explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3070: Orogeny

2025-04-01T03:03:45Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Added a bit of actual content but I don’t know enough about geology to write anything meaningful

{{comic
| number = 3070
| date = March 31, 2025
| title = Orogeny
| image = orogeny_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x303px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Most properties can only boast INDOOR heated floors.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a OUTDOOR HEATED FLOOR - Needs someone who knows geology to add stuff. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is about an {{w|orogeny}}.

The title text talks about how magma is technically a heated floor.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

3056: RNA

2025-02-27T06:05:25Z

HyperBirbN3rd: I love randomly linking to relevant comics :)

{{comic
| number = 3056
| date = February 26, 2025
| title = RNA
| image = rna_2x.png
| imagesize = 566x291px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 2040s: RNA formed the basis for life each of the five known times it arose on the early Earth.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT FROM RNAWORLD. EARLY EXPLANATION THIS IS A BASE![''No, {{w|Uracil|this}} is a base!''] - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a comic about the evolution of our understanding {{w|DNA}} and {{w|RNA}} over time as we've done more research into how they figure into cellular and virus processes.. In the 1960s, we had just started to understand the role of DNA. But, as the years progress, we realized RNA played a part (initially as an intemediary), and it turned weird as we learned that RNA's role is potentially as complex as DNA's, if not more. People now believe that life as we know it developed as RNA, and then evolved proteins and DNA later, this is called the "RNA world" theory.


The first panel shows the simplified (though incorrect) version of the {{w|central dogma}}, saying that RNA's sole function is to carry information from DNA to produce proteins.

The second panel shows the discovery that RNA itself can also catalyze reactions, like in {{w|ribozymes}}.

The third panel shows the more recent discovery of many different types of RNA that have numerous functions, like {{w|small interfering RNA|siRNA}} which acts in the {{w|RNA interference}} pathway, {{w|microRNA|miRNA}} which causes regulation of transcript expression, {{w|Piwi-interacting RNA|piRNA}} which regulates {{w|transposons}} and other genetic elements, and more.

The fourth panel explains that RNA seems to be the primary actor in life, and it merely uses DNA for permanent storage of information. In particular, DNA contains the genetic information that's copied when cells divide and when ova and sperm combine.

The title text [[605: Extrapolating|extrapolates]] from the fourth panel into the 2040s, where humans have learned that RNA was responsible for the formation of life on Earth, and that life formed on Earth five times. Of course, we currently only know of one time which life formed on Earth today.

At the present time, all types of life we know of today (or have evidence of having existed) seem highly likely to have arisen from the ultimate {{w|most recent common ancestor}} of every other example. Whether this can change for the 2040s is unknown. It might take more advanced study of ancient rocks, and the sheer good fortune to uncover/discover a suitably preserved 'bed' of alternate biochemistry, to establish decent evidence of some other origin(s) of life. Another possibility is that intense analysis of the current diversity of biology ''could'' extrapolate multiple origins for some of the chemical pathways that eventually became cooperative parts in some or all more recent forms of biological cell.

RNA has been mentioned previously in [[2425: mRNA Vaccine]] and [[3002: RNAWorld]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[In each panel, Cueball is standing in front of a poster. On the poster there is a picture of a double helix (presumably DNA) and some illegible text, although the poster is different in each panel. Each panel has a header indicating the decade in which it takes place.]

:'''1960s'''
:[Cueball has a hand up in an explanatory pose]
:Cueball: Life is based on DNA, which uses RNA to make proteins do stuff.

:'''1980s'''
:[Cueball faces towards the poster, with his hand on his chin.]
:Cueball: Also, the RNA does some stuff itself, which is weird.

:'''2000s'''
:[Cueball has his arms raised in the air.]
: Cueball: There are so many types of RNA. It's doing ''so'' much stuff!

:'''2020s'''
:[Cueball has both his hands down]
:Cueball: Life is a seething mass of RNA that sometimes uses DNA to take notes.
:Person out of frame: What do the proteins do?
:Cueball: Errands for RNA.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Biology]]

User:FaviFake

2025-02-24T05:41:40Z

HyperBirbN3rd:

<big>{{TOC}}</big>'''Hey everyone! I got in touch with [[Randall Munroe]] himself!! Here's what you need to know.'''

I emailed him to ask for the official release date of [[36: Scientists]] (see [[36: Scientists#Trivia|the trivia for more info]]). Surprisingly, he got back to me! You can read the conversation, with a summary of his messages, below. I'll keep you posted if I receive more messages! You can [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:FaviFake&action=watch add this page to your watchlist] to keep track of it. I haven't received his explicit permission to feature his messages in full, so it seemed ethical to hide his messages. My emails have not been altered, but in the copy-pasting, links have been removed. These emails were all hyperlinked, I now added back only a few links. The reason I waited a few days before publishing them is because I was very busy.

In his last email, Randall expressed willingness to answer a few more questions, particularly simpler, administrative questions (like the one he answered already), but kindly explained he prefers to avoid too much meta-commentary. Because I didn't want to come up with every question and I wanted to hear everyone, I'll try to send him some that you want, if he agrees to receiving more! You can [[#Your suggestions! What should I ask?|add your suggestions here!]].

===Email thread===
{| class="wikitable"
|'''Question from the Explain xkcd wiki regarding one of your comics'''
Email thread - 4 messages —
Here's a [https://imgur.com/a/2StTkvJ screenshot of one of the emails], if you need some sort of proof.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|'''FaviFake''' <[email redacted]@gmail.com>
|14 February 2025 at 19:16 CET
|-
| colspan="2" |To: Randall Munroe <[Randall's email redacted]@gmail.com>
|-
| colspan="2" |

Hi,
I'm an editor at explainxkcd.com, which you probably know is the wiki that explains all your comics and provides as much info as possible on them.
{| class="wikitable"
|''[In the copy-pasting, links have been removed. These emails were all hyperlinked, I now added back only a few links.]''
|}
In pursuit of that goal, we have always had an unsolved mystery only you can solve. Comic [[36: Scientists]] was originally posted as a duplicate of comic [[10: Pi Equals]]. You corrected this sometime between April 23, 2006 and July 5, 2006 , when the current version showed up in the web archive (see the two links). The comic looks like one of your old drawings.

So, explain xkcd thinks that when you realized your mistake (over three months after it was originally posted), you probably found an old unused drawing and posted it, to not make it stand out compared to the other comics from that time. This all means we have no date for this comic, since it could've been posted anytime between the two dates mentioned above. You can read more about this here. (If you're interested, we have a more comprehensive history of your webcomic here.)

Could you kindly help us figure this out by checking when you released comic #[[36]], so we can add an official date to it? This is one of the only official comics which we don't know the date of.

Kind regards,

FaviFake

editor @ explain xkcd
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|'''Randall Munroe''' [Randall's email redacted]
|14 February 2025 at 22:20 CET
|-
| colspan="2" |To: FaviFake <[email redacted]@gmail.com>
|-
| colspan="2" |FaviFake,
{| class="wikitable"
|''[Randall replies, giving the official date when [[36: Scientists]] was swapped: April 28th.]''
''[He ends with:]''
|}
Thank you for your tireless documentation effort :)
{| class="wikitable"
|''[He signs]''
|}
[Quoted text hidden]
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|'''FaviFake''' <[email redacted]@gmail.com>
|15 February 2025 at 17:39 CET
|-
| colspan="2" |To: Randall Munroe <[Randall's email redacted]@gmail.com>
|-
| colspan="2" |Hello Randall,

Thank you so much for your response!! I'm certain the rest of the community will be thrilled to have an official answer.

Unfortunately, this is by far not the only "unsolved mystery" we have encountered in our research of your comic. Because we don't get to talk to you very often, I'd like to ask you if you can answer more of our many questions, if you're up for it. Of course, I do not want to annoy you or waste your time, so please let me know if this is something you'd enjoy! I will try to keep the questions entertaining for you.

Kind regards,

FaviFake

[Quoted text hidden]
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|'''Randall Munroe''' <[Randall's email redacted]@gmail.com>
|17 February 2025 at 19:02 CET
|-
| colspan="2" |To: FaviFake <[email redacted]@gmail.com>
|-
| colspan="2" |FaviFake,
{| class="wikitable"
|''[He expresses willingness to answer some additional questions, particularly simpler, administrative questions (like the one he answered), but kindly explains he prefers to avoid too much meta-commentary]''
''[He ends with:]''
|}
And seriously, my heartfelt thanks to you and everyone there. It's such a privilege to make something that people think is worth so much effort to explain <3

—Randall

[Quoted text hidden]
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|'''FaviFake''' <[email redacted]@gmail.com>
|20 February 2025 at 18:07
|-
| colspan="2" |To: Randall Munroe <[Randall's email redacted]@gmail.com>
|-
| colspan="2" |Randall,

Thank you for the kind words!! I really appreciate the offer. Next time, I'm thinking of asking the community for other simple and administrative questions, because I'm sure I don't represent everyone.
{| class="wikitable"
|''I also asked for his permission to feature this conversation here:''
|}
(Also, would it be okay to feature your responses on our wiki?)

