explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2964: Olympic Sports

2026-05-16T06:33:29Z

211.30.61.129: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2964
| date = July 26, 2024
| title = Olympic Sports
| image = olympic_sports_2x.png
| imagesize = 553x328px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Thankfully for everyone involved, the Winter Olympics officials spotted me and managed to stop me before I got to the ski jump.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic was officially published on the day of the opening ceremony of the {{w|2024 Summer Olympics|2024 Paris (Summer) Olympics}}, though it actually appeared early the following day.

In this comic, [[Randall]], who has no athletic training, imagines himself participating in various Olympic events, with his degrees of failure measured in terms of their humor potential.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Olympic sports ranked by how funny it would be if a regular person competed
! How funny !! Sport !! Reason
|-
|rowspan=5| Not that funny || {{w|Rowing}} - One or more people row a boat to a destination.|| The person would struggle to row effectively, falling out of cadence and fouling the oars of the other rowers in their boat. However, if Randall competed in the single sculls, such coordination would not be an issue, and he would likely just be much slower than the other competitors. Or fall in the water.
|-
| {{w|Fencing}} - Two contestants attempt to land hits on each other with a long fencing weapon.|| Contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, sword fights of any kind are very quick, often lasting just a few seconds. Olympic fencing matches are especially fast, and an untrained layperson watching the fight would probably be unable to tell the difference between a fight between two experts and a fight in which one person had no experience, aside from that said person would lose every bout, especially as two of the disciplines (foil & sabre) use a codified system of {{w|Priority (fencing)#ranking moves}} to determine if a touch counts as a score or not.
|-
| {{w|Weightlifting}} - Contestants lift weights, which, in the Olympics, get heavier with each round, until all but one fail to lift.|| They might just fail to lift the weights or injure their back.
|-
| {{w|Golf}} - Contestants attempt to use golf clubs to hit a golf ball into one or more holes in as small a number of hits as possible.|| The worst case scenario would be simply failing to hit the ball. If he did make contact, the ball would likely fail to go in the right direction and/or fail to achieve the right distance.
----
''The comic illustrates this by having Randall putt and miss the hole at very close range.''
|-
| {{w|Archery}} - Using a bow and arrow, contestants attempt to hit a target with as much accuracy as possible.|| Arrows might miss the target, but this wouldn't be particularly amusing (unless Randall forgoes armbraces & discovers the bowstring's propensity for smacking the inside of his wrist after releasing it).
----
''The comic shows Randall missing all his shots on the target.''
|-
|rowspan=5| Pretty funny || {{w|Swimming}} - Contestants swim to a destination or complete lengths as fast as possible.|| They might struggle to stay afloat (particularly in open water swimming, where they would be buffeted by other contestants) or {{w|Eric Moussambani|swim awkwardly}}. They are also likely to have a markedly different physique to the other competitors, which would have a comic effect.
|-
| {{w|Long jump}} - Contestants, with a running start, attempt to jump as far as possible.|| They would likely make a very short jump, or perhaps foul every jump, and possibly trip and land in the pit.
|-
| {{w|Pole vault}} - Using a bendable pole, contestants attempt to propel (vault) themselves over a bar.|| An untrained person attempting to pole vault would very likely miss the plant altogether, and simply run headlong into the bar. Even if he managed to plant the pole, attempting to hold onto it would likely result in him being knocked off his feet.
|-
| {{w|Diving}} - Contestants attempt to fulfil multiple criteria while diving into water.|| Awkward or painful-looking dives could ensue. Potential for injury would be high.
|-
| {{w|Hurdles}} - Contestants run on a track with hurdles positioned at various places.|| They might trip and fall over the hurdles, just knock them all over as they fail to clear them, or [https://www.npr.org/2023/06/26/1184329986/belgian-shot-putter-runs-hurdles-belgium carefully step over each hurdle].
----
''Drawn in this section, Randall repeatedly and unpleasantly runs into the hurdles, unable to jump over any of them. He has his arm raised bent in front of his face in a classic hurdler's pose, but appears to have failed to get much, if any, height off the ground.''
|-
|rowspan=5| Incredibly funny || {{w|Figure skating}} [The only Winter Olympic discipline featured in the main comic] Competitors perform artistic routines set to music while skating on an ice rink, and are judged on a combination of skating skill, composition, and presentation. || They might slip and fall continually on the ice, with a high risk for sprained joints or bone fractures. This might have particular comic potential if Randall were skating as part of a pair, awkwardly attempting to lift and spin a partner, or perhaps doing nothing but being lifted and dragged around by them.
|-
| {{w|Horizontal bar}} - A horizontal bar is used to perform gymnastics.|| An untrained person would likely struggle to even hold onto the bar, and would likely be able to do no more than swing back and forth until they lost their grip.
|-
| {{w|Equestrian sports}} - Various activities involving the use of horses.|| Attempting any jumps or tricks without training would likely result in failure to control the horse, and most likely end with the riding falling off or being thrown off.
----
''Randall is shown completely unable to control his horse. He is in the process of falling off and is flailing his arms.
|-
| {{w|Freestyle BMX}} - Contestants ride BMX bikes and perform various tricks, and are then judged by trick quality.|| He would likely fail to perform even basic tricks, and any attempts to do so would result in one or more crashes.
|-
| {{w|Pommel horse}} - Using a gymnastic device somewhat similar to a horse, gymnasts perform various tricks.|| They might awkwardly flop around, fall off, or lose their balance & risk crushing {{tvtropes|GroinAttack|a particularly squashy part}} of their anatomy, which could, depending on one's sense of humor, the context, & the exact aesthetics of the incident, elicit laughter.
----
''Randall is depicted awkwardly perched atop a pommel horse with a leg extended.
|}

