explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1852: Election Map

2017-06-20T20:43:18Z

162.158.91.245: Off topic

Is that Georgia's 6th district? [[User:Homusubi|Homusubi]] ([[User talk:Homusubi|talk]]) 12:41, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
*Yup. See map [https://decisiondeskhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/GA06_HOUSE16.png here]. It looks a little squished, but that's probably to create the angled effect of the screen. [[User:AxleHelios|AxleHelios]] ([[User talk:AxleHelios|talk]]) 13:23, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
:*It looks like it. That looks like the results from the recent (April) Special Election. There are one or two counties that aren't accurate (colored blue here that went red and vice versa), but I estimate a 99.9% chance that this is the 6th. [http://www.myajc.com/news/gen-politics/how-the-district-run-off-election-june-might-look/bHzbRfuZIWN8jOUTOSnQmM/ Here] are the election results. [[User:OldCorps|OldCorps]] ([[User talk:OldCorps|talk]]) 13:24, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
::It's also supposed to be live coverage, so it might vary from the final results (ie, some are just projections). They seem fairly close ones too... SS07A was 56/43, AP01C was 53/46; AP14 was 51/48; SS12, AP09a and Blackwell 01 was 50/49 (albeit Blackwell swung red and the others swung blue)... there are probably more places colored wrong, but I've made my point and I'm too lazy to continue looking. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.71|108.162.238.71]] 18:21, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
::(EDIT) Sorry, they were all red. And I think that includes ALL of the districts I mentioned Oh, and Sewell Mill 03 and JC08 also turned red. Perhaps the Democrats were a bit too optimistic when calling the projections? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.71|108.162.238.71]] 18:34, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
Is it worth a mention that Randall came out as a strong Democrat in the comics last October, and thus, there's a secondary hidden meaning that the red districts are moving "away" from Cueball? [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 14:57, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
:That is probably just a coincidence.[[User:Mulan15262|Mulan15262]] ([[User talk:Mulan15262|talk]]) 15:09, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
:I had that thought also, that the red districts/states/whatevers are figuratively moving away from the Dem's desired look for the country and the blues are moving toward it. But more than likely it's just a coincidence between [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshift Red]/[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueshift Blue] Shifts and the colors associated with the political parties. The title text regarding the Green Party lends itself to the coincidence argument more than a pre-planned correlation. [[User:OldCorps|OldCorps]] ([[User talk:OldCorps|talk]]) 15:51, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
:In what way does endorsing one candidate over the other make him a "strong" Democrat? He could be a weak Democrat. Or anti-Republican. Or just anti-Trump. Or just pro-Hillary. You're drawing an interesting conclusion from just the October comic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.59|108.162.212.59]] 08:34, 20 June 2017 (UTC)
:It's a coincidence, but it may well be a coincidence that Randall's intentionally playing on. (I suspect Randall's more anti-Trump than he is anti-Republican, and more anti-Republican than he is a "strong Democrat"; but that's neither here nor there.) [[User:Pelosujamo|Pelosujamo]] ([[User talk:Pelosujamo|talk]]) 12:14, 20 June 2017 (UTC)

It really seems more like the red is in the northwest and the blue is in the southeast. It's almost symmetric. In fact, if you tilt your head to the right, it almost looks like a blue flare dress with a blood splatter on the left side. ...Yeah, I suppose that was a bit morbid. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.71|108.162.238.71]] 18:34, 19 June 2017 (UTC)

While the pure physics explanation is good and probably right, given Randall's background, I'd point out that there's an alternate explanation: that's a Doppler weather RADAR storm-relative [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_radar#Velocity velocity] product, and the proximity of approaching and receding winds in certain patterns is an indicator of certain types of severe weather. Randall missed out on the opportunity to make a "political [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_echo hook echo]" joke. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.155|108.162.212.155]] 19:05, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
:Nope. First I thought also about a weather report. But it shows the color green! This doesn't fit to the title text.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:10, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
Which party is red and which is green? Sorry, I'm not from thé U.S. and don't know.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.10|162.158.238.10]] 20:27, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
:D is blue and R is red. This should be mentioned at the explanation.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:48, 19 June 2017 (UTC)

