explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3211: Amperage

2026-03-01T15:53:26Z

2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471: I agree

Seems like this would be at least tangentially related to the Cursed Connectors series, although it's just the outlets and cords this time. [[User:Zakator|Zakator]] ([[User talk:Zakator|talk]]) 05:51, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

I would assume that this is related to styropyro's latest video? [[Special:Contributions/142.126.42.193|142.126.42.193]] 05:59, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: I’ll second the comment about the new styropyro video; it seems very likely that it inspired Randall to make this comic and is probably worth a mention. [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB91:829C:47BD:C826:B8DB:5A5E:913A|2607:FB91:829C:47BD:C826:B8DB:5A5E:913A]] 07:50, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: I think that's very likely - in literally every single group of nerds (eg xkcd-adjacent) I've seen people talking about it. I'd be very, very surprised if he hasn't at all seen it[[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

200 amps is NOT "an amount of electricity power"; The amp is a unit of electrical current, from which power can be derived by multiplying by voltage.[[Special:Contributions/2001:8003:7087:E602:3CBE:B25:5BFC:61BD|2001:8003:7087:E602:3CBE:B25:5BFC:61BD]] 07:41, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

The current explanation seems to assume that Cueball is aware in advance of some of the problems his scheme is likely to cause, and is trying to forestall them. That seems unlikely - it's Cueball after all. It's far more likely that he has ''already'' melted all his wiring (and ruined his carpet), but just considers that a new engineering challenge to overcome. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

It is amusing or instructional to consider how residential wiring would be engineered if the equipment and circuits were designed with a system that supplied constant current rather than constant voltage. Long ago carbon-arc streetlights were all wired in series and run at perhaps 6 or 8 amps. The "failure" mode is not a short circuit but an open circuit. Protective devices close the offending open. Perhaps Cueball would like to explore such a system, running megavolts at 500 amps, unless he already has. [[Special:Contributions/173.188.198.217|173.188.198.217]] 12:56, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

I understand the theory of it, and it clearly doesn't cause any more electrical fires than home run circuits, but the UK's 32A ring circuits on 14 gauge wire will always make me raise an eyebrow. [[Special:Contributions/64.135.140.145|64.135.140.145]] 13:36, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:The US's pathetically wimpy system always raises an eyebrow for me. No wonder Cueball felt the need to upgrade his house. I would also be frustrated by not being able to run a kettle and a toaster on the same circuit simultaneously. No tea and no toast?? Sacrilege! [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:21, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:: >"frustrated by not being able to run a kettle and a toaster on the same circuit simultaneously." Why must it be the same circuit? The US NEC code calls for TWO 20A circuits in kitchen/pantry. US market kettles are, in your opinion, underpowered, 1500 Watts (or less!), so as to run comfortably on even legacy 15A circuits. The toaster goes on the other kitchen circuit. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 00:52, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Wow, two circuits are mandated?! That goes to show how dire the situation is with their limited available power. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 05:52, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
::::Just use the stove for your Tea and Toast [[Special:Contributions/66.210.7.66|66.210.7.66]] 16:01, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::Just microwave the lot and be done with it. [[Special:Contributions/176.138.186.7|176.138.186.7]] 21:31, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::This is why I never drink tea when I'm in the US.--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:C1C2:6444:7428:2D04|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:C1C2:6444:7428:2D04]] 08:59, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
::::::I've heard this before and do not understand the issue. Do you think we have the tea bag in the water while microwaving it? Or do you think the water remembers how it was heated? [[User:BaddDadd|BaddDadd]] ([[User talk:BaddDadd|talk]]) 22:19, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
::::::::No, they don't think that far. Although they believe themselves to be lovers of tea (because they grow up being told they are), Brits are mostly simply prolific consumers of truly execrable tea. But that religion/identity thing they've got going on with regards to tea consumption makes them believe the ceremony and performance of it has validity – superiority even. So a different performance is regarded as wrong. Sure, their belief that their ceremony is underpinned by reason makes them think their hatred of alternatives is similarly reasonable...but it's really just the condemnation of perceived heresy, nothing more. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 00:16, 28 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::::Well, we've gone over this sort of thing before... See [[3022: Making Tea]] for details. ;) (And also take care not to splice apart comments from their signatures!) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:59, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
::I'm not sure why no toaster means no toast. You don't need a toaster to make toast. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 21:53, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
: 2.5mm2 is actually more closer to a 13 gauge (which corresponds to 2.6mm2), and with it being in a ring so electricity has two ways to go it's more closer to what a 12 gauge (3.3mm2) would be able to hold. [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 22:48, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:: The current will be about equal through the two paths if the outlet is half way around the ring. If it's, say, only 10 percent of the way around, 90% of the current will take the shorter path. [[User:BaddDadd|BaddDadd]] ([[User talk:BaddDadd|talk]]) 22:22, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

xkcd is a good distractor from everything that's going on with the world. Thanks, Randall! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 13:57, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