The title text may be a reference to ski jumper {{w|Vinko Bogataj}}, whose spectacular crash at a (non-Olympic) {{w|Ski_flying|ski flying}} event in 1970 in Oberstdorf, (then) West Germany became emblematic of the expression "the agony of defeat" in the opening narration of the popular US television program "{{w|Wide World of Sports (American TV program)|Wide World of Sports}}". Alternatively the reference may be to {{w|Eddie the Eagle}}, whose poor performance in the {{w|Ski_jumping|ski jump}} at the {{w|1988 Winter Olympics}} led to the introduction of a rule requiring entrants to be ranked internationally in the top 50 and top 30%.

==Transcript==
:[A header is above three panels, with each panel containing a title at the top of how funny it would be, a bullet list of five sports, and one or two depictions of Cueball performing sports from that list.]
:Header: Olympic Sports ranked by how funny it would be if I, a regular person without athletic training, snuck onto the team to compete:

:[The first panel:]
:Title: Not that funny
:*Rowing
:*Fencing
:*Weightlifting
:*Golf
:*Archery
:[This panel shows Cueball putting a ball with a golf club and missing the hole from a close distance, and Cueball aiming a bow while three arrows are on the ground at various distances from the target.]

:[The second panel:]
:Title: Pretty funny
:*Swimming
:*Long jump
:*Pole vault
:*Diving
:*Hurdles
:[This panel shows Cueball running stomach-first into a hurdle, while holding an arm in front of his head. Another hurdle behind him has fallen down.]
:Cueball: [Bonk] Ow! [Bonk] Ow!

:[The third panel:]
:Title: Incredibly funny
:*Figure skating
:*Horizontal bar
:*Equestrian
:*BMX freestyle
:*Pommel horse
:[The first depiction of this panel shows Cueball balancing himself on a pommel horse as if he's riding a real horse, with both of his hands and one leg down and the other leg slightly raised.]
:Cueball: Look! Look!
:[The second depiction of this panel shows Cueball wearing black helmet and riding a horse, struggling to stay on the running horse with both hands and one leg raised.]
:Cueball: AAAAA!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Rankings]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]

2964: Olympic Sports

2026-05-16T06:32:19Z

211.30.61.129: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2964
| date = July 26, 2024
| title = Olympic Sports
| image = olympic_sports_2x.png
| imagesize = 553x328px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Thankfully for everyone involved, the Winter Olympics officials spotted me and managed to stop me before I got to the ski jump.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic was officially published on the day of the opening ceremony of the {{w|2024 Summer Olympics|2024 Paris (Summer) Olympics}}, though it actually appeared early the following day.

