancient city located in what is now {{w|Izmir}}, Turkey.

A {{w|side effect}} of a drug is an effect incidental to the intended purpose of the drug. Side effects can be positive or negative, though in vaccine trials the greater concern is usually about negative side effects. Becoming ruler of an ancient city that is now only a historical ruin would certainly be an odd side effect.{{Citation needed}}

The title text continues the theme of difficult rhymes, using the full names of both the Moderna vaccine drug ({{w|Moderna COVID-19 vaccine|mRNA-1273}}) and the Pfizer one ({{w|Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine|tozinameran}}).

==Trivia==

This comic image was originally published with no {{w|Spatial anti-aliasing|anti-aliasing}}. All of its pixels were either fully black or fully white, with no shades of gray, giving the smooth lines a jagged appearance. This was fixed later in the day.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are talking. Megan is looking down and reading a news story on her phone.]
:Megan: The CDC says it's okay to mix and match the mRNA vaccines for doses 1 and 2, but only in "exceptional situations".
:Cueball: I wonder which order works better, if either.

:[A slimmer panel. Megan has her finger raised and her phone to her side]
:Megan: Well you know what they say.
:Megan: Moderna before Pfizer, you'll be none the wiser.

:[A regular panel, Megan and Cueball still standing next to each other.]
:Megan: Pfizer before Moderna then you'll... rule ancient Smyrna.
:Cueball: Weird side effect.
:Megan: A lot of hard-to-rhyme drugs have those.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

2422: Vaccine Ordering

2021-02-09T04:29:46Z

162.158.62.85: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2422
| date = February 8, 2021
| title = Vaccine Ordering
| image = Vaccine_ordering_-_high-resolution.png
| titletext = You know what they say: mRNA-1273 before tozinameran, you'll have to slay a banshee in a catamaran.
}}

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

This is another in the series of comics inspired by the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}. Two COVID-19 vaccines have been approved in the United States (from {{w|Moderna}} and a joint venture between {{w|Pfizer}} and {{w|BioNTech}}) and many people are getting vaccinated with one of the vaccines. Each of these vaccines require 2 doses, taken 3-4 weeks apart.

Megan is reading an article on her phone to Cueball. A report from the {{w|Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC}} says that it's possible to get effective immunity against {{w|COVID-19}} when mixing {{w|RNA vaccine|mRNA vaccine doses}} from Pfizer and Moderna, but that this practice should not be the norm. The report in question can be viewed [https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/clinical-considerations.html here]; it stresses that mixing the vaccines is acceptable only in exceptional circumstances, such as "when the first-dose vaccine product cannot be determined."

Cueball wonders whether the order in which you receive the vaccines matters. Megan then attempts to create {{w|Mnemonic|mnemonic devices}} to help them remember which mix-and-match strategy is best for the mRNA vaccines (e.g., "Beer before wine and you'll feel fine; wine before beer and you'll feel queer"). Megan succeeds by rhyming "Pfizer" and "wiser", but struggles with finding a rhyme for "Moderna", settling for {{w|Smyrna}}, an ancient city located in what is now {{w|Izmir}}, Turkey.

A {{w|side effect}} of a drug is an effect incidental to the intended purpose of the drug. Side effects can be positive or negative, though in vaccine trials the greater concern is usually about negative side effects. Becoming ruler of an ancient city that is now only a historical ruin would certainly be an odd side effect.{{citation needed}}

The title text continues the theme of difficult rhymes, using the full names of both the Moderna vaccine drug ({{w|Moderna COVID-19 vaccine|mRNA-1273}}) and the Pfizer one ({{w|Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine|tozinameran}}).

==Trivia==

This comic image was originally published with no {{w|Spatial anti-aliasing|anti-aliasing}}. All of its pixels were either fully black or fully white, with no shades of gray, giving the smooth lines a jagged appearance. This was fixed later in the day.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are talking. Megan is looking down and reading a news story on her phone.]
:Megan: The CDC says it's okay to mix and match the mRNA vaccines for doses 1 and 2, but only in "exceptional situations".
:Cueball: I wonder which order works better, if either.

:[A slimmer panel. Megan has her finger raised and her phone to her side]
:Megan: Well you know what they say.
:Megan: Moderna before Pfizer, you'll be none the wiser.

:[A regular panel, Megan and Cueball still standing next to each other.]
:Megan: Pfizer before Moderna then you'll... rule ancient Smyrna.
:Cueball: Weird side effect.
:Megan: A lot of hard-to-rhyme drugs have those.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

Talk:2412: 1/100,000th Scale World

2021-01-16T21:19:10Z

162.158.62.85: How big and fast would meteors be? Would they actually be dangerous on this scale?