I had drafted the paragraphs below in advance and I'm not sure if they fall outside the boundaries you mentioned, but I figured I’d ask anyway since this is a topic the other editors are very curious about. Of course, no worries if you’d rather not get into the details! We have plenty of simpler questions we can't answer ourselves. Here you go:

On June 17, 2009, you released [[Conservation]] (along with IBM's accompanying blog post), the first comic created with IBM for their "A Smarter Planet" blog. You used the filename conservation.png, as usual. On August 11, 2009, the second comic of the series, [[Prescriptions]], was released (with its blog post), but this time you used an unusual filename: ibm_hc_1.png.

We initially believed these were the only comics you created, mainly because they were the only ones featured on your page xkcd.com/asmarterplanet, but a little over a month ago we discovered two additional never-before-seen comics by experimenting with the image URLs for [[ibm_hc_2]].png and [[ibm_hc_3]].png. We believe you created these two comics as part of the IBM partnership, but for some reason they were never released publicly and were only accessible from imgs.xkcd.com. (Interestingly enough, they are still available!)

Any additional info you can give us would help a ton! For example: their titles, when they were drawn or supposed to be released, or why they were never officially published. Thank you!

—FaviFake
|}
===What I think I should reply back===
*I first asked for permission to make the conversation public, so you all can read what he said. I wasn't told not to make it public, I just think I should ask for permission first. I'm not even sure if this was the right thing. If you have thoughts, [[User talk:FaviFake#Contacting Randall Munroe|please send them to me on my talk page]]!
*I didn't think it was fair to do everything myself, so I wanted to also hear what you wanted to ask! Randall asked for simpler, administrative questions (like the one he answered), and not ones that required too much explaining. Please add your suggestions to the section below!
*I think in the first message we should send some of the easiest questions to answer, quick ones like "when was this released", and then we can start to ask slightly more complex (but still administrative) questions.

===Your suggestions! What should I ask?===
{{notice2|Remember, he said only simple questions. I'm assuming he'd like questions similar to the one he replied to(short, sweet, no explaining needed), or questions that shouldn't require him to explain his comic more than he has already done.

'''What's something relatively important that we don't know and that only Randall can answer in a few words?'''}}
{{notice|

Format your suggestions like this:

<nowiki>SUMMARY OF SUGGESTION --~~~~ </nowiki>
<nowiki>:Explain in more detail your suggestion.</nowiki> <nowiki>::Discuss it and vote --~~~~</nowiki>
Add new suggestions below the other ones.}}

{{Done}}'''[[ibm_hc_2]] and [[ibm_hc_3]] (newly-discovered comics) and comic [[36: Scientists]]''' --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:34, 21 February 2025 (UTC)
:I asked this one already, because I assume it's the most important one right now. You can [[#Email thread|see my question above]].

'''Why was what if? article ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20161205191559/http://what-if.xkcd.com/153 Peptides] deleted?'' --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:34, 21 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:[[what if? (blog)]] is a blog written by [[Randall]] with entries posted occasionally. On December 5, 2016, the article ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20161205191559/http://what-if.xkcd.com/153 Peptides]'' was published as number {{what if|153|153}}. However, it was [https://web.archive.org/web/20161206171630/http://what-if.xkcd.com/153/ removed the following day] and was replaced by a notice: "''Whoops. This article is still in progress. An early draft was unintentionally posted here thanks to Randall's [http://xkcd.com/1597/ troubled approach to git], and it took a little bit to get everything sorted out and rolled back. Sorry for the mixup!"''. No finished version of the article was ever published, and the URL was later reused for ''{{what if|153|Hide the Atmosphere}}''.
::I this this one is very interesting, but it might not be as administrative and short as Randall wants. He'd need to explain the reason why it wasn't published and why it looks like a complete article, not a "draft". Anyone agree? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:34, 21 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Copy paste from my reply below which I wrote first: "I'm not quite sure he likes questions about things he actually wished to delete... I mean seriously he tried to hide it but we got hold of it anyway?" --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:26, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

'''What happened to [[Five-Minute Comics: Part 4]]? --[[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 17:49, 22 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:A lost xkcd comic. He accidentally posted this instead of [[940]], and then erased all evidence of its existence by redirecting the direct image URL to a notice claiming it was a minor glitch in the universe. I'd get deleting the image outright, but just replacing it with what is essentially a sign to stop looking for it? Kinda weird. Also, how many more of these 5MCs has he made that are potentially lost media?
::I like this one, but I'm not sure if it's as simple as he'd like. He'd need to explain why he created the comic, which he almost never does. But there might be a way to ask it in a way that allows him to reply without revealing too much info. Btw, you seem very active on this wiki, do you have anything else in mind? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:11, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:::I'm not quite sure he likes questions about things he actually wished to delete... I mean seriously he tried to hide it but we got hold of it anyway? Also we know why he drew these, it was a game he played with family. He just did not mean to post the fourth one. There might be more, but he only posted the three because he could not cope with the cancer of his wife and did not whish to give up his schedule. So as he could not draw three comics fast enough for that week he used these instead. Asking into this would also remind him of his wife's cancer. I vote no to this as an e-mail to Randall! [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:24, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

'''Why were the first comics uploaded seemingly randomly? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 21:51, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:Initially, randall posted his comics to LiveJournal ([[LiveJournal|learn more here]]). The new xkcd website opened on January 1, 2006, and the backlog of 41 comics from LiveJournal from [[1: Barrel - Part 1]] to [[44: Love]] was transferred on the same day, but in a completely different order. The only comic that has the same number on both sites is [[3: Island (sketch)]], while all the other comics were uploaded seemingly at random. Also, only eleven of the original comic titles were reused of the new site, and even among the last eleven comics posted on both sites, only six used the same title.

'''When was [[Blue Eyes]] released? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:01, 23 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:[[xkcd]]'s [[Blue Eyes]] puzzle is a logic puzzle posted around the same time as comic [[169: Words that End in GRY]]. [[Randall]] calls it "The Hardest Logic Puzzle in the World" on its page, but whether it really is the hardest is up to speculation. This is incorrect, as the comic was available long before October 11, 2006. The earliest date we have is [https://web.archive.org/web/20041024201125/http://68.57.186.221:8080/ October 24th, 2004] (see fourth link on the page), and the earliest version of the comic is from [https://web.archive.org/web/20041109034300/http://68.57.186.221:8080/blue_eyes.html November 4th, 2004]. Additionally, both the puzzle [https://xkcd.com/solution.html and the solution] (here's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20061102070433/https://xkcd.com/solution.html earlier version of the solution])were modified and updated several times since its release.

'''Why are some of the april fools' comics late? - [[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.108|172.71.146.108]] 18:55, 22 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:I'm fairly sure we've had this answered already ("things just weren't quite ready/more testing was needed") for some of the more technical ones, in some other place. Whether we can get more detail and for ''every'' not-on-time might be a matter of him having to remember the precise circumstances. And I also would feel uncomfortable if this turned into "why was <random non-April Fool comic> late?". Or early. (When doing Rightpondian book-tours, sometimes surprisingly early, but every now and then it seems he manages to release them from his native Leftpondia even early here in the Rightpondian day.) But this is far too much detail (and far too much expectation), of no importance so long as he continues to average out at three regular comics a week and ''if he wants to'', and ''when he can'', anything a bit more special.
:Consider this a downvote on bothering him with this question, but that's of course only my opinion, in leiu of anything more constructive to add ("What's your favourite cheese..?") [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.190|172.69.79.190]] 19:42, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

::I agree with the second IP on this one! Unless there's a particular comic for which the delay was very important (do you have any in mind?), I don't think this is going to be of much interest to him. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:11, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

'''Will we get more 5-part sagas? --[[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 11:44, 23 February 2025 (UTC)'''
:Like [[Choices]], [[The Race]], etc.

'''What happened to the transcripts in the JSON interface'''
:On the [https://xkcd.com/about/ about] page of xkcd there is a description of where:
Is there an interface for automated systems to access comics and metadata?
:Read more here [[Transcript]]. And on this page there is a [[Transcript#End%20of%20transcripts|description]] about how the json info got messed up after [[1608: Hoverboard]] and how they completely ended after [[1677: Contrails]] which had the transcript of [[1674: Adult]].
:I would like to know if he noticed the messed up order of the transcript and if that was why he choose to end it completely? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:38, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

'''Just wanted to note that some geography comics might be worth asking about '''
:I remember browsing pages on this wiki about 6 months ago and noticing that there were many explainations of maps or map like things where editors weren't sure which small islands or small countries since comic drawing is obviously not perfect. I don't remember which comics exactly and don't have time today to investigate, but I figured this observation is worth noting. [[User:XKCD Teaches Science|XKCD Teaches Science]] ([[User talk:XKCD Teaches Science|talk]]) 03:27, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

''' Machine details '''
:Is {{https://xkcd.com/2917|Machine}} going to have a finalized state? If so, when? -- [[User:HyperBirbN3rd|HyperBirbN3rd]]

User:FaviFake

2025-02-24T05:39:26Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Added a question

3048: Suspension Bridge

2025-02-08T03:49:09Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Changed tag

{{comic
| number = 3048
| date = February 7, 2025
| title = Suspension Bridge
| image = suspension_bridge_2x.png
| imagesize = 362x365px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = As a first step, they can put in a secondary deck, to help drivers try it out and find out how fun the jumps are. After a while no one will use the old flat deck and they can remove it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT JUMPING ON A BRIDGE - Needs explanation of title text. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A suspension bridge works by exploiting the strength in tension of a cable, or series of links, in what is ''usually'' described as a {[w|catenary}} curve (but see later) suspended between towers or other elevated positions and firmly anchored to the ground at either end. Such a cable, or parallel cables, can span a large gap, across which an arch (with compressive forces) or cantilever (with compression below and tension above) bridge structure would be more difficult. The slung droop of the connection, and various other issues (the susceptibility to resonance from moving loads, as well as the sheer impracticality of travelling along this link) means that the surface of the usual road (or footway) itself is suspended from this cable by vertical (and perhaps diagonal) suspending stringers of suitable lengths to maintain a more level track. This usually means that the greatest clearance beneath the traversable part of the bridge is not far below the middle of the main curve of the cable, which is often now a more a parabolic shape, due to the weight of the road and the large number of vertical cables required.