In this comic, [[Randall]], who has no athletic training, imagines himself participating in various Olympic events, with his degrees of failure measured in terms of their humor potential.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Olympic sports ranked by how funny it would be if a regular person competed
! How funny !! Sport !! Reason
|-
|rowspan=5| Not that funny || {{w|Rowing}} - One or more people row a boat to a destination.|| The person would struggle to row effectively, falling out of cadence and fouling the oars of the other rowers in their boat. However, if Randall competed in the single sculls, such coordination would not be an issue, and he would likely just be much slower than the other competitors. Or fall in the water.
|-
| {{w|Fencing}} - Two contestants attempt to land hits on each other with a long fencing weapon.|| Contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, sword fights of any kind are very quick, often lasting just a few seconds. Olympic fencing matches are especially fast, and an untrained layman watching the fight would probably be unable to tell the difference between a fight between two experts and a fight in which one person had no experience, aside from that said person would lose every bout, especially as two of the disciplines (foil & sabre) use a codified system of {{w|Priority (fencing) ranking moves}} to determine if a touch counts as a score or not.
|-
| {{w|Weightlifting}} - Contestants lift weights, which, in the Olympics, get heavier with each round, until all but one fail to lift.|| They might just fail to lift the weights or injure their back.
|-
| {{w|Golf}} - Contestants attempt to use golf clubs to hit a golf ball into one or more holes in as small a number of hits as possible.|| The worst case scenario would be simply failing to hit the ball. If he did make contact, the ball would likely fail to go in the right direction and/or fail to achieve the right distance.
----
''The comic illustrates this by having Randall putt and miss the hole at very close range.''
|-
| {{w|Archery}} - Using a bow and arrow, contestants attempt to hit a target with as much accuracy as possible.|| Arrows might miss the target, but this wouldn't be particularly amusing (unless Randall forgoes armbraces & discovers the bowstring's propensity for smacking the inside of his wrist after releasing it).
----
''The comic shows Randall missing all his shots on the target.''
|-
|rowspan=5| Pretty funny || {{w|Swimming}} - Contestants swim to a destination or complete lengths as fast as possible.|| They might struggle to stay afloat (particularly in open water swimming, where they would be buffeted by other contestants) or {{w|Eric Moussambani|swim awkwardly}}. They are also likely to have a markedly different physique to the other competitors, which would have a comic effect.
|-
| {{w|Long jump}} - Contestants, with a running start, attempt to jump as far as possible.|| They would likely make a very short jump, or perhaps foul every jump, and possibly trip and land in the pit.
|-
| {{w|Pole vault}} - Using a bendable pole, contestants attempt to propel (vault) themselves over a bar.|| An untrained person attempting to pole vault would very likely miss the plant altogether, and simply run headlong into the bar. Even if he managed to plant the pole, attempting to hold onto it would likely result in him being knocked off his feet.
|-
| {{w|Diving}} - Contestants attempt to fulfil multiple criteria while diving into water.|| Awkward or painful-looking dives could ensue. Potential for injury would be high.
|-
| {{w|Hurdles}} - Contestants run on a track with hurdles positioned at various places.|| They might trip and fall over the hurdles, just knock them all over as they fail to clear them, or [https://www.npr.org/2023/06/26/1184329986/belgian-shot-putter-runs-hurdles-belgium carefully step over each hurdle].
----
''Drawn in this section, Randall repeatedly and unpleasantly runs into the hurdles, unable to jump over any of them. He has his arm raised bent in front of his face in a classic hurdler's pose, but appears to have failed to get much, if any, height off the ground.''
|-
|rowspan=5| Incredibly funny || {{w|Figure skating}} [The only Winter Olympic discipline featured in the main comic] Competitors perform artistic routines set to music while skating on an ice rink, and are judged on a combination of skating skill, composition, and presentation. || They might slip and fall continually on the ice, with a high risk for sprained joints or bone fractures. This might have particular comic potential if Randall were skating as part of a pair, awkwardly attempting to lift and spin a partner, or perhaps doing nothing but being lifted and dragged around by them.
|-
| {{w|Horizontal bar}} - A horizontal bar is used to perform gymnastics.|| An untrained person would likely struggle to even hold onto the bar, and would likely be able to do no more than swing back and forth until they lost their grip.
|-
| {{w|Equestrian sports}} - Various activities involving the use of horses.|| Attempting any jumps or tricks without training would likely result in failure to control the horse, and most likely end with the riding falling off or being thrown off.
----
''Randall is shown completely unable to control his horse. He is in the process of falling off and is flailing his arms.
|-
| {{w|Freestyle BMX}} - Contestants ride BMX bikes and perform various tricks, and are then judged by trick quality.|| He would likely fail to perform even basic tricks, and any attempts to do so would result in one or more crashes.
|-
| {{w|Pommel horse}} - Using a gymnastic device somewhat similar to a horse, gymnasts perform various tricks.|| They might awkwardly flop around, fall off, or lose their balance & risk crushing {{tvtropes|GroinAttack|a particularly squashy part}} of their anatomy, which could, depending on one's sense of humor, the context, & the exact aesthetics of the incident, elicit laughter.
----
''Randall is depicted awkwardly perched atop a pommel horse with a leg extended.
|}

The title text may be a reference to ski jumper {{w|Vinko Bogataj}}, whose spectacular crash at a (non-Olympic) {{w|Ski_flying|ski flying}} event in 1970 in Oberstdorf, (then) West Germany became emblematic of the expression "the agony of defeat" in the opening narration of the popular US television program "{{w|Wide World of Sports (American TV program)|Wide World of Sports}}". Alternatively the reference may be to {{w|Eddie the Eagle}}, whose poor performance in the {{w|Ski_jumping|ski jump}} at the {{w|1988 Winter Olympics}} led to the introduction of a rule requiring entrants to be ranked internationally in the top 50 and top 30%.

==Transcript==
:[A header is above three panels, with each panel containing a title at the top of how funny it would be, a bullet list of five sports, and one or two depictions of Cueball performing sports from that list.]
:Header: Olympic Sports ranked by how funny it would be if I, a regular person without athletic training, snuck onto the team to compete:

:[The first panel:]
:Title: Not that funny
:*Rowing
:*Fencing
:*Weightlifting
:*Golf
:*Archery
:[This panel shows Cueball putting a ball with a golf club and missing the hole from a close distance, and Cueball aiming a bow while three arrows are on the ground at various distances from the target.]

:[The second panel:]
:Title: Pretty funny
:*Swimming
:*Long jump
:*Pole vault
:*Diving
:*Hurdles
:[This panel shows Cueball running stomach-first into a hurdle, while holding an arm in front of his head. Another hurdle behind him has fallen down.]
:Cueball: [Bonk] Ow! [Bonk] Ow!

:[The third panel:]
:Title: Incredibly funny
:*Figure skating
:*Horizontal bar
:*Equestrian
:*BMX freestyle
:*Pommel horse
:[The first depiction of this panel shows Cueball balancing himself on a pommel horse as if he's riding a real horse, with both of his hands and one leg down and the other leg slightly raised.]
:Cueball: Look! Look!
:[The second depiction of this panel shows Cueball wearing black helmet and riding a horse, struggling to stay on the running horse with both hands and one leg raised.]
:Cueball: AAAAA!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Rankings]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]

2964: Olympic Sports

2026-05-16T06:27:10Z

211.30.61.129: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2964
| date = July 26, 2024
| title = Olympic Sports
| image = olympic_sports_2x.png
| imagesize = 553x328px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Thankfully for everyone involved, the Winter Olympics officials spotted me and managed to stop me before I got to the ski jump.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic was officially published on the day of the opening ceremony of the {{w|2024 Summer Olympics|2024 Paris (Summer) Olympics}}, though it actually appeared early the following day.