Retired electrical engineer from a power distribution manufacturer here... The resistance in the wires doesn't increase all that much with increasing current. The increase in heat generated is proportional to the amount of current flowing through the wires squared. Double the current and the heat generated quadruples. Go from 15 amps to 500 amps and the heat generated by the resistance in the wires increases about 1100 times. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1702:7A0:8230:9DBF:A415:F8AF:7799|2600:1702:7A0:8230:9DBF:A415:F8AF:7799]] 17:10, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:Isn't heat generated proportional to current squared? or is that resistance. maybe im tripping[[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
::Power lost as heat is determined by voltage drop in the line times current [P=IV] and since voltage drop equals current times resistance [V=IR] then heat is determined by resistance times current-squared [P=I*(IR)], so half current makes one quarter of the heat.[[Special:Contributions/57.140.28.40|57.140.28.40]] 18:19, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

120V AC at 15A would not be 1800W. 120V DC would, but the AC power is a sine wave, so to get the overall average power you need to divide by the square root of two. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1009:B1AC:BBBB:1D51:D689:1D5F:6A11|2600:1009:B1AC:BBBB:1D51:D689:1D5F:6A11]] 17:50, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: To commenter above: 120V in the US is RMS voltage, so it's already divided.
: To original poster: "and inside his appliances and start a fire, even if there is no fault". Unless the appliance itself is drawing more than it's rated for (e.g. 15 or 20A (unlikely)) there's no reason the appliance's internal wiring would disintegrate because it's on a 500A circuit.
:I'm assuming the "cords" cueball refers to are extension cords (which are themselves overloaded) vs. appliance cords which shouldn't have any problem unless the appliance was already suffering some kind of short. [[Special:Contributions/74.76.64.197|74.76.64.197]]
::Absolutely correct. Appliances are designed with appropriate internal wiring, so if the appliance is drawing 500A the appliance can handle 500A. The cord from outlet to appliance is the issue here, as Cueball has already mentioned. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:21, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

Could this perhaps be a reference to [[3198: Double-Pronged Extension Cord]]? [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 21:06, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

There is nothing in the comic to suggest the internal wall wiring is melting or catching fire. I think we can assume Cueball has upgraded the internal wall wiring to match the breaker upgrades. Cueball is only enquiring about cords which don't catch fire, and "cords" are the external extension leads. Cueball doesn't say anything about internal wall issues. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:30, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:The outlet is a Type B (NEMA 5-15) outlet (note the two vertical slots in the comic), these are designed for 15 Amps. These simply cannot support 500 Amps (the wires to support 500 Amps are bigger than the entire outlet). Cuball hasn't even upgraded to a NEMA 5-20R outlet which can support 20 Amps. [[Special:Contributions/2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471|2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471]] 06:07, 28 February 2026 (UTC)
::You exclude the possibility of them being (deliberately or just by chance) over engineered, perhaps massively so. I don't believe that there's any reason to have an upper limit to capacity, just a hard lower limit below which they must not be expected to fail. Except in any actual fuse/RCD that is fitted for the protection of the nominally-rated hardware (where sockets have such things in them, rather than the lead-plugs, easily replacable/resettable or not), which I would expect to have been 'upgraded' as part of the whole scenario as a matter of course.
::At some point, you can probably work out the physical limit of Type B (or semi-compatible Type A) prongs, which seem to me to be rather weedier than the pins that ''my'' national plug-standard uses, for any given material used (plotting the self-reinforcing resistance vs temperature problem, to check it doesn't go over the material's MP), but that's a cable issue anyway, and who knows how chunky the 'backplate' metalwork actually is, because there's not such an obvious upper limit to that (perhaps divide the backplate ''entirely'' into three distinct 'lumps', plus necessarily sufficient air/other-insulator gap, but that's going to far outperform the plug-pin limitations wihout even trying).
::Or, by sacrificing some slight cross-section, what if it was riddled/jacketed with microchannels through which liquid helium (or other sufficiently cold gas/liquid) flowed, in order to maintain supercondunctivity and/or just soak up the excess resistive heat... hardly something allowed by a standard off-the-shelf socket, I know, but maybe Beret Guy was his (original, or upgrading) electrician. One can then imagine such a coolant household system being extended on demand through specially-designed power leads (hollow-tipped prongs, and open-on-contact 'cup' valves at the bottom of the socket holes, and some clever flexible-yet-insulating way of conveying the house-supply of coolant through any such plugged in lead, all without causing cold-induced brittleness of course!) to 'solve' the problem he's now asking about, caused by him 'solving' his original current-limitation issues. ;) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.97|82.132.239.97]] 12:53, 28 February 2026 (UTC)
:::I agree with you that if you are actively cooling the outlet you could get a lot more power through it. If you are constantly actively cooling it there would probably be significant frost buildup issues, but in this hypothetical situation, you could just dehumidify the entire room, or just use your active cooling when something is actually drawing power. [[Special:Contributions/2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471|2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471]] 15:53, 1 March 2026 (UTC)