Randall suggests 'improving' the suspension bridge by having ''just'' the catenary curve, needing much less structure, and giving an increased clearance for anything passing beneath (in this case, a tall-masted sailboat) if they pass closer to the supporting towers. This, of course, means that the traffic can ''only'' cross upon the cables themselves, in a way that is not explained at all by this side-section view. Due to the steep nature of the way the cable must pass over the supports, this produces a steep gradiant up to and then down from the tower which sends traffic temporarily onto a free ballistic trajectory, assuming it has enough speed. This is described as "fun jumps", {{w|Bug_(engineering)#"It's_not_a_bug,_it's_a_feature"|as if it is how bridges ''should'' work}}. This would likely inflict damage on the car, and might result in unfortunate accidents.{{cn}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Engineering]]

3048: Suspension Bridge

2025-02-08T03:48:33Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Small change

{{comic
| number = 3048
| date = February 7, 2025
| title = Suspension Bridge
| image = suspension_bridge_2x.png
| imagesize = 362x365px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = As a first step, they can put in a secondary deck, to help drivers try it out and find out how fun the jumps are. After a while no one will use the old flat deck and they can remove it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT JUMPING ON A BRIDGE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A suspension bridge works by exploiting the strength in tension of a cable, or series of links, in what is ''usually'' described as a {[w|catenary}} curve (but see later) suspended between towers or other elevated positions and firmly anchored to the ground at either end. Such a cable, or parallel cables, can span a large gap, across which an arch (with compressive forces) or cantilever (with compression below and tension above) bridge structure would be more difficult. The slung droop of the connection, and various other issues (the susceptibility to resonance from moving loads, as well as the sheer impracticality of travelling along this link) means that the surface of the usual road (or footway) itself is suspended from this cable by vertical (and perhaps diagonal) suspending stringers of suitable lengths to maintain a more level track. This usually means that the greatest clearance beneath the traversable part of the bridge is not far below the middle of the main curve of the cable, which is often now a more a parabolic shape, due to the weight of the road and the large number of vertical cables required.

Randall suggests 'improving' the suspension bridge by having ''just'' the catenary curve, needing much less structure, and giving an increased clearance for anything passing beneath (in this case, a tall-masted sailboat) if they pass closer to the supporting towers. This, of course, means that the traffic can ''only'' cross upon the cables themselves, in a way that is not explained at all by this side-section view. Due to the steep nature of the way the cable must pass over the supports, this produces a steep gradiant up to and then down from the tower which sends traffic temporarily onto a free ballistic trajectory, assuming it has enough speed. This is described as "fun jumps", {{w|Bug_(engineering)#"It's_not_a_bug,_it's_a_feature"|as if it is how bridges ''should'' work}}. This would likely inflict damage on the car, and might result in unfortunate accidents.{{cn}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Engineering]]

3048: Suspension Bridge

2025-02-08T03:48:03Z

HyperBirbN3rd: The explanation provided is great, OP is a perfectionist :)

{{comic
| number = 3048
| date = February 7, 2025
| title = Suspension Bridge
| image = suspension_bridge_2x.png
| imagesize = 362x365px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = As a first step, they can put in a secondary deck, to help drivers try it out and find out how fun the jumps are. After a while no one will use the old flat deck and they can remove it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT JUMPING ON A BRIDGE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A suspension bridge works by exploiting the strength in tension of a cable, or series of links, in what is ''usually'' described as a {[w|catenary}} curve (but see later) suspended between towers or other elevated positions and firmly anchored to the ground at either end. Such a cable, or parallel cables, can span a large gap, across which an arch (with compressive forces) or cantilever (with compression below and tension above) bridge structure would be more difficult. The slung droop of the connection, and various other issues (the susceptibility to resonance from moving loads, as well as the sheer impracticality of travelling along this link) means that the surface of the usual road (or footway) itself is suspended from this cable by vertical (and perhaps diagonal) suspending stringers of suitable lengths to maintain a more level track. This usually means that the greatest clearance beneath the traversable part of the bridge is not far below the middle of the main curve of the cable, which is often now a more a parabolic shape, due to the weight of the road and the large number of vertical cables required.

Randall suggests 'improving' the suspension bridge by having ''just'' the catenary curve, needing much less structure, and giving an increased clearance for anything passing beneath (in this case, a tall-masted sailboat) if they pass closer to the supporting towers. This, of course, means that the traffic can ''only'' cross upon the cables themselves, in a way that is not explained at all by this side-section view. Due to the steep nature of the way the cable must pass over the supports, this produces a steep gradiant up to and then down from the tower which sends traffic temporarily onto a free ballistic trajectory, assuming it has enough speed. This is classed as "fun jumps", {{w|Bug_(engineering)#"It's_not_a_bug,_it's_a_feature"|as if it is how bridges ''should'' work}}. This would likely inflict damage on the car, and might result in unfortunate accidents.{{cn}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Engineering]]

3040: Chemical Formulas

2025-01-22T19:53:39Z

HyperBirbN3rd: added a reference to 2752: Salt Dome

{{comic
| number = 3040
| date = January 20, 2025
| title = Chemical Formulas
| image = chemical_formulas_2x.png
| imagesize = 275x335px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Can you pass the nackle?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOTaUTaMoTaCAlLi - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is another comic in the [[:Category:How to annoy|How to annoy]] series, targeting chemists. Cueball mispronounces {{w|carboxylic acid}}s by reading their chemical formulas as phonetic words rather than their proper chemical names. The structural formula shown also contains an incorrect fifth bond between carbon and the OH-group, adding to chemists' annoyance.

The first molecule, "HCOOH" ({{w|formic acid}}, named after {{w|Formicinae#Identification|ants}}), is pronounced as "hakoo" instead of methanoic acid. The second, "CH3COOH" ({{w|acetic acid}}), commonly found in vinegar, becomes "chuckoo" rather than ethanoic acid. This deliberate mispronunciation follows a similar pattern to [[2492: Commonly Mispronounced Equations]].

The title text extends the joke with "Can you pass the nackle," where "nackle" is a phonetic pronunciation of "NaCl" ({{w|sodium chloride}}), the primary component of {{w|table salt}} and {{w|rock salt}}. Unlike other chemical formulas like H2O ("{{wiktionary|hoe}}") or CO2 ("{{wiktionary|co-}}"), "nackle" is distinctive enough to be recognizable and is [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nackle actually used jokingly].

The request for "nackle" could be interpreted either as a genuine request for the {{w|condiment}} or as a [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Pass%20the%20salt sarcastic response] to someone's reaction to the initial joke - something to take with {{w|a grain of salt}}. The ambiguity is heightened by not knowing who makes the title text comment. Also, [[2752: Salt Dome|passing the salt has been mentioned in xkcd before]].

Coincidentally, three Pokémon in ''Scarlet and Violet'' contain "nacl" in their names: [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Nacli_(Pokémon) Nacli], [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Naclstack_(Pokémon) Naclstack], and [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Garganacl_(Pokémon) Garganacl], all being rock salt-based creatures. This naming scheme shows how the pronunciation of chemical formulas as words has entered popular culture beyond just chemistry jokes.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball is holding a pointer and gesturing towards a whiteboard that shows the chemical formulas HCOOH and CH3COOH. Below these, respectively, are classic diagramatic representations of formic/methanoic acid (with an apparently accidental doubled bond between the carbon and the hydroxy group) and acetic/ethanoic acid; being, in turn, a single- and double-carbon chain molecule with a double-bonded oxygen (carbonyl group) plus an oxygen-hydrogen (hydroxy) upon one carbon of each, to form the full carboxyl grouping, and hydrogens completing all other expected bonds. An emphatic off-panel voice comes from the right where Cueball is facing.]
:Cueball: The two simplest carboxylic acids are hakoo and chuckoo.
:Off-panel voice: '''''No!!'''''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:How to annoy chemists

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:How to annoy]]

3033: Origami Black Hole

2025-01-03T20:25:47Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Changed the incomplete tag to mention lack of title text explanation

{{comic
| number = 3033
| date = January 3, 2025
| title = Origami Black Hole
| image = origami_black_hole_2x.png
| imagesize = 272x480px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You may notice the first half of these instructions are similar to the instructions for a working nuclear fusion device. After the first few dozen steps, be sure to press down firmly and fold quickly to overcome fusion pressure.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an ORIGAMI FUSION REACTOR TRYING DESPERATELY TO BE A BLACK HOLE - Please change this comment when editing this page. It needs an explanation for the title text. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic shows what at first appears to be an actual page of {{w|origami}} directions, like [https://origami.me/crane/ this one] or [https://origami.guide/origami-animals/origami-rabbits/origami-sleeping-rabbit/ this one], except labeled "How to fold a real origami black hole". However, it quickly devolves into nothing other than repeating folds in half. This wouldn't really create a black hole,{{citation needed}} but it would get very difficult, nearly impossible, long before the 190 folds in half that the instructions require.