In this comic, [[Randall]], who has no athletic training, imagines himself participating in various Olympic events, with his degrees of failure measured in terms of their humor potential.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Olympic sports ranked by how funny it would be if a regular person competed
! How funny !! Sport !! Reason
|-
|rowspan=5| Not that funny || {{w|Rowing}} - One or more people row a boat to a destination.|| The person would struggle to row effectively, falling out of cadence and fouling the oars of the other rowers in their boat. However, if Randall competed in the single sculls, such coordination would not be an issue, and he would likely just be much slower than the other competitors. Or fall in the water.
|-
| {{w|Fencing}} - Two contestants attempt to land hits on each other with a long fencing weapon.|| Contrary to what is often portrayed in movies, sword fights of any kind are very quick, often lasting just a few seconds. Olympic fencing matches are especially fast, and an untrained layman watching the fight would probably be unable to tell the difference between a fight between two experts and a fight in which one person had no experience, aside from that said person would lose every bout, especially as two of the disciplines (foil & epeè) use a codified, intricate system of {{w|Priority (fencing)#Prioritisation}} to determine if a touch counts as a score or not.
|-
| {{w|Weightlifting}} - Contestants lift weights, which, in the Olympics, get heavier with each round, until all but one fail to lift.|| They might just fail to lift the weights or injure their back.
|-
| {{w|Golf}} - Contestants attempt to use golf clubs to hit a golf ball into one or more holes in as small a number of hits as possible.|| The worst case scenario would be simply failing to hit the ball. If he did make contact, the ball would likely fail to go in the right direction and/or fail to achieve the right distance.
----
''The comic illustrates this by having Randall putt and miss the hole at very close range.''
|-
| {{w|Archery}} - Using a bow and arrow, contestants attempt to hit a target with as much accuracy as possible.|| Arrows might miss the target, but this wouldn't be particularly amusing (unless Randall forgoes armbraces & discovers the bowstring's propensity for smacking the inside of his wrist after releasing it).
----
''The comic shows Randall missing all his shots on the target.''
|-
|rowspan=5| Pretty funny || {{w|Swimming}} - Contestants swim to a destination or complete lengths as fast as possible.|| They might struggle to stay afloat (particularly in open water swimming, where they would be buffeted by other contestants) or {{w|Eric Moussambani|swim awkwardly}}. They are also likely to have a markedly different physique to the other competitors, which would have a comic effect.
|-
| {{w|Long jump}} - Contestants, with a running start, attempt to jump as far as possible.|| They would likely make a very short jump, or perhaps foul every jump, and possibly trip and land in the pit.
|-
| {{w|Pole vault}} - Using a bendable pole, contestants attempt to propel (vault) themselves over a bar.|| An untrained person attempting to pole vault would very likely miss the plant altogether, and simply run headlong into the bar. Even if he managed to plant the pole, attempting to hold onto it would likely result in him being knocked off his feet.
|-
| {{w|Diving}} - Contestants attempt to fulfil multiple criteria while diving into water.|| Awkward or painful-looking dives could ensue. Potential for injury would be high.
|-
| {{w|Hurdles}} - Contestants run on a track with hurdles positioned at various places.|| They might trip and fall over the hurdles, just knock them all over as they fail to clear them, or [https://www.npr.org/2023/06/26/1184329986/belgian-shot-putter-runs-hurdles-belgium carefully step over each hurdle].
----
''Drawn in this section, Randall repeatedly and unpleasantly runs into the hurdles, unable to jump over any of them. He has his arm raised bent in front of his face in a classic hurdler's pose, but appears to have failed to get much, if any, height off the ground.''
|-
|rowspan=5| Incredibly funny || {{w|Figure skating}} [The only Winter Olympic discipline featured in the main comic] Competitors perform artistic routines set to music while skating on an ice rink, and are judged on a combination of skating skill, composition, and presentation. || They might slip and fall continually on the ice, with a high risk for sprained joints or bone fractures. This might have particular comic potential if Randall were skating as part of a pair, awkwardly attempting to lift and spin a partner, or perhaps doing nothing but being lifted and dragged around by them.
|-
| {{w|Horizontal bar}} - A horizontal bar is used to perform gymnastics.|| An untrained person would likely struggle to even hold onto the bar, and would likely be able to do no more than swing back and forth until they lost their grip.
|-
| {{w|Equestrian sports}} - Various activities involving the use of horses.|| Attempting any jumps or tricks without training would likely result in failure to control the horse, and most likely end with the riding falling off or being thrown off.
----
''Randall is shown completely unable to control his horse. He is in the process of falling off and is flailing his arms.
|-
| {{w|Freestyle BMX}} - Contestants ride BMX bikes and perform various tricks, and are then judged by trick quality.|| He would likely fail to perform even basic tricks, and any attempts to do so would result in one or more crashes.
|-
| {{w|Pommel horse}} - Using a gymnastic device somewhat similar to a horse, gymnasts perform various tricks.|| They might awkwardly flop around, fall off, or lose their balance & risk crushing {{tvtropes|GroinAttack|a particularly squashy part}} of their anatomy, which could, depending on one's sense of humor, the context, & the exact aesthetics of the incident, elicit laughter.
----
''Randall is depicted awkwardly perched atop a pommel horse with a leg extended.
|}