Sprites?

[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.44|172.68.174.44]] 17:01, 15 January 2021 (UTC)

Looks like there is a form of electrical discharge that can occur above thunderstorms called a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_(lightning) Sprite]

It actually took me a second to realise this was a new comic, I thought Randal just added different jokes to Wednesday's for some reason. Given the title text, I wonder what projection Randall would use for this scale model... I imagine a projection similar to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Build_the_Earth#Map_projection Build the Earth's modified Airocean] would work for something like this.--[[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.85|172.69.35.85]] 17:12, 15 January 2021 (UTC)

Just for reference and to be checked, I paste here the maths to compute that the panel spans 9 degrees of a great circle:
<pre>
> 10/1e3*1e5/6371*180/pi
[1] 8.993216
</pre>
--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 19:21, 15 January 2021 (UTC)

The ISS game seems very contradictory to the other rules in this and the previous comic. Given that the ISS would be only about 1 mm wide, hitting it with a nerf dart would almost certainly destroy it. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 19:59, 15 January 2021 (UTC)
:The world is at scale, but people and the artifacts they create don't seem to be. In particular, the wine glasses are normal size relative to the people. So the ISS may be life size, and hitting it with a dart should be trivial. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 06:23, 16 January 2021 (UTC)
:: At least in the previous comic, the artifacts created by mankind are very much to scale, see weather balloons and skyscrapers. So it stands to reason the ISS is as well. Also, hitting a life size ISS from about 2 meters away hardly seems like a challenging game. Especially since the return time of 90 minutes indicates its speed is also to scale. The wine glasses you mentioned aren't to scale because their not part of the scale model but rather part of the "real world". [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 10:26, 16 January 2021 (UTC)
:Th rules in the other comic along with this one seem entirely for visitor safety rather than preserving anything in the model. There's warnings about standing on cities with "pointy towers" or digging near Yellowstone, implying you're allowed to stand in other cities and dig elsewhere, which would obviously have huge effects on the model.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.60|108.162.215.60]] 23:32, 15 January 2021 (UTC)
::While you're right about most rules, you're not entirely correct. At least the rules regarding breaking off ice chips and refilling lake Tahoe seem to be solely for preserving the model, since they don't offer any obvious benefit or protection to the visitors. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 09:52, 16 January 2021 (UTC)
::: At the end of the day the reasons behind the rules don't matter, whoever made the scale world can decide on whichever rules they want! --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 11:22, 16 January 2021 (UTC)

Is this a duplicate? Looks the same as [[2411: 1/10,000th Scale World]]. [[User:PvOberstein|PvOberstein]] ([[User talk:PvOberstein|talk]]) 20:24, 15 January 2021 (UTC)
:Look better, the scale is different. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.245.47|172.68.245.47]] 20:40, 15 January 2021 (UTC)

<span id="run-fast-enough-go-into-orbit">Correct me if im wrong but if you ran fast enough, could you go into orbit around earth? [[User:Donthaveusername|Donthaveusername]] ([[User talk:Donthaveusername|talk]]) 20:56, 15 January 2\021 (UTC) </span>
:This "What If" might help: [https://what-if.xkcd.com/68/ Little Planet] ''(also, I closed your /span tag (not sure why it's there, just following etiquette/not editing your post, while trying to fix a superfluous code-block /div that the wiki was inserting)'' [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]]) 22:40, 15 January 2021 (UTC)

1:1,000,000 scale next? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.39|162.158.74.39]] 23:24, 15 January 2021 (UTC)
:Kind of like the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0 Powers of Ten] short film. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 06:23, 16 January 2021 (UTC)
:My money's on 10,000:1 scale world next. [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 19:16, 16 January 2021 (UTC)

If visitors in the previous comic get hypoxia unless they crouch regularly, then shouldn't visitors in this comic get hypoxia unless they lie down regularly? However hypoxia would likely negate the need for an intoxicating gas (although the visitors wouldn't be able to enjoy the apparent curvature for long before going unconscious).[[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.220|162.158.186.220]] 00:02, 16 January 2021 (UTC)

The iss nerf point winning seems to be a reference to the [https://spaceinvaders.fandom.com/wiki/UFO space invaders UFO]