This comic is likely a reference to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarzschild_radius Schwarzschild radius] of a piece of paper. The Schwarzchild radius is a characteristic of every object that depends on the object's mass. If an object is compressed into the volume of a sphere with its characteristic Schwarzschild radius, then that object will become a black hole. (More specifically, it will become a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarzschild_metric Schwarzschild black hole].) As such, if a piece of paper were folded sufficiently many times so as to fit within its own Schwarzschild radius, it would become a black hole. However, this would require compressing the paper into a flat sheet at every step, otherwise the paper would have a thickness greatly exceeding its Schwarzschild radius.

If we assume standard [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origami_paper kami origami paper] with a side length of 15cm and a weight of 70 grams per square meter, we get a Schwarzschild radius of 2.339×10^-30 meters corresponding to a mass of 1.575 grams. It follows that, ignoring the paper's thickness, we would need to halve each side length -log_2((2×2.339×10^-30)/0.15)=94.69 times to fit each side length within the "Schwarzschild diameter" of the paper. Using the square folding technique in the comic, this would take approximately 95*2=190 steps to complete, the exact number given in the comic.

In actual fact, it's not possible to fold a piece of paper this many times, because you can't compress it enough. For an ordinary letter-sized sheet (A4 or 8.5x11) the maximum number of folds is 7. The world record for the total number of folds is 12, done with a length of tissue paper 3/4 mile long.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:How to fold a '''''real''''' origami black hole:

:Step 1.
:[A square sheet of paper shown folded in half, with a dashed line going across the middle, and an arrow pointing from one half to the other.]

:Step 2.
:[Folded in half again]

:Step 3.
:[Folded in half again]

:Step 4.
:[Folded in half again]

:Step 5.
:[Folded in half again]

:Step 6.
:[Folded in half again]

:Step 7.
:[Folded in half again]

:Step 8.
:[Folded in half again]

:Step 9.
:[Folded in half again]

:Steps 10-189.
:[Text shown between tall square brackets:]
:Fold paper in half another 180 or so times.

:Step 190.
:[A labeled arrow points to a dot]
:Black hole!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Physics]]

3032: Skew-T Log-P

2025-01-02T18:28:34Z

HyperBirbN3rd: /* Table with terms */

{{comic
| number = 3032
| date = January 1, 2025
| title = Skew-T Log-P
| image = skew_t_log_p_2x.png
| imagesize = 569x626px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The most important quantity for meteorologists is of course the product of latent pressure and temperostrophic enthalpy, though 'how nice the weather is' is a close second.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT CLEANING UP AFTER DAVE - This needs an explanation. Table not filled out. Also the title text was not mentioned at all. I added a very simple start to this, but nothing about what the product actually means, please expand... Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A {{w|skew-T log-P diagram}} (the name comes from the temperature (T) lines being skewed at a 45-degree angle, and the pressure (P) lines being logarithmic in scale) are mostly used to plot {{w|atmospheric sounding}}s, which are usually made by sending a weather balloon up into the air.

Because the diagrams have a lot of lines on them (isobars, isotherms, adiabats, and mixing ratios, and that's before plotting the actual measurements of temperature and dewpoint temperature), they can be hard to understand if you haven't learned how to. The comic pretends to offer an explanation of how to interpret one such diagram (which may appear to have measurements from two separate weather balloons, one with two solid black lines for its measurements and the other with two dashed black lines, whereas the two lines and various styles of line generally mean different measurements from the same balloon-track or other means of obtaining atmospheric readings), but most of the explanations are blatantly incorrect or humorous in nature. See details in the [[#Table with terms|table]] below.

In the title text it is stated that "The most important quantity for meteorologists is of course the product of latent pressure and temperostrophic enthalpy, though 'how nice the weather is' is a close second". So it jokes by comparing a complicated product with a simple sentence about how nice the weather is.

[[File:Annotated_Skew_T_diagram.png|thumb|An actual Skew-T Log-P diagram, with several real annotations.]]The true design of a Skew-T Log-P diagram is intended to best represent the nature of the weather in any given column of atmosphere. The pressure (vertical axis, with pressure being closely but not directly inversely synonymous to altitude) is shown as a logarithmic scale (i.e. Log-P) due to the more practical separation of values. Plotting pressure proportionately (which must also be from top to bottom, to match its general relationship with altitude) would space features out in ways that would be hard to use and interpret, whereas the logarithmic scale is far more pragmatic. The temperature scale is deliberately tilted, rather than orthagonal, which (together with the logarithmic nature of the inverted pressure scale) allows the typical way that temperatures fall with altitude(≈as pressure falls) to trend roughly vertically, give or take the notable changes that are key to understanding the forecast. Other measurement lines, differently skewed and often also curving across the temperature/pressure skewed-log 'grid', represent various other idealistic relationships (where both T and P vary, keeping another measure constant) that are useful references to meteorologists.

Upon this style of graph are plotted the ''actual'' measurements obtained by (e.g.) releasing a weather balloon. As well as the variation of actual temperatures and pressures, other retrieved data is plotted, such the {{w|dew point}}. The dew point is a function of how the humidity of the air interacts with any given temperature and pressure to produce condensation. By observing how the actual measurements and dew point line converge and cross, the development and nature of clouds can be tracked and pinned to specific cloud layers. Further details may also be included, such as wind-direction and wind-speed indications (often to the side of the plot) to give a visual cue about possible {{w|wind shear}} and/or to suggest which direction of adjacent weather-station readings may hold clues as to what changes may later blow in above the current site.

==Table with terms==
{| class="wikitable"
!Item in comic
!Correct?
!Explanation
|-
| Pressure latitude || ||
|-
| Enthalpic pressure || ||
|-
| Entropic density || ||
|-
| Latent heat of cooling || ||
|-
| Isobars || Yes || Lines denoting equal ("{{wiktionary|iso-}}") air pressure ("{{wiktionary|bar-|-bar}}"), probably most often recognised as the indicators of how ground-level pressures change (or not) across the horizontal area depicted on a weather ''map''. Tightly packed isobars would indicate stronger winds, which (away from the tropics) would generally be either clockwise or anti-clockwise around the centre of the dominant isobar feature, depending upon whether that's a high pressure or a low pressure and (away from the tropics) which hemisphere.
In this type of chart, which depicts data obtained from above a single point, it has the same meaning but is instead a pre-existing reference line across which the actual data is plotted, and does not itself indicate the nature of any wind.
|-
| Omnitrophic wind || ||
|-
| Isomers || No || Different forms of molecules with the same formula, with the atoms or functional groups arranged differently. An example would be propanol, which has three. One of the most common isomers of propanol has its OH functional group in the middle, so is called isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol.
However, these are actually iso'''therm''' lines, representing equal temperature.
|-
| These lines are slightly different because Dave messed them up || No || Indicating isotherms (or, according to the comic, "isomers"), the suggestion is that slightly wrong lines were drawn by Dave and had to be corrected.
The real reason for the not quite identical lines is that the measured temperature at a given pressure can be converted to or from the ''potential'' temperature that the same air would have if at a standard pressure (holding the same amount of heat energy). For practical reasons, both for composing and interpreting the eventual plot, each of the slightly differently skewed isotherms are given, usually in clearly differentiable styles of line.
|-
| Line of constant thermodynamics || ||
|-
| Uncomfortably moist adiabat || Wrongly placed, unusually qualified|| This labels a segment of isotherm, which is the exact 'opposite' of an idiabat.
An adiabat is a line along which temperature can change for a given mass, without changing the amount of energy. This is primarily made possible by changing the density (by a change in pressure) of the gas. There are typically two types of adiabat, marked for reference on the plot, "dry adiabat" (curves across the isotherms perpendicularly, to create a largely square but slightly curved grid with them), and "moist/saturated adiabat" (the latter's heat-maintaining profile is influenced greatly by the humidity content, and produces graphing lines vastly different from the equivalent "dry" versions). Randall has declared this (erroneous) type of adiabat to be "uncomfortably" moist, so presumably not totally saturated but also not subjectively 'pleasant'.
|-
| Oops, the balloon flew through a ghost || no || Ghosts do not exist {{cn}}
|-
| No birds up here :( || Yes* || This point is near the top of the diagram, with an air pressure of about 110 millibar (about 15 kilometers above sea level). This is well above the highest flight height of any known bird species. However, this information is irrelevant to the purpose of a skew-T log-P diagram.
|-
| Track of rising weather balloon || ||
|-
| Track of popped balloon falling back down || ||
|-
| Meteogenesis || No || The chart shows the path of two weather balloons crossing and labels the space between them with a new word. The root "meteo" means something high up (in this case, balloons) and "genesis" is creation. The implications is that a new balloon was created, though no third flight path is shown so it presumably did not fly separately or was not tracked.
|-
| Seems bad || || The path of the balloon loops around in the shape of a {{w|figure eight knot}}, which would indicate very chaotic conditions at that point.
|-
| Dew point || Wrongly represented. || The temperature at which water condenses out of the air, and therefore dew starts to form, given the level of water vapor in the air.
It is shown here as an ''actual'' singular point, when it should be a line (typically the leftmost solid plotted line) representive of which temperature 'dew' should form at any given pressure.
|-
| Humidor || No || In reality, is a {{w|Humidor|container}} that is used maintain a more controllable humidity within which to store smoking products.
In the graph, points at the line that is probably representing the dew point, which is represents the nature of the ''actual'' humidity encountered.
|-
| Heavyside layer || No || Probably a misspelling of "Heaviside," the surname of the co-discoverer of what we now call the E region of the ionosphere. Co-discovered by Arthur E. Kennelly and Oliver Heaviside.
In this diagram it is apparently labeling a heavily marked isotherm, or line of constant temperature. Most likely it indicates the 0°C line, this being importantly indicative of the freezing point of water.
|-
| These lines are tilted because the wind is blowing them || No || The wind is not actually a derivable featured of this diagram, which does not have data of either direction or strength of air movement.
These lines are actually dry adiabats (see above), possibly two sets due to a similar renormalised interpretation, as with the isotherms, at a given reference pressure.
|-
| Don't stand here or you might get hit by a balloon || ||
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:How to interpret a skew-T log-P diagram
:[The comic shows a skew-T log-P diagram. On it are various labels, including isobars, comments, and other interpretations of the diagram.]
:[Left to the diagram is an upwards-pointing arrow with the label "Pressure Latitude". Right to the diagram is a downwards-pointing arrow with the label "Entropic Density". Below the diagram is a right-pointing arrow with the label "Enthalpic Pressure".]
:[The remaining various labels are inside the diagram.]