The title text may be a reference to ski jumper {{w|Vinko Bogataj}}, whose spectacular crash at a (non-Olympic) {{w|Ski_flying|ski flying}} event in 1970 in Oberstdorf, (then) West Germany became emblematic of the expression "the agony of defeat" in the opening narration of the popular US television program "{{w|Wide World of Sports (American TV program)|Wide World of Sports}}". Alternatively the reference may be to {{w|Eddie the Eagle}}, whose poor performance in the {{w|Ski_jumping|ski jump}} at the {{w|1988 Winter Olympics}} led to the introduction of a rule requiring entrants to be ranked internationally in the top 50 and top 30%.

==Transcript==
:[A header is above three panels, with each panel containing a title at the top of how funny it would be, a bullet list of five sports, and one or two depictions of Cueball performing sports from that list.]
:Header: Olympic Sports ranked by how funny it would be if I, a regular person without athletic training, snuck onto the team to compete:

:[The first panel:]
:Title: Not that funny
:*Rowing
:*Fencing
:*Weightlifting
:*Golf
:*Archery
:[This panel shows Cueball putting a ball with a golf club and missing the hole from a close distance, and Cueball aiming a bow while three arrows are on the ground at various distances from the target.]

:[The second panel:]
:Title: Pretty funny
:*Swimming
:*Long jump
:*Pole vault
:*Diving
:*Hurdles
:[This panel shows Cueball running stomach-first into a hurdle, while holding an arm in front of his head. Another hurdle behind him has fallen down.]
:Cueball: [Bonk] Ow! [Bonk] Ow!

:[The third panel:]
:Title: Incredibly funny
:*Figure skating
:*Horizontal bar
:*Equestrian
:*BMX freestyle
:*Pommel horse
:[The first depiction of this panel shows Cueball balancing himself on a pommel horse as if he's riding a real horse, with both of his hands and one leg down and the other leg slightly raised.]
:Cueball: Look! Look!
:[The second depiction of this panel shows Cueball wearing black helmet and riding a horse, struggling to stay on the running horse with both hands and one leg raised.]
:Cueball: AAAAA!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Rankings]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]

3244: Pullback Drive

2026-05-16T02:01:21Z

211.30.61.129: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3244
| date = May 11, 2026
| title = Pullback Drive
| image = pullback_drive_2x.png
| imagesize = 303x292px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "How does the spring not run out almost immediately?" "We pull it back REALLY far."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by A STOMP ROCKET POWERED CAR. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[File:Darda Buggy Teile.jpg|thumb|right|A pullback mechanism (bottom-right) is a very simple engine for a vehicle to have.]]
This comic is a reference to toy cars with {{w|pullback motor}}s. Normally used for small toy cars, a spring motor stores potential energy when the car is pulled (or pushed) backwards, and the potential energy is suddenly released as kinetic energy when the car is released.

The most simple version of pull-back car, with its wheels linked directly to its spring by nothing more than a simple gear train, will only go as far forward as it is drawn backwards in the first place, even assuming no slippage or frictional losses. It's functionally similar to the classic home-made [https://teachbesideme.com/spool-racers-homemade-wind-up-toy/ "spool racer"] toy. More complicated versions can use a change in effective gearing (through the use of a 'flappy' gear that meshes differently depending upon the relative direction of movement of the cogs it is meshed with) between 'charging' the spring by back-pulling, and then letting it 'expend' in the forward direction. This can allow it to store a lot of torque from a little pre-pulled distance and then expend it to give far more effective speed/distance to the very light toy. Through a free-wheel gearing at the end of its 'powered' phase, the car may run on 'unpowered' for a significant further distance. However, since there is a finite amount of energy that can be stored in the spring, they may hit a hard limit where the spring cannot be wound any further, or commonly a slip-gear will simply click as the mechanism no longer tries to convert pull-back movement into sprung potential (letting the child know that their toy is at maximum readiness).

In this comic, [[Hairy]] suggests a full-scale version of a pullback car. Making this type of energy store work on the scale of a full-size car would be extremely impractical, due to the {{w|Energy density#In material deformation|low power}} and the requirement to pull it back far enough to then go anywhere meaningful, even assuming a multiplying effect on forward travel compared to the initial backwards travel, as well as difficulty making sharp turns until enough energy has been expended to cause the car to slow down sufficiently. Such a car would also have the significant disadvantage of not being able to provide a reverse gear.