TL;DR this is a setup that would make Tim Taylor (from the sitcom {{w|Home Improvement (TV Series)|Home Improvement}}) jealous. [[Special:Contributions/2603:6011:853A:4DDA:3F9A:6297:AF9E:2340|2603:6011:853A:4DDA:3F9A:6297:AF9E:2340]] 04:43, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

I think 1000 MCM copper wire would be sufficient for the cords: https://www.cerrowire.com/products/resources/tables-calculators/ampacity-charts/ https://nassaunationalcable.com/products/1000-mcm-thhn-thwn-2-stranded-copper-building-wire [[Special:Contributions/2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471|2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471]] 04:42, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

Yet another example of the absolutely heinous overexplanation problem on modern exkcd. A comic whose joke boils down to "guy gets rid of electrical safety equipment and is surprised by the creation of serious electrical hazards as a result of this" has exploded to ''nearly 1400 words'' across 7 gigantic paragraphs with long extraneous tangents, in just ''two DAYS'' after the comic went up. This entire comic could be explained in 4 sentences for the main joke and an extra sentence for the title text. [[User:Pie Guy|Pie Guy]] ([[User talk:Pie Guy|talk]]) 04:58, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:More than that, an overwhelming majority 'exploded' into being within ''half'' a day. The 1.5 days since then has been mostly tweaking.
:Also, he didn't get rid of safety equipment. He actually put more in, but made it more ''relaxed'' safety equipment, and made sure that the greater relaxation is as exploitable as possible so that it still ''might'' get tripped, but only in a worse way. (Simultaneously more forgiving ''and'' less forgiving, depending upon whether you prioritise continuity of service or personal safety.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.204|82.132.236.204]] 11:15, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
Using the standard 15 amp outlets (as shown in the picture) with a 500 amp breaker is definitely a code violation. He needs to replace them with NEC 500 amp rated outlets (if those exist). Then buy extension cords with the corresponding 500 amp plugs. [[User:BaddDadd|BaddDadd]] ([[User talk:BaddDadd|talk]]) 22:26, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:The highest (US-'standard') rating I've found, on a quick search is the [https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/227652/does-electrical-code-allow-nema-14-60r-receptacles-in-residential-settings NEMA 14-60]-type plug/socket... Of course, if you're dealing with industrial-level currents you probably would be engineering your own conecting units to fit ''your'' particular power-transfer needs, subject only to basic common sense{{Citation needed}} and a more widely encompassing general set of federal power-regulations.{{Actual citation needed}} [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 00:19, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3211: Amperage

2026-02-28T06:07:42Z

2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471: The NEMA 5-15 outlets would melt, even if the other wiring inside the wall was upgraded.

Seems like this would be at least tangentially related to the Cursed Connectors series, although it's just the outlets and cords this time. [[User:Zakator|Zakator]] ([[User talk:Zakator|talk]]) 05:51, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

I would assume that this is related to styropyro's latest video? [[Special:Contributions/142.126.42.193|142.126.42.193]] 05:59, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: I’ll second the comment about the new styropyro video; it seems very likely that it inspired Randall to make this comic and is probably worth a mention. [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB91:829C:47BD:C826:B8DB:5A5E:913A|2607:FB91:829C:47BD:C826:B8DB:5A5E:913A]] 07:50, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: I think that's very likely - in literally every single group of nerds (eg xkcd-adjacent) I've seen people talking about it. I'd be very, very surprised if he hasn't at all seen it[[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

