explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2738: Omniknot

2023-02-16T14:56:39Z

172.71.146.36:

Down the middle, that's Granny, Reef, ...(k)not sure.., ?bow line and two half hitches? and something of a plaited-knot that the name escapes me entirely right now (but an extension of the other one I can't identify). I'm sure there's a handy online catalogue of knots, to reference, though, before I try to stumble over the side-knots too. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.172|172.71.242.172]] 16:05, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

Binding security maximized but unbinding security minimized. RIP, tethered sailor beneath a capsized boat. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.78|172.70.114.78]] 16:20, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

This comic is dead on for a facetious rock climbing saying: "If you can't tie a knot, then tie a lot." Based on the tactic some climbing newcomers use, of tying tons of knots all over the place because they aren't confident that any one knot will hold. This tactic is strongly frowned upon - you should learn the right knot, use it, and don't add any extraneous ones.

Somebody on twitter posted an image with the two strings in different colours, which helps to visualize the knots:
https://twitter.com/hollowgrin/status/1625902852387352576
[[User:Rps|Rps]] ([[User talk:Rps|talk]]) 17:08, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

Damn, I traced it myself and I am pretty sure the picture on twitter is better (I will not look, I will only get depressed...) I'd put that coloured picture under "transcript" ;-)[[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.140|172.68.51.140]] 18:05, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

I don't suppose any of you knot-loreheads would care to add an explanation/link to explain "Connecting them with a hitch" from the title text? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.254.231|172.70.254.231]] 21:58, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

A "bend" is a knot that connects two ropes or lines. A "hitch" is a knot that connects a rope (a.k.a. line) to something like a post, loop, or shackle.

Is there a mistake in the title text then, since he says to use a random hitch to connect something from the top (presumably rope in the form of a knot) to something in the bottom (presumably more rope)? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.82.186|172.70.82.186]] 22:06, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

I tied it in real life. Once everything was tightened, the main taut portion was the Carrick bend with the other four knots slacking below, and it held pretty well. I imagine if the slack was on the other side, putting stress on the granny knot, it would be a different story. I would upload the picture but I messed up the reef knot and that pulled straight out. --[[User:Jacky720|Jack]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|t]]|[[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|c]]) 22:15, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

Sailor here. The "granny knot" is what a sailor would call a "thief's knot", and it used to be used in place of a reef knot, in some parts of the world, when stores were suspected to be going missing; the thief, after taking some of the stores, would re-lash the remainder using a proper reef knot (through force of habit) and the change of knot would give away that the stores are being taken from that pile.

Additionally, the two bends at the sides look more like sheet bends than bowlines, to me. It just looks like a rope is passed through a bite and then holds the bite together with a half-hitch. (Maybe I just can't get my head around the orientation, though?)

Lastly - is it maybe worth adding that the reason for the figure-of-eights at the tail of the rope is to act as a "stopper" knot, to prevent the tail working it's way back through the half-hitch, which would enable the bite to come apart and the whole thing to come loose? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.147|172.70.86.147]] 10:01, 16 February 2023 (UTC)
:A note that a Granny knot is ''not'' the Thief knot. A Granny is (often!) a mis-tied Reef, half re-handed to create a less flat version of the binding, whilst a Thief is a variation of the Reef, which has the opposite track to one of the cords to look the same at first glance (enough to catch the unwary/rushed, as you say, who might then fail to restore it as originally left).
:In fact, a knot that has been given the variations of both '''Gr'''anny and Th'''ief''' is called a "Grief", rather than be back to the original Reef (or a functionally identical reflection/rotation). [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.64|172.71.178.64]] 12:26, 16 February 2023 (UTC)

Both bowlines are the "correctly" tied sailor's bowline. There is an alternative "left-handed" version in which the end goes the other direction, coming out to the side rather than the interior of the knot. Also called the cowboy bowline, ABOK 1034.5 It is unclear which version is better. One could probably do a PhD dissertation on bowline knots. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.30.97|172.71.30.97]] 14:35, 16 February 2023 (UTC)

Scoutmaster here. I recommend the "Animated Knots by Grog" website as a knot reference. The Wikipedia entries on granny and grief knots are surprisingly useful references for how those knots differ from each other and the reef knot. 
The knot on top is definitely a granny knot and not a grief knot. 
Left and right knots are bowlines because they have three working ends and one dead end. The sheet bend has two live ends and two dead ends. The center knot is indeterminate; if you cover up the ends it could be either a sheet bend or a bowline, as they have the same form. Since it appears to have four live ends it would be fair to call it "neither" as well. PhD thesis topic, indeed. 
I'd also like to point out that the capsizing nature of the reef knot is considered a feature - it affords easy untying even after being used under heavy load, such as holding a rolled up sail hanging from a yard arm. Being able to unfurl the sail by pulling a single rope is useful. As already noted on the page: if you don't want that feature, pick a different knot. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.36|172.71.146.36]] 14:56, 16 February 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2717: L6 Lagrange Point

2023-01-22T04:46:56Z

172.71.146.36: Trying wikiediting for 1st time, don't know how to make it render . Img of screenshot uploaded to flickr.