Hairy tries to sell the car by saying that [[Cueball]] won't need to worry about gas or electricity prices. This is [[technically]] true, but cars that run on petroleum or electricity have the advantage of their energy supply being refillable, while this pullback car seemingly does not (without another factory-style 'pull back' facility). The worries about electricity and gas prices may be a reference to the closure of the {{w|Strait of Hormuz}} due to the {{w|2026 Iran war}}. The strait was a very common waterway used for the international trade of natural gas and petroleum from the Middle East, but the Iranian government is currently not allowing any foreign ships to pass through it. If this type of propulsion works, this would negate the need to fuel the car, making it a good energy-efficient alternative if it could be practically implemented. But hopefully they don’t give the car too {{What If|61|much energy.}}

It would be possible to "recharge" such a car by repeating the process of pulling (or pushing) it backwards, or perhaps by placing it on a treadmill-style arrangement and running this forward relative to the car while holding the vehicle stationary. However, the energy being stored in the spring motor would have to come from somewhere. No clue is given to what form of mechanical device is used to pull the car back at the factory and if/when it needs to be retensioned again, but the means used to power ''that'' might entirely defeat the main purpose of the pullback car (that that it doesn't rely on various fuels to keep it going) if it relies on such fuels itself. Pushing also creates a dangerous situation in that the motive force is necessarily in the car's path, and if the brake is broken or hasn't been applied, the car will run over/collide with anything immediately in front of it once the pushing force ceases.

A flywheel connected to the motor could occasionally be lowered onto the road when the car is under braking and then automatically raised, which might work as a form of charging if the released kinetic energy could be diverted to the main wheels. However, the automatic lowering and raising of the flywheel would require an external energy source, and it would be much simpler to just use an electric car at that point. Plus, this would produce diminishing returns and the car would still need to be "recharged" every so often.

In the title text, Hairy tries to ally Cueball's range anxiety about the low capacity for energy storage meaning that it would run out almost immediately compared to a traditional combustion or electric engine, by stating that they "pull it back '''''REALLY''''' far". Due to the inbuilt 'clicking-limit' that already is implied to have been reached, this wouldn't really help, since any further 'pulling back' would simply be wasted energy. If the mechanism is large and powerful enough to store the energy needed to make the car go any appreciable distance, the acceleration that results when it is released is likely to be a deeply unpleasant and dangerous experience. Furthermore, more pulling back would not address any of the other problems noted above.

To some extent, the spring-powered car is a direct analogue to electric cars (whether pre-charged at the factory or not), where forms of externally-generated power are transfered to a 'potential' held within the vehicle to be re-expended (with acceptable losses in conversion efficiencies) as movement. By contrast, fuel-powered cars provide the energy in the form of potential-holding material (LPG, fuel-oils, or even solid fuel like coal or wood, depending upon the vehicle), which is expelled after use and refilled with new supplies. The advantages of electrical power are that it can be relatively easily generated by means ''other'' than burning fossil fuels, and (while not currently at energy densities comparable to common engine fuels), the weight of batteries required to power a car over a given distance isn't anything like as problematic as the equivalent spring-based system would be.

Fun Fact: Paolo Bacigalupi's 2009 dystopic SF novel "The Windup Girl" is set in a post-petroleum world where this kind of propulsion is normal. Spring technology is incredibly advanced compared to our present. Cars are powered by springs that are wound-up in factories on treadmills with genetically engineered mastodons. These springs can then be placed into cars and other machines. They are exchangeable, so if one spring runs out, you replace it with another. Fuel-powered cars still exist, but are only used by the military, and the motor sounds they produce have a terrifying effect on the general population, because they are not used to those sounds any more.

==Transcript==

:[Hairy and Cueball are standing to the right of a medium-size car. Hairy has raised one hand slightly to point to the car.]
:Hairy: You won't have to worry about gas prices '''''or''''' electricity prices with our new pullback drive model.
:Hairy: At the factory, we put the car on the ground and tow it all the way backward until it starts clicking.
:Hairy: To drive forward, you just release the brake and it goes.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]

3244: Pullback Drive

2026-05-16T01:59:27Z

211.30.61.129: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3244
| date = May 11, 2026
| title = Pullback Drive
| image = pullback_drive_2x.png
| imagesize = 303x292px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "How does the spring not run out almost immediately?" "We pull it back REALLY far."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by A STOMP ROCKET POWERED CAR. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[File:Darda Buggy Teile.jpg|thumb|right|A pullback mechanism (bottom-right) is a very simple engine for a vehicle to have.]]
This comic is a reference to toy cars with {{w|pullback motor}}s. Normally used for small toy cars, a spring motor stores potential energy when the car is pulled (or pushed) backwards, and the potential energy is suddenly released as kinetic energy when the car is released.

The most simple version of pull-back car, with its wheels linked directly to its spring by nothing more than a simple gear train, will only go as far forward as it is drawn backwards in the first place, even assuming no slippage or frictional losses. It's functionally similar to the classic home-made [https://teachbesideme.com/spool-racers-homemade-wind-up-toy/ "spool racer"] toy. More complicated versions can use a change in effective gearing (through the use of a 'flappy' gear that meshes differently depending upon the relative direction of movement of the cogs it is meshed with) between 'charging' the spring by back-pulling, and then letting it 'expend' in the forward direction. This can allow it to store a lot of torque from a little pre-pulled distance and then expend it to give far more effective speed/distance to the very light toy. Through a free-wheel gearing at the end of its 'powered' phase, the car may run on 'unpowered' for a significant further distance. However, since there is a finite amount of energy that can be stored in the spring, they may hit a hard limit where the spring cannot be wound any further, or commonly a slip-gear will simply click as the mechanism no longer tries to convert pull-back movement into sprung potential (letting the child know that their toy is at maximum readiness).