200 amps is NOT "an amount of electricity power"; The amp is a unit of electrical current, from which power can be derived by multiplying by voltage.[[Special:Contributions/2001:8003:7087:E602:3CBE:B25:5BFC:61BD|2001:8003:7087:E602:3CBE:B25:5BFC:61BD]] 07:41, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

The current explanation seems to assume that Cueball is aware in advance of some of the problems his scheme is likely to cause, and is trying to forestall them. That seems unlikely - it's Cueball after all. It's far more likely that he has ''already'' melted all his wiring (and ruined his carpet), but just considers that a new engineering challenge to overcome. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

It is amusing or instructional to consider how residential wiring would be engineered if the equipment and circuits were designed with a system that supplied constant current rather than constant voltage. Long ago carbon-arc streetlights were all wired in series and run at perhaps 6 or 8 amps. The "failure" mode is not a short circuit but an open circuit. Protective devices close the offending open. Perhaps Cueball would like to explore such a system, running megavolts at 500 amps, unless he already has. [[Special:Contributions/173.188.198.217|173.188.198.217]] 12:56, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

I understand the theory of it, and it clearly doesn't cause any more electrical fires than home run circuits, but the UK's 32A ring circuits on 14 gauge wire will always make me raise an eyebrow. [[Special:Contributions/64.135.140.145|64.135.140.145]] 13:36, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:The US's pathetically wimpy system always raises an eyebrow for me. No wonder Cueball felt the need to upgrade his house. I would also be frustrated by not being able to run a kettle and a toaster on the same circuit simultaneously. No tea and no toast?? Sacrilege! [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:21, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:: >"frustrated by not being able to run a kettle and a toaster on the same circuit simultaneously." Why must it be the same circuit? The US NEC code calls for TWO 20A circuits in kitchen/pantry. US market kettles are, in your opinion, underpowered, 1500 Watts (or less!), so as to run comfortably on even legacy 15A circuits. The toaster goes on the other kitchen circuit. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 00:52, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Wow, two circuits are mandated?! That goes to show how dire the situation is with their limited available power. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 05:52, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
::::Just use the stove for your Tea and Toast [[Special:Contributions/66.210.7.66|66.210.7.66]] 16:01, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::Just microwave the lot and be done with it. [[Special:Contributions/176.138.186.7|176.138.186.7]] 21:31, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::This is why I never drink tea when I'm in the US.--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:C1C2:6444:7428:2D04|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:C1C2:6444:7428:2D04]] 08:59, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
::::::I've heard this before and do not understand the issue. Do you think we have the tea bag in the water while microwaving it? Or do you think the water remembers how it was heated? [[User:BaddDadd|BaddDadd]] ([[User talk:BaddDadd|talk]]) 22:19, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
::::::::No, they don't think that far. Although they believe themselves to be lovers of tea (because they grow up being told they are), Brits are mostly simply prolific consumers of truly execrable tea. But that religion/identity thing they've got going on with regards to tea consumption makes them believe the ceremony and performance of it has validity – superiority even. So a different performance is regarded as wrong. Sure, their belief that their ceremony is underpinned by reason makes them think their hatred of alternatives is similarly reasonable...but it's really just the condemnation of perceived heresy, nothing more. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 00:16, 28 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::::Well, we've gone over this sort of thing before... See [[3022: Making Tea]] for details. ;) (And also take care not to splice apart comments from their signatures!) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:59, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
::I'm not sure why no toaster means no toast. You don't need a toaster to make toast. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 21:53, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
: 2.5mm2 is actually more closer to a 13 gauge (which corresponds to 2.6mm2), and with it being in a ring so electricity has two ways to go it's more closer to what a 12 gauge (3.3mm2) would be able to hold. [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 22:48, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:: The current will be about equal through the two paths if the outlet is half way around the ring. If it's, say, only 10 percent of the way around, 90% of the current will take the shorter path. [[User:BaddDadd|BaddDadd]] ([[User talk:BaddDadd|talk]]) 22:22, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

xkcd is a good distractor from everything that's going on with the world. Thanks, Randall! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 13:57, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