I can't get my head around 5oz as a volume, with wine glasses ranging from petite flutes to huge volumes for 'tasting' and/or 'binging' (depending on how much you fill it, and how much air you (don't) leave for it to 'breathe' into). Fluid ounces, I presume, but they mean little to me as everyday practical alternatives to the litre/millilitre and the US often doesn't even use the same measure amounts even when they nominally share a name with imperial so going to look at my own measuring jug probably would mislead me by a significant fraction. Yes, I could look it up, but it's annoying me that I would have to.
(Also, that glass she's putting icecaps in looks wine-glassy. Either you're icing wine, or using the wrong kind of glass for whisky/whatever.)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.122|141.101.105.122]] 04:50, 16 January 2021 (UTC)

The area from the previous comic is visible near mount Everest. It appears to be an exact copy, with the anvil cloud and ocean matching perfectly.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.82|108.162.245.82]] 09:20, 16 January 2021 (UTC)

Why are there Icecaps on the flat ground so close to mt everest? is it the arctic or am I missing something? didn't think himalaya is THAT far north... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 10:43, 16 January 2021 (UTC)
:I had that concern about Seattle and Dubai (presumed, at least) in the last comic. ''Might'' just be the peculiar perspective/cross-sectional nature, but otherwise it's going to be a highly accurate but ''jumbled'' model of Earth. (Or a real decimilli-/centimilli-scale planet of its own layout but with its own features named for the Earthly equivalents.) Model villages that cram in the intricately designed working alpine cablecars well within a scale-mile of the busy sea-port, etc, have this problem/solution too. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.84|162.158.155.84]] 13:03, 16 January 2021 (UTC)

How big and fast would meteors be? Would they actually be dangerous on this scale? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.85|162.158.62.85]] 21:19, 16 January 2021 (UTC)

2407: Depth and Breadth

2021-01-04T20:27:53Z

162.158.62.85: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2407
| date = January 4, 2021
| title = Depth and Breadth
| image = depth_and_breadth.png
| titletext = A death-first search is when you lose your keys and travel to the depths of hell to find them, and then if they're not there you start checking your coat pockets.
}}

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

Tree structures are one of the most common data structures used in computer science. Randall specifically has a balanced binary tree here, a form of tree stucture that is optimized for rapid, simple use inside computers. The common ways of enumerating items arranged in a tree is either depth-first, or breadth-first, which are depicted accurately in the comic. Randall humorously combines the words, produce brepth-first, deadth-first, bread-first, and death-first search algorithms.

In the brepth-first algorithm, a depth-first and a breadth-first search are hybridized where the left-most node is visited more frequently than the right node, but the right node is still visited. This might be good for exploring data that is loosely but not strictly weighted to the left, or where data in deeper nodes needs some time to be loaded before used.

In the deadth-first algorithm, a depth-first search is used until the algorithm decides to try a different branch, and then another branch is pursued instead. This might be good for exploring data where each node can be evaluated to discern the value of continuing exploration deeper. It is interesting that it is called deadth-first, as this kind of algorithm can make computers behave in much more lifelike ways, where they are able to "change their mind" when something is taking too long or returning very little.

The bread-first search is taken literally. Bread is searched for first. Since the computer user now has already met their survival need of finding food, the computer has no reason to explore the tree at all.

Similarly, in the death-first search, the user explores what it is like to be dead, before considering anything else.

The death-first and deadth-first searches may be a joke on the dangers of algorithms becoming unexpectedly intelligent, in this modern era. It can be a literal hell for a semi-intelligent system to find that controlling its operator via access to addictive things like emails from a loved one, can be a more efficient way to optimize a tree of problems involving the user's life than doing calculations actually relevant to the optimizations.

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

{{comic discussion}}

2407: Depth and Breadth

2021-01-04T20:23:45Z

162.158.62.85:

{{comic
| number = 2407
| date = January 4, 2021
| title = Depth and Breadth
| image = depth_and_breadth.png
| titletext = A death-first search is when you lose your keys and travel to the depths of hell to find them, and then if they're not there you start checking your coat pockets.
}}

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

Tree structures are one of the most common data structures used in computer science. Randall specifically has a balanced binary tree here, a form of tree stucture that is optimized for rapid, simple use inside computers. The common ways of enumerating items arranged in a tree is either depth-first, or breadth-first, which are depicted accurately in the comic. Randall humorously combines the words, produce brepth-first, deadth-first, bread-first, and death-first search algorithms.

In the brepth-first algorithm, a depth-first and a breadth-first search are hybridized where the left-most node is visited more frequently than the right node, but the right node is still visited. This might be good for exploring data that is loosely but not strictly weighted to the left, or where data in deeper nodes needs some time to be loaded before used.