In this comic, [[Hairy]] suggests a full-scale version of a pullback car. Making this type of energy store work on the scale of a full-size car would be extremely impractical, due to the {{w|Energy density#In material deformation|low power}} and the requirement to pull it back far enough to then go anywhere meaningful, even assuming a multiplying effect on forward travel compared to the initial backwards travel, as well as difficulty making sharp turns until enough energy has been expended to cause the car to slow down sufficiently. Such a car would also have the significant disadvantage of not being able to provide a reverse gear.

Hairy tries to sell the car by saying that [[Cueball]] won't need to worry about gas or electricity prices. This is [[technically]] true, but cars that run on petroleum or electricity have the advantage of their energy supply being refillable, while this pullback car seemingly does not (without another factory-style 'pull back' facility). The worries about electricity and gas prices may be a reference to the closure of the {{w|Strait of Hormuz}} due to the {{w|2026 Iran war}}. The strait was a very common waterway used for the international trade of natural gas and petroleum from the Middle East, but the Iranian government is currently not allowing any foreign ships to pass through it. If this type of propulsion works, this would negate the need to fuel the car, making it a good energy-efficient alternative if it could be practically implemented. But hopefully they don’t give the car too {{What If|61|much energy.}}

It would be possible to "recharge" such a car by repeating the process of pulling (or pushing) it backwards, or perhaps by placing it on a treadmill-style arrangement and running this forward relative to the car while holding the vehicle stationary. However, the energy being stored in the spring motor would have to come from somewhere. No clue is given to what form of mechanical device is used to pull the car back at the factory and if/when it needs to be retensioned again, but the means used to power ''that'' might entirely defeat the main purpose of the pullback car (that that it doesn't rely on various fuels to keep it going) if it relies on such fuels itself. Pushing also creates a dangerous situation in that the motive force is necessarily in the car's path, and if the brake is broken or hasn't been applied, the car will run over/collide with anything immediately in front of it.

A flywheel connected to the motor could occasionally be lowered onto the road when the car is under braking and then automatically raised, which might work as a form of charging if the released kinetic energy could be diverted to the main wheels. However, the automatic lowering and raising of the flywheel would require an external energy source, and it would be much simpler to just use an electric car at that point. Plus, this would produce diminishing returns and the car would still need to be "recharged" every so often.

In the title text, Hairy tries to ally Cueball's range anxiety about the low capacity for energy storage meaning that it would run out almost immediately compared to a traditional combustion or electric engine, by stating that they "pull it back '''''REALLY''''' far". Due to the inbuilt 'clicking-limit' that already is implied to have been reached, this wouldn't really help, since any further 'pulling back' would simply be wasted energy. If the mechanism is large and powerful enough to store the energy needed to make the car go any appreciable distance, the acceleration that results when it is released is likely to be a deeply unpleasant and dangerous experience. Furthermore, more pulling back would not address any of the other problems noted above.

To some extent, the spring-powered car is a direct analogue to electric cars (whether pre-charged at the factory or not), where forms of externally-generated power are transfered to a 'potential' held within the vehicle to be re-expended (with acceptable losses in conversion efficiencies) as movement. By contrast, fuel-powered cars provide the energy in the form of potential-holding material (LPG, fuel-oils, or even solid fuel like coal or wood, depending upon the vehicle), which is expelled after use and refilled with new supplies. The advantages of electrical power are that it can be relatively easily generated by means ''other'' than burning fossil fuels, and (while not currently at energy densities comparable to common engine fuels), the weight of batteries required to power a car over a given distance isn't anything like as problematic as the equivalent spring-based system would be.

Fun Fact: Paolo Bacigalupi's 2009 dystopic SF novel "The Windup Girl" is set in a post-petroleum world where this kind of propulsion is normal. Spring technology is incredibly advanced compared to our present. Cars are powered by springs that are wound-up in factories on treadmills with genetically engineered mastodons. These springs can then be placed into cars and other machines. They are exchangeable, so if one spring runs out, you replace it with another. Fuel-powered cars still exist, but are only used by the military, and the motor sounds they produce have a terrifying effect on the general population, because they are not used to those sounds any more.

==Transcript==

:[Hairy and Cueball are standing to the right of a medium-size car. Hairy has raised one hand slightly to point to the car.]
:Hairy: You won't have to worry about gas prices '''''or''''' electricity prices with our new pullback drive model.
:Hairy: At the factory, we put the car on the ground and tow it all the way backward until it starts clicking.
:Hairy: To drive forward, you just release the brake and it goes.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]

3244: Pullback Drive

2026-05-16T01:49:54Z

211.30.61.129: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3244
| date = May 11, 2026
| title = Pullback Drive
| image = pullback_drive_2x.png
| imagesize = 303x292px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "How does the spring not run out almost immediately?" "We pull it back REALLY far."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by A STOMP ROCKET POWERED CAR. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[File:Darda Buggy Teile.jpg|thumb|right|A pullback mechanism (bottom-right) is a very simple engine for a vehicle to have.]]
This comic is a reference to toy cars with {{w|pullback motor}}s. Normally used for small toy cars, a spring motor stores potential energy when the car is pulled (or pushed) backwards, and the potential energy is suddenly released as kinetic energy when the car is released.