Daily comics. —[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User:While False/explain xkcd museum|'''museum''']] | [[User talk:While False|talk]] | [[special:Contributions/While_False|contributions]] | [[special:Log/While_False|logs]] | [[Special:UserRights/While_False|rights]] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&printable=yes printable version] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&action=info page information] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere/User:While_False what links there] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:RecentChangesLinked&days=30&from=&target=User%3AWhile_False related changes] | a late contribution | current time: {{CURRENTTIME}}) 19:05, 27 December 2022 (UTC)

This came out about a year after JWST was launched, and it's stationed at a Lagrange point of the Sun and Earth. It might be related to the anniversary, although it would make more sense if it came out in a month, on the anniversary of the telescope reaching L2. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:49, 27 December 2022 (UTC)

Missed opportunity to reference [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Grange,_Texas La Grange, Texas], the basis of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Grange_(song) song] by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top ZZ Top]. [[User:RandalSchwartz|RandalSchwartz]] ([[User talk:RandalSchwartz|talk]]) 21:13, 27 December 2022 (UTC)
: Well I hear it's fine, if you got the time [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.5|108.162.249.5]] 13:55, 28 December 2022 (UTC)

Not ''probable'' but maybe a reference to the recent "Ohio" meme?[[Special:Contributions/172.71.82.41|172.71.82.41]] 22:14, 27 December 2022 (UTC)Bumpf
: Probably not on purpose but it definitely fits in with the rest of the “Ohio” memes 22:38 27 December 2022 (ETC) Comi123

;Can I use a subscript notation in the transcript?

Any clues where to find the code? Comic seems to have the numeral portions of "L1" to "L6" as subscripts. Is that a standard notation for Lagrange points, if so should we also use it in the main article? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.66.102|172.68.66.102]] 06:14, 28 December 2022 (UTC)

:Sure. Use HTML tags. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.39|172.71.154.39]] 07:41, 28 December 2022 (UTC)

Why Cleveland? Well, Yakov Smirnoff said, "In every country, they make fun of city. In U.S. you make fun of Cleveland. In Russia, we make fun of Cleveland." [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.168|172.71.26.168]] 12:14, 28 December 2022 (UTC)

The center of the Earth is also a Lagrange point (I think I'll call it L0). So Lagrange, OH is only 4,000 miles off, which should be close enough for many astronomers. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.135.100|172.70.135.100]] 16:12, 28 December 2022 (UTC)
:Well, LaGrange, OH is in a stable orbit around L0, so would this also be a Halo orbit? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.5|141.101.77.5]] 09:26, 29 December 2022 (UTC)
::Not really. It rotates around a point 4800km north of L0, but I don't think this is technically an orbit since it experiences a lot of non-gravitational forces. [[User:Quantum7|Quantum7]] ([[User talk:Quantum7|talk]]) 07:28, 1 January 2023 (UTC)

And I thought La Grange was in Texas I should not listen to three wise men with beards, even at this time of year. Wikipedia tells m there are over 25 across the US. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.223|172.71.242.223]] 10:38, 29 December 2022 (UTC)
:Two men with beards, one man named Beard. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.46.77|172.70.46.77]] 11:35, 29 December 2022 (UTC)
::Thus three men, each with a beard. (Actually the phrase "three wise men with beards" isn't explicit about how many beards they have between them.)

Normally cartoons come out MWF, but this came out on a Tuesday. Any known (or hypothesized) reason. Should the unusual timing get a mention. No comic in the normal Wed slot. [[User:MAP|MAP]] ([[User talk:MAP|talk]]) 02:36, 30 December 2022 (UTC)
:In the light of there being "no Wednesday", in the obvious manner, we can make the presumption that this was supposed to be the Wednesday but (for some reason; ...other tween-holiday commitents? ...had the usual "what actual day ''is'' this of the season? ...distracted by family gatherings?) was released super-early. As in even Tuesday in more advanced timezones. Either that, or he was visiting a GMT+6 (or greater) place and posted it merely 'early Wednesday', but I don't think he would be visiting China (GMT+8) - for any number of reasons. Aus/NZ/etc? (Forgive me, just musing. Still no reason to think so.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.137|172.69.79.137]] 23:32, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

There are [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange#France several places called Lagrange in France (with correct spelling)], there are also [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange_Bay Lagrange Bay] on Western Australia and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange,_Virginia Lagrange, Virginia] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange,_Maine Lagrange, Maine]. There are [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange_(disambiguation)#United_States many places with names spelled as LaGrange or La Grange in the U.S.A.]. [[User:Arifsaha|Arifsaha]] ([[User talk:Arifsaha|talk]]) 19:35, 31 December 2022 (UTC)

I don't think this joke is about the town of LaGrange (especially since there's so many of them), but rather a reference to the "Wait, it's all Ohio?" meme [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/wait-its-all-ohio-always-has-been]. [[User:Soralen|Soralen]] ([[User talk:Soralen|talk]]) 09:03, 2 January 2023 (UTC)

[https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52641721315_42bd8248a2_o.jpg Google map view of the major pathways of gravitational perturbation around L6]