==Trivia==
*Even though this comic was released on New Year's Day 2025, it was not a [[:Category:New Year|New Year comic]].
**Only second time this has happened since New Year comics became a regular thing from 2011.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Weather]]

3032: Skew-T Log-P

2025-01-02T18:27:24Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Put in a link to figure eight knot

{{comic
| number = 3032
| date = January 1, 2025
| title = Skew-T Log-P
| image = skew_t_log_p_2x.png
| imagesize = 569x626px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The most important quantity for meteorologists is of course the product of latent pressure and temperostrophic enthalpy, though 'how nice the weather is' is a close second.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT CLEANING UP AFTER DAVE - This needs an explanation. Table not filled out. Also the title text was not mentioned at all. I added a very simple start to this, but nothing about what the product actually means, please expand... Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A {{w|skew-T log-P diagram}} (the name comes from the temperature (T) lines being skewed at a 45-degree angle, and the pressure (P) lines being logarithmic in scale) are mostly used to plot {{w|atmospheric sounding}}s, which are usually made by sending a weather balloon up into the air.

Because the diagrams have a lot of lines on them (isobars, isotherms, adiabats, and mixing ratios, and that's before plotting the actual measurements of temperature and dewpoint temperature), they can be hard to understand if you haven't learned how to. The comic pretends to offer an explanation of how to interpret one such diagram (which may appear to have measurements from two separate weather balloons, one with two solid black lines for its measurements and the other with two dashed black lines, whereas the two lines and various styles of line generally mean different measurements from the same balloon-track or other means of obtaining atmospheric readings), but most of the explanations are blatantly incorrect or humorous in nature. See details in the [[#Table with terms|table]] below.

In the title text it is stated that "The most important quantity for meteorologists is of course the product of latent pressure and temperostrophic enthalpy, though 'how nice the weather is' is a close second". So it jokes by comparing a complicated product with a simple sentence about how nice the weather is.

[[File:Annotated_Skew_T_diagram.png|thumb|An actual Skew-T Log-P diagram, with several real annotations.]]The true design of a Skew-T Log-P diagram is intended to best represent the nature of the weather in any given column of atmosphere. The pressure (vertical axis, with pressure being closely but not directly inversely synonymous to altitude) is shown as a logarithmic scale (i.e. Log-P) due to the more practical separation of values. Plotting pressure proportionately (which must also be from top to bottom, to match its general relationship with altitude) would space features out in ways that would be hard to use and interpret, whereas the logarithmic scale is far more pragmatic. The temperature scale is deliberately tilted, rather than orthagonal, which (together with the logarithmic nature of the inverted pressure scale) allows the typical way that temperatures fall with altitude(≈as pressure falls) to trend roughly vertically, give or take the notable changes that are key to understanding the forecast. Other measurement lines, differently skewed and often also curving across the temperature/pressure skewed-log 'grid', represent various other idealistic relationships (where both T and P vary, keeping another measure constant) that are useful references to meteorologists.

Upon this style of graph are plotted the ''actual'' measurements obtained by (e.g.) releasing a weather balloon. As well as the variation of actual temperatures and pressures, other retrieved data is plotted, such the {{w|dew point}}. The dew point is a function of how the humidity of the air interacts with any given temperature and pressure to produce condensation. By observing how the actual measurements and dew point line converge and cross, the development and nature of clouds can be tracked and pinned to specific cloud layers. Further details may also be included, such as wind-direction and wind-speed indications (often to the side of the plot) to give a visual cue about possible {{w|wind shear}} and/or to suggest which direction of adjacent weather-station readings may hold clues as to what changes may later blow in above the current site.

==Table with terms==
{| class="wikitable"
!Item in comic
!Correct?
!Explanation
|-
| Pressure latitude || ||
|-
| Enthalpic pressure || ||
|-
| Entropic density || ||
|-
| Latent heat of cooling || ||
|-
| Isobars || Yes || Lines denoting equal ("{{wiktionary|iso-}}") air pressure ("{{wiktionary|bar-|-bar}}"), probably most often recognised as the indicators of how ground-level pressures change (or not) across the horizontal area depicted on a weather ''map''. Tightly packed isobars would indicate stronger winds, which (away from the tropics) would generally be either clockwise or anti-clockwise around the centre of the dominant isobar feature, depending upon whether that's a high pressure or a low pressure and (away from the tropics) which hemisphere.
In this type of chart, which depicts data obtained from above a single point, it has the same meaning but is instead a pre-existing reference line across which the actual data is plotted, and does not itself indicate the nature of any wind.
|-
| Omnitrophic wind || ||
|-
| Isomers || No || Different forms of molecules with the same formula, with the atoms or functional groups arranged differently. An example would be propanol, which has three. One of the most common isomers of propanol has its OH functional group in the middle, so is called isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol.
However, these are actually iso'''therm''' lines, representing equal temperature.
|-
| These lines are slightly different because Dave messed them up || No || Indicating isotherms (or, according to the comic, "isomers"), the suggestion is that slightly wrong lines were drawn by Dave and had to be corrected.
The real reason for the not quite identical lines is that the measured temperature at a given pressure can be converted to or from the ''potential'' temperature that the same air would have if at a standard pressure (holding the same amount of heat energy). For practical reasons, both for composing and interpreting the eventual plot, each of the slightly differently skewed isotherms are given, usually in clearly differentiable styles of line.
|-
| Line of constant thermodynamics || ||
|-
| Uncomfortably moist adiabat || Wrongly placed, unusually qualified|| This labels a segment of isotherm, which is the exact 'opposite' of an idiabat.
An adiabat is a line along which temperature can change for a given mass, without changing the amount of energy. This is primarily made possible by changing the density (by a change in pressure) of the gas. There are typically two types of adiabat, marked for reference on the plot, "dry adiabat" (curves across the isotherms perpendicularly, to create a largely square but slightly curved grid with them), and "moist/saturated adiabat" (the latter's heat-maintaining profile is influenced greatly by the humidity content, and produces graphing lines vastly different from the equivalent "dry" versions). Randall has declared this (erroneous) type of adiabat to be "uncomfortably" moist, so presumably not totally saturated but also not subjectively 'pleasant'.
|-
| Oops, the balloon flew through a ghost || ||
|-
| No birds up here :( || Yes* || This point is near the top of the diagram, with an air pressure of about 110 millibar (about 15 kilometers above sea level). This is well above the highest flight height of any known bird species. However, this information is irrelevant to the purpose of a skew-T log-P diagram.
|-
| Track of rising weather balloon || ||
|-
| Track of popped balloon falling back down || ||
|-
| Meteogenesis || No || The chart shows the path of two weather balloons crossing and labels the space between them with a new word. The root "meteo" means something high up (in this case, balloons) and "genesis" is creation. The implications is that a new balloon was created, though no third flight path is shown so it presumably did not fly separately or was not tracked.
|-
| Seems bad || || The path of the balloon loops around in the shape of a {{w|figure eight knot}}, which would indicate very chaotic conditions at that point.
|-
| Dew point || Wrongly represented. || The temperature at which water condenses out of the air, and therefore dew starts to form, given the level of water vapor in the air.
It is shown here as an ''actual'' singular point, when it should be a line (typically the leftmost solid plotted line) representive of which temperature 'dew' should form at any given pressure.
|-
| Humidor || No || In reality, is a {{w|Humidor|container}} that is used maintain a more controllable humidity within which to store smoking products.
In the graph, points at the line that is probably representing the dew point, which is represents the nature of the ''actual'' humidity encountered.
|-
| Heavyside layer || No || Probably a misspelling of "Heaviside," the surname of the co-discoverer of what we now call the E region of the ionosphere. Co-discovered by Arthur E. Kennelly and Oliver Heaviside.
In this diagram it is apparently labeling a heavily marked isotherm, or line of constant temperature. Most likely it indicates the 0°C line, this being importantly indicative of the freezing point of water.
|-
| These lines are tilted because the wind is blowing them || No || The wind is not actually a derivable featured of this diagram, which does not have data of either direction or strength of air movement.
These lines are actually dry adiabats (see above), possibly two sets due to a similar renormalised interpretation, as with the isotherms, at a given reference pressure.
|-
| Don't stand here or you might get hit by a balloon || ||
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:How to interpret a skew-T log-P diagram
:[The comic shows a skew-T log-P diagram. On it are various labels, including isobars, comments, and other interpretations of the diagram.]
:[Left to the diagram is an upwards-pointing arrow with the label "Pressure Latitude". Right to the diagram is a downwards-pointing arrow with the label "Entropic Density". Below the diagram is a right-pointing arrow with the label "Enthalpic Pressure".]
:[The remaining various labels are inside the diagram.]

