explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2535: Common Cold Viruses

2021-11-01T10:52:24Z

172.69.48.147:

this brings to mind [[915: Connoisseur]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.67|172.70.174.67]] 20:26, 29 October 2021 (UTC)Bumpf

In the explanation,the writer states that in the final panel all three characters appear to be chronically ill. But, I really cannot understand what Randall wants us to think regarding White Hat's presence in the final panel. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.82.3|172.70.82.3]] 23:14, 29 October 2021 (UTC)
:They are all (including White Hat) holding tissues. 
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 05:22, 30 October 2021 (UTC)

I swear each type of cold smells different (& air conditioners take on one of these same smells). Isn't there some rather extensive research we could link, into the unique "bouquets" (so to speak) of various illnesses? 
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 05:22, 30 October 2021 (UTC)

I don't know how whoever wrote the explanation came to the conclusion that the characters are chronically ill in the third panel. I just assumed the three of them came down with a cold together. [[User:Aerin|Aerin]] ([[User talk:Aerin|talk]]) 21:25, 30 October 2021 (UTC)

Becton-Dickenson makes a tester for various flus and now COVID. I think it's a mini system for amplification and DNA testing. It could probably do this with the proper test kit.
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.48.147|172.69.48.147]] 10:52, 1 November 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2014: JWST Delays

2021-08-31T20:43:06Z

172.69.48.147:

Haha - I made this same graph 2 weeks ago! [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 17:39, 2 July 2018 (UTC)

Suggest the last sentence be made more general: "The title text refers to a fundamental question of the Big Bang Theory; will the universe expand forever, or will is collapse back on itself? The likely answer to this question has changed over the decades as new measurements have been made, and new theories such as dark matter and dark energy developed to explain the new measurements. Apparently, and for an analogous reason, between 2018 and 2020 the likely answer to the fundamental JWST question will change." [[User:GODZILLA|GODZILLA]] ([[User talk:GODZILLA|talk]]) 17:58, 2 July 2018 (UTC)
:I agree to the current sentence saying "and compares the universe’s accelerating expansion to the apparently ever-delaying schedule" but were the hell comes the conclusion that "the JWST will have enough delays to fill a universe"? This does not make any sense. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:59, 3 July 2018 (UTC)

Does today's prediction of 2026 count? If that is included in the data set, it would then skew the best-fit line to be steeper. If a new prediction is made using that new best-fit line, that would further skew the line, and so on, causing the acceleration the title text anticipates between 2018 and 2020.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.88|162.158.63.88]] 20:10, 2 July 2018 (UTC)

> Until the slope of the line becomes more than one and the prediction goes to the past, right? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.16|108.162.216.16]] 21:55, 2 July 2018 (UTC)

:No, it doesn't count, because it's just '''prediction''', while the data set is of (official) '''planned launch dates'''. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:06, 2 July 2018 (UTC)

:The Wikipedia data (taking the midpoint for ranges) fits a linear function with slope 0.660618 and intercept 687.739. This implies convergence at 2026.45, which is why Randall is predicting late 2026 for the actual launch. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.56|172.69.22.56]] 15:04, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

[[wikipedia:Heinz von Foerster#Doomsday equation|Von Foersters's doomsday]] is Friday 13th of November 2026. (cue Twilight Zone intro) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.175|162.158.89.175]] 21:20, 2 July 2018 (UTC)

Why does he keep saying it's 2021? Is he trying to skip Trump's term or what? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.10|172.68.211.10]] 00:30, 3 July 2018 (UTC)
Why do you think that Trump will get only 1 term?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.70|141.101.76.70]] 17:10, 3 July 2018 (UTC)