; Greenshift

Dgbrt and I had a back and forth, where we started with the text, ''If the Green Party won, its regions would likely be colored green, which would not work for Cueball's Doppler effect analysis.''.
I noted "Greenshift doesn't implicitly break Dopper analysis, it just implies a great magnitude of shift. And a blueshift isn't necessarily a shift *TO* blue, merely TOWARDS blue (and Green)" and he replied "There is no greenshift in physics. It's either red (longer wavelength) or blue (shorter wavelength). This means when red appears as green it is blueshiftet." I don't quite see Dbrt's point with respect to the text, which now claims ''which would not fit to Cueball's Doppler effect analysis.''
Yes, we only talk about redshift and blueshift in physics, but those shifts don't give us a map with red and blue districts (or stars). They give us light that shifts slightly toward the red or slightly toward the blue (and toward the green). So it's not quite clear how to map red/blue districts to redshift/blueshift. But either way, green is not a problem -- it's not that it would "not work" or "not fit" as Dgbrt keeps editing the article to claim. It just would mean some districts were a lot more blue (or were green). Cueball could simply say "The green regions are approaching us REALLY FAST." Can someone justify Dgbrt's edits here? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 19:29, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
:I am a physicist and in physics there is only redshift/blueshift used as a term for a shift to longer/shorter wavelengths. Most data is obtained beyond visible light and pictures are artificial enhanced. And the colors only represent the speed in respect to us. Red->away from us, white->no motion, and blue->object comes closer. All observations can be done without any color, only the spectral lines are analyzed. Red/blue just indicates the direction of the shift - forward/backward. No further directions are possible.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:48, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
::I study astronomy and I confirm that red always represents maximum redshift and blue maximum blueshift (by maximum I mean maximum seen in that pecific observation). However, green and yellow are sometimes used to represent no or little motion. So green could match Cueball explanation, but only if it was near the center. However, the term "greenshift" never appears.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.245|162.158.91.245]] 22:50, 19 June 2017 (UTC)
Yes, there is no such term as "greenshift" in physics. But in the xkcd comic universe where red and blue represent redshift and blueshift, we are faced with the possibility of green. This implies it would be "greenshift," despite the term not existing. But whether we call it greenshift or not, that's not really the point: my point, which Dgbrt seems to disagree with, is that presence of green (whether it is called "greenshift" or "stronger blueshift") is not an inherent problem to Cueball's Doppler analysis. Or if it is, please explain why that's so? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 02:38, 20 June 2017 (UTC)
:In theory, you could color-code your map differenty, so that green would indicate stronger blueshift than blue, and it would be perfectly correct map if labelled. This map, however, is not labelled for Doppler shifts, so Cueball is interpreting it according to traditional meanings of colors. If he was to consider green as "stronger blueshift", why not consider it as "stronger redshift"? Or, for that matter, why not consider red "blueshift", and blue "redshift"? That would be coorect as well. But having no other clues, he uses traditional meanings of colors.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.245|162.158.91.245]] 12:16, 20 June 2017 (UTC)
:Notice the title-text. "Luckily for my interpretation" he says. This implies that he believes green would cause a problem with his interpretation, and thus would use a different interpretation in the presence of green. The possibility of greenshift simply doesn't exist here. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.59|108.162.212.59]] 17:44, 20 June 2017 (UTC)
::Yes, the joke is about red/blue-shift, nothing else. Scientific images are often much more colored, even maybe even only in green (from light to dark). But the image here is simple as it is. And consider that even the highest redshifted galaxies still appear in white to the human eye. We can not ''see'' that shift.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:09, 20 June 2017 (UTC)

; Off-topic

Is there any particular use of creating an account here? I can still make comments and edit explanations without one. What does an account actually mean? (Please delete if it's in wrong place) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.245|162.158.91.245]] 20:43, 20 June 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1852: Election Map

2017-06-20T12:16:18Z

162.158.91.245: More about greenshift

1852: Election Map

2017-06-19T22:54:55Z

162.158.91.245: /* Explanation */ More on title text

{{comic
| number = 1852
| date = June 19, 2017
| title = Election Map
| image = election_map.png
| titletext = Luckily for my interpretation, no precincts were won by the Green Party.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|I think it's okay now...?}}
A wave (e.g. an electromagnetic wave, like light) changes its frequency and wavelength when its source is moving relative to the observer, due to the {{w|Doppler effect}}. In the case of light, increased frequency — indicating movement towards the observer — is called {{w|blueshift}}, while reduced frequency — indicating movement away from the observer — is called {{w|redshift}}. These names apply even if the effect is outside of the visible spectrum (e.g. infrared light that has reduced frequency is called redshifted, even though its frequency is further away from that of visible red light than normally). Red and blue colors are used accordingly to indicate the effect.

If one object (like the galaxy) is redshifted on one of the edges, and blueshifted on the other, it usually means that it's rotating (and the axis of rotation isn't completely parallel to the line of sight).

The map [[Cueball]] shows represents election results. Red regions mark where one of the parties won, while blue regions indicate some other party (the parties are probably {{w|Democratic party (United States)|Democratic}} (blue) and {{w|Republican party (United States)|Republican}} (red), although it's not explicitly stated in the comic). Cueball analyzes the map as if it showed magnitude of Doppler effect by the light emitted by the region. This, however, is not what the viewers expect to hear during the election night from election analysis. That's why Cueball was fired from the job rather quickly, as the caption states.