==Trivia==
*Even though this comic was released on New Year's Day 2025, it was not a [[:Category:New Year|New Year comic]].
**Only second time this has happened since New Year comics became a regular thing from 2011.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Weather]]

3032: Skew-T Log-P

2025-01-02T06:51:30Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Added a table

3032: Skew-T Log-P

2025-01-02T06:49:12Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Moved some stuff to trivia instead of explanation

3032: Skew-T Log-P

2025-01-02T06:47:48Z

HyperBirbN3rd: I put something in, but i’m not great at transcripts. Can somebody better at this please help out?

1098: Star Ratings

2024-12-31T16:38:16Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Linked to another comic (958: Hotels)

{{comic
| number = 1098
| date = August 22, 2012
| title = Star Ratings
| image = star ratings.png
| titletext = I got lost and wandered into the world's creepiest cemetery, where the headstones just had names and star ratings. Freaked me out. When I got home I tried to leave the cemetery a bad review on Yelp, but as my hand hovered over the 'one star' button I felt this distant chill...
}}

==Explanation==
This comic deals with the idea that users when viewing online star ratings are usually heavily biased towards the best possible rating (five stars). As there are nine possible scores in the rating system in the comic (1 star, 1.5 stars, 2 stars...4.5 stars, and finally 5 stars), a rating of 3 out of 5 stars is supposed to represent "average" or "mediocre". Thus, anything above 3-and-a-half stars is supposed to be "good" and anything below 3-and-a-half stars is "bad". However, most people consider a four-star rating to be "OK", and everything below as "crap".

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Star Rating!! Randall's Conclusion || Explanation
|-
| 5 Stars || [Has Only One Review] || No product is so perfect that every user will give it five stars - as soon as one person gives it less than five, the overall review score will drop. Fake reviews are also factors that often push an aggregate score higher, although this is not addressed in the comic. For this reason, the only explanation for a five-star rating is that only a few users have voted, maybe only one.
|-
| 4.5 Stars || Excellent || When a business has many customers it's impossible to please all of them ([[958: Hotels|or they did please them all and some are posting bad reviews as a cruel prank]]). However, 4.5 stars means almost everyone finds the business pleasant.
|-
| 4 Stars || OK || If it has 4 stars this means that a significant portion of the customers are having a bad experience at the store
|-
| 3.5 Stars - 0 Stars || Crap || 3.5 stars and below means a large percentage of people have a bad experience at the shop.
|}

The title text may refer to the folkloric practice of attributing a feeling of a chill to someone walking on your future grave. When Randall is back home he would like to give a bad rating on {{w|Yelp}} — a corporation that operates an "online urban guide" — and hovering his hand over the 'one-star' button, he was just 'walking' over the rating on his own future grave.

Another possible explanation for the title text is that the headstones are from people who gave the cemetery star ratings and were then murdered, having their given ratings displayed in the headstones. This would explain the chill Randall feels before clicking the one-star button.

Finally, the "world's creepiest cemetery, where the headstones just had names and star ratings" could simply be Randall not understanding he was in a Jewish cemetery where headstones have {{w|Star of David}}s on them. Note that these would exclusively be {{w|hexagram}}s, rather than the more usual five-pointed/ten-edged variety of concave {{w|star polygon}} used in actual rating systems.

See also: [[937: TornadoGuard]], another comic about star ratings.

==Transcript==
:Understanding online star ratings:

:5 stars: [Has only one review]
:4.5 stars: Excellent
:4 stars: OK
:3.5-1 star: Crap

==Trivia==
*The image at the end of [http://what-if.xkcd.com/69/ What-If 69] references this comic in the title text.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Online reviews]]

3027: Exclusion Principle

2024-12-21T07:11:20Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Edited the incomplete tag to be more descriptive

{{comic
| number = 3027
| date = December 20, 2024
| title = Exclusion Principle
| image = exclusion_principle_2x.png
| imagesize = 264x336px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Fermions are weird about each other in a standoffish way. Integer-spin particles are weird about each other in a 'stand uncomfortably close while talking' kind of way.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SOCIALLY ANXIOUS ELECTRON - Someone who knows more about physics should explain this. Also, the title text needs explanation. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is about the four fundamental forces of physics: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force. In typical xkcd fashion, [[Randall]] also adds a joke entry.

It also talks about the [[658: Orbitals|Pauli Exclusion Principle]].

==Transcript==
[Inside panel:]

Fundamental Forces

1. Gravity 
2. Electromagnetism 
3. The Weak Interaction 
4. The Strong Interaction 
''5. Electrons are weird about each other''

[Caption below list:]

Big news: Physicists have finally given up on trying to explain about the "exchange interaction" and agreed to just make the exclusion principle a force.

{{comic discussion}}

3027: Exclusion Principle

2024-12-21T07:10:07Z

HyperBirbN3rd: More content

{{comic
| number = 3027
| date = December 20, 2024
| title = Exclusion Principle
| image = exclusion_principle_2x.png
| imagesize = 264x336px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Fermions are weird about each other in a standoffish way. Integer-spin particles are weird about each other in a 'stand uncomfortably close while talking' kind of way.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SOCIALLY ANXIOUS ELECTRON - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is about the four fundamental forces of physics: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force. In typical xkcd fashion, [[Randall]] also adds a joke entry.

It also talks about the [[658: Orbitals|Pauli Exclusion Principle]].

==Transcript==
[Inside panel:]

Fundamental Forces

1. Gravity 
2. Electromagnetism 
3. The Weak Interaction 
4. The Strong Interaction 
''5. Electrons are weird about each other''

[Caption below list:]

Big news: Physicists have finally given up on trying to explain about the "exchange interaction" and agreed to just make the exclusion principle a force.

{{comic discussion}}

3027: Exclusion Principle

2024-12-21T07:08:37Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Putting in actual content

{{comic
| number = 3027
| date = December 20, 2024
| title = Exclusion Principle
| image = exclusion_principle_2x.png
| imagesize = 264x336px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Fermions are weird about each other in a standoffish way. Integer-spin particles are weird about each other in a 'stand uncomfortably close while talking' kind of way.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SOCIALLY ANXIOUS ELECTRON - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is about the four fundamental forces of physics: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force. In typical xkcd fashion, [[Randall]] also adds a joke entry.

==Transcript==
[Inside panel:]

Fundamental Forces

1. Gravity 
2. Electromagnetism 
3. The Weak Interaction 
4. The Strong Interaction 
''5. Electrons are weird about each other''

[Caption below list:]

Big news: Physicists have finally given up on trying to explain about the "exchange interaction" and agreed to just make the exclusion principle a force.