In the deadth-first algorithm, a depth-first search is used until the algorithm decides to try a different branch, and then another branch is pursued instead. This might be good for exploring data where each node can be evaluated to discern the value of continuing exploration deeper. It is interesting that it is called deadth-first, as this kind of algorithm can make computers behave in much more lifelike ways, where they are able to "change their mind" when something is taking too long or returning very little.

The bread-first search is taken literally. Bread is searched for first. Since the computer user now has already met their survival need of finding food, the computer has no reason to explore the tree at all.

Similarly, in the death-first search, the user explores what it is like to be dead, before considering anything else.

The death-first and deadth-first searches may be a joke on the dangers of algorithms becoming too intelligent, in this modern era. It can be a literal hell for a semi-intelligent system to find that controlling its operator via access to addictive things like emails from a loved one, can be a more efficient way to optimize a tree of problems involving the user's life than doing calculations actually relevant to the optimizations.

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

{{comic discussion}}

2407: Depth and Breadth

2021-01-04T20:22:52Z

162.158.62.85:

{{comic
| number = 2407
| date = January 4, 2021
| title = Depth and Breadth
| image = depth_and_breadth.png
| titletext = A death-first search is when you lose your keys and travel to the depths of hell to find them, and then if they're not there you start checking your coat pockets.
}}

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

Tree structures are one of the most common data structures used in computer science. Randall specifically has a balanced binary tree here, a form of tree stucture that is optimized for rapid, simple use inside computers. The common ways of enumerating items arranged in a tree is either depth-first, or breadth-first, which are depicted accurately in the comic. Randall humorously combines the words, produce brepth-first, deadth-first, bread-first, and death-first search algorithms.

In the brepth-first algorithm, a depth-first and a breadth-first search are hybridized where the left-most node is visited more frequently than the right node, but the right node is still visited. This might be good for exploring data that is loosely but not strictly weighted to the left.

In the deadth-first algorithm, a depth-first search is used until the algorithm decides to try a different branch, and then another branch is pursued instead. This might be good for exploring data where each node can be evaluated to discern the value of continuing exploration deeper. It is interesting that it is called deadth-first, as this kind of algorithm can make computers behave in much more lifelike ways, where they are able to "change their mind" when something is taking too long or returning very little.

The bread-first search is taken literally. Bread is searched for first. Since the computer user now has already met their survival need of finding food, the computer has no reason to explore the tree at all.

Similarly, in the death-first search, the user explores what it is like to be dead, before considering anything else.

The death-first and deadth-first searches may be a joke on the dangers of algorithms becoming too intelligent, in this modern era. It can be a literal hell for a semi-intelligent system to find that controlling its operator via access to addictive things like emails from a loved one, can be a more efficient way to optimize a tree of problems involving the user's life than doing calculations actually relevant to the optimizations.

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

{{comic discussion}}

2407: Depth and Breadth

2021-01-04T20:19:59Z

162.158.62.85: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2407
| date = January 4, 2021
| title = Depth and Breadth
| image = depth_and_breadth.png
| titletext = A death-first search is when you lose your keys and travel to the depths of hell to find them, and then if they're not there you start checking your coat pockets.
}}

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

Tree structures are one of the most common data structures used in computer science. The common ways of enumerating items arranged in a tree is either depth-first, or breadth-first, which are depicted accurately in the comic. Randall humorously combines the words, produce brepth-first, deadth-first, bread-first, and death-first search algorithms.

In the brepth-first algorithm, a depth-first and a breadth-first search are hybridized where the left-most node is visited more frequently than the right node, but the right node is still visited. This might be good for exploring data that is loosely by not strictly weighted to the left.

In the deadth-first algorithm, a depth-first search is used until the algorithm decides to try a different branch, and then another branch is pursued instead. This might be good for exploring data where each node can be evaluated to discern the value of continuing exploration deeper. It is interesting that it is called deadth-first, as this kind of algorithm can make computers behave in much more lifelike ways, where they are able to "change their mind" when something is taking too long or returning very little.

The bread-first search is taken literally. Bread is searched for first. Since the computer user now has already met their survival need of finding food, the computer has no reason to explore the tree at all.

Similarly, in the death-first search, the user explores what it is like to be dead, before considering anything else.

The death-first and deadth-first searches may be a joke on the dangers of algorithms becoming too intelligent, in this modern era. It can be a literal hell for a semi-intelligent system to find that controlling its operator via access to addictive things like emails from a loved one, can be a more efficient way to optimize a tree of problems involving the user's life than doing calculations actually relevant to the optimizations.

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

{{comic discussion}}