The most simple version of pull-back car, with its wheels linked directly to its spring by nothing more than a simple gear train, will only go as far forward as it is drawn backwards in the first place, even assuming no slippage or frictional losses. It's functionally similar to the classic home-made [https://teachbesideme.com/spool-racers-homemade-wind-up-toy/ "spool racer"] toy. More complicated versions can use a change in effective gearing (through the use of a 'flappy' gear that meshes differently depending upon the relative direction of movement of the cogs it is meshed with) between 'charging' the spring by back-pulling, and then letting it 'expend' in the forward direction. This can allow it to store a lot of torque from a little pre-pulled distance and then expend it to give far more effective speed/distance to the very light toy. Through a free-wheel gearing at the end of its 'powered' phase, the car may run on 'unpowered' for a significant further distance. However, since there is a finite amount of energy that can be stored in the spring, they may hit a hard limit where the spring cannot be wound any further, or commonly a slip-gear will simply click as the mechanism no longer tries to convert pull-back movement into sprung potential (letting the child know that their toy is at maximum readiness).

In this comic, [[Hairy]] suggests a full-scale version of a pullback car. Making this type of energy store work on the scale of a full-size car would be extremely impractical, due to the {{w|Energy density#In material deformation|low power}} and the requirement to pull it back far enough to then go anywhere meaningful, even assuming a multiplying effect on forward travel compared to the initial backwards travel, as well as difficulty making sharp turns until enough energy has been expended to cause the car to slow down sufficiently. Such a car would also have the significant disadvantage of not being able to provide a reverse gear.

Hairy tries to sell the car by saying that [[Cueball]] won't need to worry about gas or electricity prices. This is [[technically]] true, but cars that run on petroleum or electricity have the advantage of their energy supply being refillable, while this pullback car seemingly does not (without another factory-style 'pull back' facility). The worries about electricity and gas prices may be a reference to the closure of the {{w|Strait of Hormuz}} due to the {{w|2026 Iran war}}. The strait was a very common waterway used for the international trade of natural gas and petroleum from the Middle East, but the Iranian government is currently not allowing any foreign ships to pass through it. If this type of propulsion works, this would negate the need to fuel the car, making it a good energy-efficient alternative if it could be practically implemented. But hopefully they don’t give the car too {{What If|61|much energy.}}

It would be possible to "recharge" such a car by repeating the process of pulling (or pushing) it backwards, or perhaps by placing it on a treadmill-style arrangement and running this forward relative to the car, while holding the vehicle stationary, as well as creating a danger of being run over by the car if you stop pushing while the brake is off. However, the energy being stored in the spring motor would have to come from somewhere. No clue is given to what form of mechanical device is used to pull the car back at the factory and if/when it needs to be retensioned again, but the means used to power ''that'' might entirely defeat the main purpose of the pullback car (that that it doesn't rely on various fuels to keep it going) if it relies on such fuels itself.

A flywheel connected to the motor could occasionally be lowered onto the road when the car is under braking and then automatically raised, which might work as a form of charging if the released kinetic energy could be diverted to the main wheels. However, the automatic lowering and raising of the flywheel would require an external energy source, and it would be much simpler to just use an electric car at that point. Plus, this would produce diminishing returns and the car would still need to be "recharged" every so often.

In the title text, Hairy tries to ally Cueball's range anxiety about the low capacity for energy storage meaning that it would run out almost immediately compared to a traditional combustion or electric engine, by stating that they "pull it back '''''REALLY''''' far". Due to the inbuilt 'clicking-limit' that already is implied to have been reached, this wouldn't really help, since any further 'pulling back' would simply be wasted energy. If the mechanism is large and powerful enough to store the energy needed to make the car go any appreciable distance, the acceleration that results when it is released is likely to be a deeply unpleasant and dangerous experience. Furthermore, more pulling back would not address any of the other problems noted above.

To some extent, the spring-powered car is a direct analogue to electric cars (whether pre-charged at the factory or not), where forms of externally-generated power are transfered to a 'potential' held within the vehicle to be re-expended (with acceptable losses in conversion efficiencies) as movement. By contrast, fuel-powered cars provide the energy in the form of potential-holding material (LPG, fuel-oils, or even solid fuel like coal or wood, depending upon the vehicle), which is expelled after use and refilled with new supplies. The advantages of electrical power are that it can be relatively easily generated by means ''other'' than burning fossil fuels, and (while not currently at energy densities comparable to common engine fuels), the weight of batteries required to power a car over a given distance isn't anything like as problematic as the equivalent spring-based system would be.

Fun Fact: Paolo Bacigalupi's 2009 dystopic SF novel "The Windup Girl" is set in a post-petroleum world where this kind of propulsion is normal. Spring technology is incredibly advanced compared to our present. Cars are powered by springs that are wound-up in factories on treadmills with genetically engineered mastodons. These springs can then be placed into cars and other machines. They are exchangeable, so if one spring runs out, you replace it with another. Fuel-powered cars still exist, but are only used by the military, and the motor sounds they produce have a terrifying effect on the general population, because they are not used to those sounds any more.

==Transcript==

:[Hairy and Cueball are standing to the right of a medium-size car. Hairy has raised one hand slightly to point to the car.]
:Hairy: You won't have to worry about gas prices '''''or''''' electricity prices with our new pullback drive model.
:Hairy: At the factory, we put the car on the ground and tow it all the way backward until it starts clicking.
:Hairy: To drive forward, you just release the brake and it goes.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]