{{comic discussion}}

3023: The Maritime Approximation

2024-12-12T05:03:58Z

HyperBirbN3rd: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3023
| date = December 11, 2024
| title = The Maritime Approximation
| image = the_maritime_approximation_2x.png
| imagesize = 265x126px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It works because a nautical mile is based on a degree of latitude, and the Earth (e) is a circle.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SEMICIRCULAR SAILOR - Please change this comment when editing this page. Needs explanation of the origins of the units and constants involved for readers to investigate the coincidentality of the relationship. Also, needs clear explanation of title text. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Mph ({{w|miles per hour}}) and {{w|Knot (unit)|knot}}s (''nautical miles'' per hour) are both units used to calculate the speed of vehicles. Miles per hour are typically used in the US for the speed of cars and other similar vehicles, while knots are used by some sailors or pilots to describe the speed of ships or aircraft. Novice sailors or sailors who spend a lot of time on land may find it helpful to quickly convert between mph and knots. Usually, this is the form of 1 knot = 1.2 mph, or 1 mph = 0.87 knots, however Randall has humorously noticed that π mph = e knots. This is a coincidence{{Citation needed}} despite the claim of the title text, since even though knots are based on nautical miles which are related to degrees of latitude (and thus to π, which is used to describe the circumference of a circle) miles per hour have no relation to either e or π. Randall has made similar observations of different dimensions that equal each other in the past in the past with comics such as [[687: Dimensional Analysis]], where he compares {{w|Planck Energy}}, the pressure at the earth's core, the gas mileage in a Prius, and the width of the English channel to Pi. In addition, in [[What If?]], he has compared the mass of Earth to be Pi "miliJupiters," or Pi times the mass of Jupiter divided by 1000, and noted that the volume of a cube with side lengths of one mile is roughly similar to the volume of a sphere with a radius of 1 kilometer.

The equality shown in this strip consists of several different parts:

# The mile per hour (mph) is a unit of speed common for motor vehicles in a few countries, such as the United States and United Kingdom.
# The knot is a unit of speed that is one nautical mile (1 852 m) per hour, used in nautical contexts.
# π is a number equal to the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, about 3.14159.
# e is Euler's number, the base of the natural logarithm, about 2.71828.

π mph × (1609.344 meters/statute mile ÷ 1852 meters/nautical mile) ≈ 2.72996 knots. The result is only about 0.43% larger than ''e'' knots ≈ 2.71828 knots.

The joke is that it is not exact, but only correct to a certain percentage, unlike {{w|Euler's Identity}}, which is exact and that's what makes the latter truly remarkable. It isn't helped by the fact that it carries the implication that this neat, easy to remember identity is actual useful for sailors but indeed, being easy to remember is all it has going for it. Otherwise it doesn't make calculations any easier and is impossible to do without a calculator or paper, and doing it on paper is much harder than other conversions, given that pi and e are both irrational, and transcendental.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Equation inside a frame with a footnote:]
:π mph = ''e'' knots*
:*Correct to <0.5%

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The sailor's version of eiπ=−1

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Math]]

2191: Conference Question

2024-12-11T03:49:22Z

HyperBirbN3rd: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2191
| date = August 19, 2019
| title = Conference Question
| image = conference_question.png
| titletext = I also have an utterance. Less of an utterance and more of an incantation. Less of an incantation and more of a malediction. Less of a malediction and more of a Word of Power. Less of a Word of Power and more of an Unforgivable Curse.
}}

==Explanation==
Usually, at a conference or other event involving a speaker addressing a crowd, members of the crowd are given the chance to ask questions. This is intended so that people can perhaps ask the speaker to elaborate on a point they've made, or to ask the speaker's opinion on a topic related to their talk.

Occasionally, people at such an event will use (or, rather, abuse) the opportunity to ask a question to instead provide their own (unsolicited) opinion or statement. Such statements are often preceded with something along the lines of "I have a question. Well, less of a question and more of a comment." This formulation in particular has attracted a lot of criticism for not adding anything to the discussion and for pulling focus away from the speaker.

In the comic, this idea is taken to an extreme, with [[Beret Guy]] not only transforming the opportunity to ask a question into an opportunity to make a statement through successive rephrasing, turning this into an opportunity to show off a bug he has found. This is accomplished by using a multitude of synonyms in a ''continuum'' of relatable word pairs, except near the last: "question" and "comment" are similar, as are "comment" and "utterance", but the extremes, the difference between the first and the last in the entire set (in this case "question" and "friendly bug") is profound. In a way, this segue is meant to be similar to how, in the lines of a color spectrum, red fades into yellow: gradually, and with no abrupt transitions in color ({{wiktionary|your_mileage_may_vary|YMMV}}: {{w|Color Graphics Adapter|CGA}} versus {{w|4K resolution|4K}}).

:'''Question.''' A {{w|question}} is what the crowd member is expected to provide, such that the speaker or a panel member could provide a related answer.

:'''Comment.''' A {{w|Topic and comment|comment}} by a crowd member, is when they just say something they believe, without expecting an answer, giving the speaker or panel members nothing to do. This may be seen as annoying by everyone else, as the crowd did not come to hear the opinion of other crowd members. But answers to relevant questions would be interesting to the crowd and the panel.

:'''Utterance.''' An {{w|utterance}} is just making a noise, which may or may not be actual words, or if actual words it may not be a complete sentence.

:'''Air Pressure Wave.''' {{w|Sounds}} are literally pressure waves in the air. So this could be a simple sound, or not a sound at all depending on the severity of the wave. It might be the person simply blowing.

:'''Friendly Hand Wave.''' Now instead of using his mouth to generate an air pressure wave, he's producing it with his hand, in a manner intended to be interpreted as "friendly". Many times hand waves are done in a friendly manner, designed more for the visual appeal than the amount of air pressure waves they generate.

:'''Friendly Bug.''' Now he is no longer doing anything himself, except to point out the fact that he has found a bug or {{w|insect}}, which he {{w|anthropomorphizes}} as being friendly.

:'''Want to meet it?''' He has decided that he and the friendly bug are actual friends and ironically comes full circle by finally asking a question, though presumably whether the speaker wants to meet a bug is not related to the topic of the speaker's talk.

The title text takes the opposite route of Beret Guy, and each step instead refers to successively worse forms of magic spells that would, presumably, have a negative effect upon the listener. There is a [[Black Hat|certain xkcd character]] that is likely to do this. Starting from a mere utterance and then using Beret Guy's "it is less than" scheme, it progresses over worse and worse curses, ending with an unforgivable curse!

:'''Utterance.''' It begins with "utterance", which was also used by Beret Guy. See above.

:'''Incantation.''' {{w|Incantation}}, or a spell, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. It is not necessarily with evil intent.

:'''Malediction.''' A malediction is another word for {{w|curse}} (the prefix "mal" being a Latin root meaning "evil"). This is always with evil intent.

:'''Word of Power.''' "Word of Power" could refer to the dragonish form of magic in ''{{w|The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim}},'' or the [https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Power_word early 1st edition Dungeons & Dragons high level spells].

:'''Unforgivable Curse.''' The term "{{w|Magic_in_Harry_Potter#Unforgivable_Curses|Unforgivable Curse}}" refers to a set of three spells from the {{w|Harry Potter}} series, said to be so evil that their use on another person is unforgivable and illegal. The three spells are able to mind control (''Imperius''), torture (''Cruciatus''), and kill (''Avada Kedavra'') their target. It is unclear which spell is implied, though if it was accurate to call it a singular word of power, it is unlikely to be the killing curse.

The title text can be interpreted as a reply by [[Hairy]] (the speaker) to Beret Guy, indicating his annoyance at the topic being derailed. It could also be representative of [[Randall|Randall's]] feelings towards those who abuse the opportunity to ask a question in order to make a statement. Randall has recently done some book tours and was at {{w|San Diego Comic-Con}} [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/07/15/san-diego-comic-con/ last month] where he served on various panels, so he probably has had personal first-hand experience with these kinds of circuitous non-questions.

==Transcript==
:[Hairy stands on a podium having just addressed a crowd of seated people. Beret Guy stands in the middle of the crowd, addressing Hairy. One of Beret Guy's hands is raised at chest height. The front row consists of Cueball, Ponytail, another Hairy, Megan, Hairbun, Danish and another Cueball.]

:Beret Guy: I have a question.
:Beret Guy: Well, less of a question and more of a comment.
:Beret Guy: I guess it's less of a comment and more of an utterance
:Beret Guy: Really it's less an utterance, more an air pressure wave.
:Beret Guy: It's less an air pressure wave and more a friendly hand wave.
:Beret Guy: I guess it's less a friendly wave than it is a friendly bug.
:Beret Guy: I found this bug and now we're friends. Do you want to meet it?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Harry Potter]]

2931: Chasing

2024-12-06T05:46:05Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Added small reference to What If

{{comic
| number = 2931
| date = May 10, 2024
| title = Chasing
| image = chasing_2x.png
| imagesize = 462x474px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Certain hybrid events can only happen in certain locations where all the conditions are present; chasers flock to the area in and around Kansas known as tumbleweed-colliding-with-possum alley.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is a scatter plot comparing how exciting it is to see various things with how possible it is to chase them using a convoy of coordinated vehicles.

The least chasable are stationary places like the {{w|Grand Canyon}} or {{w|International Date Line}}. It makes no sense to chase them because they don't move around, you simply go to their known locations. At the other end of the chasability spectrum are animals that move around rapidly, and fleeting astronomical and atmospherical phenomena like {{w|clouds}}, {{w|meteors}} and {{w|aurora}}. However, some of these are difficult to chase because they're small and hard to detect from a moving vehicle, e.g. {{w|gnats}}.