The title text states that the {{w|Green Party of the United States|Green Party}} did not win any {{w|Precinct#Elections|precincts}}. If the Green Party won, its regions would likely be colored green, which would not fit to Cueball's Doppler effect analysis. Sometimes, however, green is used to indicate lack of movement. And since the center of rotating object isn't moving, green-coloured spaces could actually be interpreted accodding to Doppler analysis - but only if they appeared near the center of the district.

The map appears to depict {{w|Georgia's 6th congressional district}}, which is set for a special election on June 20, 2017, the day after the comic ran.

==Transcript==
:[On a TV-screen Cueball is seen pointing at a map on the left which is colored in red and blue. There is a header on the map and in the top right corner of the screen the title of the program is shown. Below this at the bottom of the screen text indicate that the program is broad live. Cueball explains the map, with his text shown above the TV.]
:Header: Results
:Title: ''Election'' Night
:Live

:Cueball: These northern precincts appear red, which probably means they're moving away from us, whereas these bluer regions are approaching us. I believe the district may be rotating in space.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My career as an election analyst was short-lived.

==Trivia==
*Cueball was fired from his job a number of times before. Many are listed in [[1428: Move Fast and Break Things]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

Talk:1852: Election Map

2017-06-19T22:50:44Z

162.158.91.245: Further about supposed greenshift

1852: Election Map

2017-06-19T13:34:15Z

162.158.91.245: /* Explanation */ Background of the joke explained.

{{comic
| number = 1852
| date = June 19, 2017
| title = Election Map
| image = election_map.png
| titletext = Luckily for my interpretation, no precincts were won by the Green Party.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Lacks title text explanation. Lacks references to other comics where Cueball was fired.}}
A wave (also electromagnetic wave, like light) changes frequency when moving relative to the observer, due to the Doppler effect. In case of light, increased frequency - indicating movement towards the observer - is called blueshift, while reduced frequency - indicating movement away from the observer - is called redshift. These names apply even if the effect is outside of visible spectrum (e.g. infrared light that has reduced frequency is called redshifted, even though its frequency is further away from red colour than normally). Red and blue colours are used accordingly to indicate the effect.

If one object (like the galaxy) is redshifted on one of the edges, and blueshifted on the other, it usually means that it's rotating (and the axis of rotation isn't completely paralell to the line of sight).

The map Cueball shows represents elections results. Red regions mark where one of the parties won, while blue regions indicate some other party (the parties are probably democratic and republican, although it's not explicitely stated in the comic). Cueball analyses the map as if it showed magnitude of Doppler effect by the light emitted by the region. This, however, is not what the viewers expect to hear during the election night from election analysis. That's why Cueball was fired from the job rather quickly.

Cueball was fired from the job a number of times before.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball is on live TV, pointing at a map colored according to election results.]
:Cueball: These northern precincts appear red, which probably means they're moving away from us, whereas these bluer regions are approaching us. I believe the district may be rotating in space.

:[Caption below:]
:My career as an election analyst was short-lived.
{{comic discussion}}

1846: Drone Problems

2017-06-05T16:59:56Z

162.158.91.245: /* Explanation */ Added explanation.

{{comic
| number = 1846
| date = June 5, 2017
| title = Drone Problems
| image = drone_problems.png
| titletext = On the other hand, as far as they know, my system is working perfectly.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Possibly more, may contain language errors. Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Megan is frustrated because of people flying drone too close to her. So she builds a system to shoot them down and shows it to Cueball, who clearly is also excited about the idea and helps spotting the drones. However, each of the drones gets accidentally destroyed by its own user because of theit inability to fly the drones.

After three hours of unsuccessful drone hunting, frustrated Megan complains about people unable to fly the drones, which prevents her (and Cueball) from having fun shooting them down. The joke is that she originally created the system to get rid of the drones, so lack of drones should be the desired output - and now she wants the drones nearby (even if only temporarily).

The title text refers to the fact that from an outsider's perspective, the system is keeping every drone away from the house.

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

:Megan: People in the park keep flying drones near me, so I've built a system to shoot them down.
:Cueball: Cool! Oh yeah, there's one now.
:Megan: Time for a test!

:Megan: Okay, locking on…
:Cueball: Wait, it just crashed.
:Megan: Damn.

:Cueball: Here comes another one! Aim for… nope, it got stuck in a tree.

:Caption: Three hours later…
:Cueball: Finally, two more just—no, one crashed and the other is hurtling sideways toward the lake.
:Megan: ''Will you people learn to fly these things?''

{{comic discussion}}