This is the same chart for the new airport in Berlin. Sadly its slope is not less than one, it is indeed accelerating... 
2006     2011 
2010     2012 
2012     2013 
2013     2014 
2014     2016 
2015     2018 
2016     2018 
2017     2022 
[[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 07:57, 3 July 2018 (UTC)
:[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bau_des_Flughafens_Berlin_Brandenburg#cite_ref-136] says that the planned launch date from December 2017 is in October 2020 (not 2022). That would make the slope slightly less than 1 (unless you ignore the 2016->2011 data point, as outlier) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.35|162.158.91.35]] 09:27, 4 July 2018 (UTC)
::There was a 2022 prediction earlier in 2017, I took the maximum value for each year. And honestly, 2202 sounds more reasonable than 2020 for me. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 14:39, 4 July 2018 (UTC)

I feel a quadratic regression would be needed to determine acceleration / deceleration [[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.24|172.68.59.24]] 13:54, 3 July 2018 (UTC)

: If you plot out the least-squares fit as it changes over time (i.e. repeat Randall's graph as each new data point was added), it fits a quadratic quite well. And converges to a 2025 date.

I wonder what this chart would look like for new york's 2nd avenue subway.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.130|162.158.75.130]] 17:36, 3 July 2018 (UTC)

At least there _is_ a slope. How about Trump's wall? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.151|173.245.52.151]] 00:52, 4 July 2018 (UTC)

Two more lines are coming together... the year and the XKCD index. 2018 should happen next week. [[User:IonFreeman|IonFreeman]] ([[User talk:IonFreeman|talk]]) 14:22, 5 July 2018 (UTC)

The last three data points have a slope greater than one. Just sayin'. [[User:Redbelly98|Redbelly98]] ([[User talk:Redbelly98|talk]]) 19:55, 29 July 2018 (UTC)

:"NASA announced that the launch date has once again been delayed to 31 October 2021." THE RIDE NEVER ENDS [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.188|108.162.215.188]] 05:24, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

::November to December 2021 now... amazing. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.65|172.69.35.65]] 20:24, 21 June 2021 (UTC)

== November 2021 ==

Is [https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-launch-delay-november-2021] on track for the extrapolation shown? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.115|172.69.35.115]] 18:31, 24 June 2021 (UTC)

== Update from 2021 ==
Turns out the last update in the comic seems to have been correct. As of Sept '21, it's still due to go up in Nov. '21.
https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/about/launch.html
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-new-james-webb-space-telescope-target-launch-date

[https://i.imgur.com/BssUkbG.png '''Updated Image''']. I've added the blue dots to represent the updated launch dates. (Still in 2021) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.48.147|172.69.48.147]] 20:43, 31 August 2021 (UTC)

523: Decline

2021-08-04T15:46:02Z

172.69.48.147: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 523
| date = December 29, 2008
| title = Decline
| image = decline.png
| titletext = 'There is also a spike on the Fourier transformation at the one month mark where--' 'You want to stop talking right now.'
}}

==Explanation==

[[Cueball]], apparently concerned about the status of his romantic relationship, has constructed a "relationship graph" plotting an ambiguously quantitative metric for love and/or affection against what is presumably time (the ''x''-axis is not actually labeled; ironically in [[833: Convincing]] Cueball states that not labeling graph axes is a relationship deal-breaker). He has identified a sudden drop. Cueball's romantic partner (probably [[Megan]]) notes from off screen that the drop corresponds to the moment Cueball's obsession with graphs began. He claims the two events are coincidental, thereby referencing the recurring xkcd theme of correlation not necessarily implying causation – see [[552: Correlation]].

The title text references {{w|Fourier transform|Fourier transformation}}. The Fourier transform is a technique for discovering the periodic characteristic(s) of a function. A spike at one month on the Fourier transform of the love graph would mean that something happens every month that causes the relationship to change. This is presumably a reference to Megan menstrating, although this isn't proven. This is not something you should mention to your girlfriend and she asks him to stop talking before he finishes the sentence. After this graph the relationship may very well end...

Fourier transformations were mentioned previously in [[26: Fourier]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is pointing at a line graph at a specific point where it slopes down. The y-axis shows that as y increases, love increases.]
:Cueball: Our relationship entered its decline at this point.
:Megan [Outside of panel]: That's when you started graphing everything.
:Cueball: Coincidence!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Romance]]