Retired electrical engineer from a power distribution manufacturer here... The resistance in the wires doesn't increase all that much with increasing current. The increase in heat generated is proportional to the amount of current flowing through the wires squared. Double the current and the heat generated quadruples. Go from 15 amps to 500 amps and the heat generated by the resistance in the wires increases about 1100 times. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1702:7A0:8230:9DBF:A415:F8AF:7799|2600:1702:7A0:8230:9DBF:A415:F8AF:7799]] 17:10, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:Isn't heat generated proportional to current squared? or is that resistance. maybe im tripping[[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
::Power lost as heat is determined by voltage drop in the line times current [P=IV] and since voltage drop equals current times resistance [V=IR] then heat is determined by resistance times current-squared [P=I*(IR)], so half current makes one quarter of the heat.[[Special:Contributions/57.140.28.40|57.140.28.40]] 18:19, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

120V AC at 15A would not be 1800W. 120V DC would, but the AC power is a sine wave, so to get the overall average power you need to divide by the square root of two. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1009:B1AC:BBBB:1D51:D689:1D5F:6A11|2600:1009:B1AC:BBBB:1D51:D689:1D5F:6A11]] 17:50, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: To commenter above: 120V in the US is RMS voltage, so it's already divided.
: To original poster: "and inside his appliances and start a fire, even if there is no fault". Unless the appliance itself is drawing more than it's rated for (e.g. 15 or 20A (unlikely)) there's no reason the appliance's internal wiring would disintegrate because it's on a 500A circuit.
:I'm assuming the "cords" cueball refers to are extension cords (which are themselves overloaded) vs. appliance cords which shouldn't have any problem unless the appliance was already suffering some kind of short. [[Special:Contributions/74.76.64.197|74.76.64.197]]
::Absolutely correct. Appliances are designed with appropriate internal wiring, so if the appliance is drawing 500A the appliance can handle 500A. The cord from outlet to appliance is the issue here, as Cueball has already mentioned. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:21, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

Could this perhaps be a reference to [[3198: Double-Pronged Extension Cord]]? [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 21:06, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

There is nothing in the comic to suggest the internal wall wiring is melting or catching fire. I think we can assume Cueball has upgraded the internal wall wiring to match the breaker upgrades. Cueball is only enquiring about cords which don't catch fire, and "cords" are the external extension leads. Cueball doesn't say anything about internal wall issues. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:30, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:The outlet is a Type B (NEMA 5-15) outlet (note the two vertical slots in the comic), these are designed for 15 Amps. These simply cannot support 500 Amps (the wires to support 500 Amps are bigger than the entire outlet). Cuball hasn't even upgraded to a NEMA 5-20R outlet which can support 20 Amps. [[Special:Contributions/2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471|2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471]] 06:07, 28 February 2026 (UTC)

TL;DR this is a setup that would make Tim Taylor (from the sitcom {{w|Home Improvement (TV Series)|Home Improvement}}) jealous. [[Special:Contributions/2603:6011:853A:4DDA:3F9A:6297:AF9E:2340|2603:6011:853A:4DDA:3F9A:6297:AF9E:2340]] 04:43, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

I think 1000 MCM copper wire would be sufficient for the cords: https://www.cerrowire.com/products/resources/tables-calculators/ampacity-charts/ https://nassaunationalcable.com/products/1000-mcm-thhn-thwn-2-stranded-copper-building-wire [[Special:Contributions/2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471|2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471]] 04:42, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

Yet another example of the absolutely heinous overexplanation problem on modern exkcd. A comic whose joke boils down to "guy gets rid of electrical safety equipment and is surprised by the creation of serious electrical hazards as a result of this" has exploded to ''nearly 1400 words'' across 7 gigantic paragraphs with long extraneous tangents, in just ''two DAYS'' after the comic went up. This entire comic could be explained in 4 sentences for the main joke and an extra sentence for the title text. [[User:Pie Guy|Pie Guy]] ([[User talk:Pie Guy|talk]]) 04:58, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:More than that, an overwhelming majority 'exploded' into being within ''half'' a day. The 1.5 days since then has been mostly tweaking.
:Also, he didn't get rid of safety equipment. He actually put more in, but made it more ''relaxed'' safety equipment, and made sure that the greater relaxation is as exploitable as possible so that it still ''might'' get tripped, but only in a worse way. (Simultaneously more forgiving ''and'' less forgiving, depending upon whether you prioritise continuity of service or personal safety.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.204|82.132.236.204]] 11:15, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
Using the standard 15 amp outlets (as shown in the picture) with a 500 amp breaker is definitely a code violation. He needs to replace them with NEC 500 amp rated outlets (if those exist). Then buy extension cords with the corresponding 500 amp plugs. [[User:BaddDadd|BaddDadd]] ([[User talk:BaddDadd|talk]]) 22:26, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:The highest (US-'standard') rating I've found, on a quick search is the [https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/227652/does-electrical-code-allow-nema-14-60r-receptacles-in-residential-settings NEMA 14-60]-type plug/socket... Of course, if you're dealing with industrial-level currents you probably would be engineering your own conecting units to fit ''your'' particular power-transfer needs, subject only to basic common sense{{Citation needed}} and a more widely encompassing general set of federal power-regulations.{{Actual citation needed}} [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 00:19, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3211: Amperage

