Talk:2896: Crossword Constructors

2024-02-20T00:49:22Z

172.70.175.195: Grid styles

The top ten most common letters in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, and the percentage of words they appear in, are:
E – 11.1607%
A – 8.4966%
R – 7.5809%
I – 7.5448%
O – 7.1635%
T – 6.9509%
N – 6.6544%
S – 5.7351%

source: https://www.rd.com/article/common-letters-english-language/ [[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.187|172.69.58.187]] ([[User talk:172.69.58.187|talk]]) 22:29, 19 February 2024 ''(please sign your comments with <nowiki>~~</nowiki>~~)''

At least one of those "words" is already available
...oreta is a genus of moths: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oreta [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.64|162.158.154.64]] ([[User talk:162.158.154.64|talk]]) 22:36, 19 February 2024 ''(please sign your comments with <nowiki>~~</nowiki>~~)''

: {Yoko} "ONO" was over-played in crosswords a few years back. "ORONO" (university town in Maine) was over-favored by one constructor. Not to mention a sandwich cookie. [[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 22:39, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

In contrast to crosswords in german newspapers, those in american newspapers are typically not dense, right?
“Our” crosswords rarely have a single unused square.
And this is obviously easier to compose if you can choose from more words. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.123.39|172.71.123.39]] 22:48, 19 February 2024 (UTC)
:I was looking around the internet for an example, and I found this example: https://www.50plus.de/spiele/raetsel/kreuzwortraetsel-1.html
:If this is what you are talking about, Games World of Puzzles calls this a "Pencil Pointer" puzzle. I think technically the name is "Swedish Style" according to Wikipedia. They aren't typically the kind you'd find in an :American newspaper, but I do see them on occasion.
:Generally, the American style ones are less dense than Swedish but more dense than British cryptics. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.175.195|172.70.175.195]] 00:49, 20 February 2024 (UTC)

162: Angular Momentum

2024-01-01T14:18:49Z

172.70.175.195: xkcd volume 0 calculation

{{comic
| number = 162
| date = September 25, 2006
| title = Angular Momentum
| image = angular_momentum.jpg
| titletext = With reasonable assumptions about latitude and body shape, how much time might she gain them? Note: whatever the answer, sunrise always comes too soon. (Also, is it worth it if she throws up?)
}}

==Explanation==
Every moving object, including the Earth, possesses {{w|momentum}}. The Earth has a very high momentum due to its large mass and high speed as it orbits the Sun. However, the comic refers specifically to the Earth's angular momentum generated by its rotation on its axis, which creates the day/night cycle. This momentum can change (increase, decrease, or halt) through the application of force from another object, which acts as the transfer of momentum from one object to another.

[[Megan]] is attempting to slow down the Earth's angular momentum by spinning counterclockwise (a.k.a. {{wiktionary|anticlockwise}}) and force her momentum onto the Earth, so she can have more time to spend with [[Cueball]]. The momentum she produces is minuscule relative to the Earth's. The attosecond she's gaining by spinning while being with Cueball is nothing compared with the seconds spent spinning. A Reddit user [https://www.reddit.com/r/theydidthemath/comments/5ccbzs/comment/d9vskah calculated] that the time Megan is gaining by spinning is less than 1/20th of the time light takes to cross the diameter of an atom. Megan could gain a considerably larger (but still minuscule) amount of time [https://www.reddit.com/r/theydidthemath/comments/4mdihu/request_if_every_single_person_in_the_world_did/d3uvmk3/ by walking to the equator]. Later, in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]], the same kind of spinning Megan is used in the first frame to tell that xkcd loves momentum. {{w|Wired (magazine)|Wired}} [https://www.wired.com/2014/04/can-you-slow-down-a-day-using-angular-momentum/ calculated] how much time Megan slowed down. And finally, in ''[[xkcd: volume 0]]'', this is also calculated above the comic, giving a final value of 10-35s per turn, or 1/10000 of a quectosecond. This comic is referenced at the end of the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article ''{{what if|42|Longest Sunset}}''.

The title text also jokes that the amount of time Megan is gaining from spinning might also not be worth her risk of vomiting due to the dizziness.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits sideways on a bed under an open window in the corner of a room. He is looking at Megan, who is spinning fast, indicated with two large circles indicating where her arms that are spread far out rotate, as well as two smaller circles around her knees and feet. The bed sheets are clearly messed up, as if someone has used it for activities other than sleeping. It is night and dark gray outside the window, and inside the room everything is also gray but lighter. Behind the spoken text, the background is white, but fades to the darker gray at the edges. There is also different gray shading in different parts of the room.]
:Cueball: What are you doing?
:Megan: Spinning counterclockwise
:Megan: Each turn robs the planet of angular momentum
:Megan: Slowing its spin the tiniest bit
:Megan: Lengthening the night, pushing back the dawn
:Megan: Giving me a little more time here
:Megan: With you

==Trivia==
* This is one of the six [[Footer comics|footer comics]] featured in the bottom segment of [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com].
* This comic used to be [https://web.archive.org/web/20220125023401/https://store.xkcd.com/products/signed-prints available as a signed print] in the xkcd store before it was [[Store|shut down]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Footer comics]]
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2896: Crossword Constructors

162: Angular Momentum