2026-02-25T04:45:36Z

2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471: /* 1000 MCM copper wire */

Talk:3211: Amperage

2026-02-25T04:42:06Z

2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471: /* 1000 MCM copper wire */ new section

Talk:3162: Heart Mountain

2025-11-05T00:41:44Z

2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471: Link that called it a hovercraft

https://web.archive.org/web/20061007150515/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov//Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16819
At some point a giant sheet of limestone... detached and slid southeast towards Bighorn Basin.
Yawn. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1700:2120:5880:40C3:15EB:C354:BD73|2600:1700:2120:5880:40C3:15EB:C354:BD73]] 00:49, 1 November 2025 (UTC)

This being Halloween, I was really hoping for something along the lines of "[[wikipedia:The Tell-Tale Heart|The Tell-Tale Heart]]" mountain. [[Special:Contributions/76.187.17.7|76.187.17.7]] 01:21, 1 November 2025 (UTC)

Hopefully The Raven is close enough
Once upon an inter-blaggy as I scrolled my eyes all baggy
Searching through querulous old comics on the site
Quoth the explainers: “That’s not quite right” {{unsigned|Salsmachev|01:33, 1 November 2025}}

Typical, you make a properly researched link to Wikipedia and then, less than two hours later, [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heart_Mountain_(Wyoming)&diff=prev&oldid=1319829633 someone makes it] so that someone else has to {{diff|389979|'fix' the link}} and makes me look stupid. (More stupid than I already made myself look, given I might have written other bits of it differently if I'd waited until the morning.) [[Special:Contributions/2.98.65.8|2.98.65.8]] 19:15, 1 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi ! First Time commenter here. I wanted to note that the tone of the explanation feels weird to me (it is not specific to this comic, but to most latest explanation). It is very descriptive, dumbing down things that are obvious (panel 1, 2 and 3). I have the feeling the explanation would be better as something like "this is a joke about heart mountain [wikipedia link] <sumary of wikipedia link explaining how the exisiting theories a out heart mountain may look absurd>. Non need to paraphrase each element of the comic, but bette explain the ones that someone may not understand.
Am I the only one? Is this remark misplaced?
[[Special:Contributions/176.133.138.237|176.133.138.237]] 21:57, 1 November 2025 (UTC)Sayanel
:Not out of place. It's a collaborative edit, so different approaches get stacked on each other, with different ideas of what need explaining.
:I personally prefer not to describe things 'as they happen' but, if I'm coming to something already with that format, I'll place the necessarily narrative expansion of details onto that basis. (In this case, though, there was mostly an appending done, not disturbing the original any more than I saw fit.)
:Complete rewrites do get done though. Maybe you want to give that a go. Knowing that dewrites and re-rewrites might well follow, as well as the revamp merely being refined by others. [[Special:Contributions/2.98.65.8|2.98.65.8]] 23:21, 1 November 2025 (UTC)

The pioneers used to ride these babies for miles! -[[Special:Contributions/24.177.125.170|24.177.125.170]] 03:21, 2 November 2025 (UTC)
: If you listen closely, you can still hear the sounds of Eurobeat echoing from when they were travelling at high speed. Multi-thrust drifting to the tune of Running in the <s>90s</s> Laramide Orogeny. {{unsigned ip|2.101.107.222|10:47, 3 November 2025}}

Made some edits to hopefully work better. I still feel the scientific explanation is a bit threadbare, and should be written with more detail of how the conclusion was reached, but I haven't read enough to confidently rewrite that.... [[Special:Contributions/216.221.83.168|216.221.83.168]] 16:54, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

"Recent work has focused on release of gas (CO2) along the detachment surface that allowed it to move like a hovercraft." from https://www.geowyo.com/heart-mountain.html [[Special:Contributions/2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471|2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471]] 00:41, 5 November 2025 (UTC)