In the top-right position of most chasable and most exciting, tornadoes have a community of 'chasers' who attempt to predict their appearance and get as close to them as possible, which was the subject of a {{w|Twister_(1996_film)|1996 film}}, for which a sequel was due to be released shortly after this comic. A major {{w|Tornado_outbreak_of_May_6%E2%80%9310,_2024|tornado outbreak}} had also taken place immediately preceding the comic's publication.

The title text suggests that combining some of these things into a single event would multiply the excitement derived from them. This makes sense on the surface, as the rarity value of the resulting event would be high, so even two relatively mundane events could, when combined, produce an interesting outcome. However, it somewhat undermines this by suggesting that, in this particular location, the event in question (possums being hit by passing tumbleweeds) is relatively routine.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Entity !! colspan="2" | Estimate of... !! rowspan="2" | Explanation
|-
! Chasing || Excitement
|-
| {{w|Grand Canyon|The Grand Canyon}}|| 10% || 90% || Stationary place in Arizona. It's the largest canyon in the US (but not the world), in addition to being very beautiful due to its depth and the color changes from different geological strata. Seeing a famous tourist attraction in person is exciting.
|-
| {{w|Niagara Falls}} || 15% || 75% || A generally stationary place on the border of US and Canada, between the state of New York and the province of Ontario. The waterfall is the largest in North America by width and water volume, making it very beautiful to watch.
|-
| {{w|Tourist attractions}} || 15% || 55% || Other stationary places that attract many tourists (e.g. national parks, monuments and historic places) are exciting to see.
|-
| {{w|Tourist traps}} || 10% || 40% || Stationary places that market themselves as tourist attractions, but don't really have much to offer and exist mainly to sell food and souvenirs.
|-
| {{w|Hazard (golf)#Bunker|Sand trap}} || 15% || 25% || Pits of sand in golf courses. If your golf ball lands in one, it loses all its momentum almost instantly and it is difficult to hit out to the grassy portions (fairways or greens), which is why it is a "trap". A convoy of golf-carts might "chase" a golf-ball to the sand trap it lands in, but this would not be very exciting.
|-
| The International Date Line || 15% || 10% || A jagged conceptual line running from the North to South poles around 180 degrees of longitude, used to separate the time zones that start and end each day. There's nothing to see at these locations, as the line is an abstraction and does not actually coincide with anything in real life, as well as mostly being in the Pacific Ocean, by-passing actual landfall, as well as across the Arctic Southern Oceans. The zones for {{w|time in Antarctica}} are already more pragmatically simplified or just fall back to {{w|Coordinated Universal Time}}.
|-
| Meteors || 35% || 95% || Also called "shooting stars". These are fleeting streaks of light that are visible when bits of rock or dust enter the atmosphere and burn up. These are generally rare, making them exciting to see, but there are {{w|meteor showers}} when many are visible due to the Earth passing through a large cloud of dust (usually the remnants of a comet). To astronomy buffs, these can be like natural fireworks shows. Because each meteor streak lasts for a fraction of a second, it's not generally possible to chase them, although if the rock is large enough it may survive to the ground and become a {{w|meteorite}}, which chasers [[1723: Meteorite Identification|may be able to find]] by tracking its path through the sky.
|-
| {{w|Rainbows}} || 35% || 90% || A visual effect that occurs when sunlight is refracted by water droplets in the air, spreading the light into a spectrum of different colors. Their 'location' is relative to each observer, so long as the necessary components combine correctly in the first place, so any coordinated movement is restricted to finding the right sort of standpoint from which a rainbow is visible. Moving "towards" a rainbow typically results in the rainbow "moving away" from the observer at the same speed.
|-
| {{w|Comets}} || 40% || 85% || Comets are chunks of rock and ice that orbit the Sun, usually in highly eccentric orbits that take them from the inner Solar System to the {{w|Kuiper Belt}} or {{w|Oort Cloud}} at the extreme outskirts of the Solar System. Few of them are visible to the naked eye until they are close to the Sun. They're exciting to see because they are rare, and one of the few astronomical objects that looks like more than just a tiny dot because there is a glowing "tail". While they are moving very rapidly through the Solar System, from the Earth they don't appear to move much faster than planets. So there's no need to chase them; when near the Earth, they will be visible from much of the planet for days or weeks.
|-
| {{w|Sunsets}} || 35% || 75% || Disappearance of the Sun below the horizon, should happen usually once every 24 hours (except close to the poles). Depending on weather conditions, they can sometimes be very pretty. Traveling around the Earth from east to west is needed for a continuous view of a sunset. [https://what-if.xkcd.com/42/ There has been a What If? on this].
|-
| {{w|The Moon}} || 40% || 70% || Earth's only natural satellite with a predictable orbit. While Randall is most likely referring to chasing the Moon on the Earth, the {{w|Apollo Missions}} very much fit the description of "chase in a convoy of vehicles coordinating over radio and using instruments and data to find optimal viewing locations". That is exactly what the astronauts did, they "chased" the Moon (the Moon was moving while they flew towards it) using a convoy of vehicles (the multi-stage rockets) while they "coordinated" to Earth with their radios. Only 12 people (the {{w|Apollo astronauts}}) have actually visited it in person; the rest of us see it from about 250,000 miles (400,000 km) away. Weather permitting, it's visible for about half of every day/night cycle (though may be more obvious when this occurs significantly in the night sky, for several reasons). It doesn't move quickly in the sky, by apparent movement, so little chasing is necessary. A 'supermoon' is when the Moon looks the largest and shiniest, occurring when a full moon appears closest to the Earth in its orbit, though Randall doesn't consider this phenomenon impressive (How To, chapter 21).
|-
| Unusual clouds || 40% || 55% || Clouds with unique forms or shapes, like {{w|Lenticular clouds}}. People may want to chase after them if they’re drifting away, as they may want to view the cloud further, perhaps for scientific purposes.
|-
| Regular clouds || 35% || 40% || Clouds are an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets. People may chase clouds for the same reasons as wanting to chase unusual clouds.
|-
| {{w|Fog}} || 30% || 25% || Atmospheric condition where water droplets are very dense near the Earth's surface, resulting in a visible haze. Fog does not move much, but dissipates over time. Fog might pull away from its least ideal conditions before it vanishes completely. This entry might be a reference to {{w|Phileas Fogg}}, who was pursued around the world.
|-
| {{w|Rain}} || 35% || 20% || Water droplets falling from clouds. In most of the world, this is a pretty common occurrence. Unless the volume is extremely high, there's rarely much excitement due to them, but extreme cases may cause flooding that can be dangerous. The only people who might chase rain are weather reporters who want to get wet.
|-
| {{w|Gnats}} || 35% || 5% || Hardly anybody wants to track down gnats, as they are annoying to chase and difficult to see, but people could theoretically use advanced instruments to do so.
|-
| Aurora || 60% || 95% || Impressive light displays that result from excitement of the Earth's {{w|magnetosphere}} by charged particles in the {{w|solar wind}}. These are generally only visible in high latitudes, so most people do not live where they're visible. Their visibility can be tracked and forecasted via monitoring of solar wind output from the Sun, and particularly intense episodes can be predicted (as well as locations for viewing) on the basis of the solar cycle and solar flare activity. The release of this comic coincided with the strongest geomagnetic storm warning forecasted by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 20 years [https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/g4-watch-effect-may-11] ({{w|May 2024 solar storms}}).
|-
| Your favorite band's shows || 60% || 80% || Musical acts often plan tours, where they go around the country (or world) putting on shows every few days. Extreme fans with time (and money) on their hands may "chase" them by going to a series of their shows. Since the tour dates are planned and publicized well in advance, the shows are easy to find. However, depending on the popularity of your favorite band, this might be an expensive hobby, especially for optimal viewing. Also, tickets may be sold out.
|-
| Rare birds || 60% || 60% || Many birders will "twitch" to see rare birds, and this requires a fair amount of checking location, behavior, etc. Also, rare birds tend to be exciting to see.
|-
| Regular birds || 55% || 40% || These are easier to see than rare birds.
|-
| Regular balloons || 55% || 25% || Both children and adults accidentally let go of helium balloons, and may attempt to chase after them to retrieve them.
|-
| {{w|Tumbleweed|Tumbleweeds}} || 60% || 15% || A roughly spherical portion of certain plants that breaks off from its roots and rolls along the ground, propelled by winds, to distribute the seeds of the parent plant. Most people don't find them very interesting to look at, and they're often used as a shorthand for nothing of interest happening. They don't usually travel very quickly, so it would be possible to chase them if you were so inclined. The locomotion of tumbleweeds is of interest to ecologists, as the non-native and extremely invasive plant disperses its seeds across a region.
|-
| {{w|Speed_limit_enforcement|Speed traps}} || 65% || 5% || A section of a road where police often wait for passing drivers who are exceeding the speed limit, so they can catch them and issue speeding tickets. Frequent drivers, especially truck drivers, have developed systems to warn each other of these locations ({{w|citizens band radio}} was once the most popular method, but now this can be done using mobile phone using services like {{w|Waze}}).
|-
| {{w|Tornadoes}} || 85% || 95% || Wanting to witness a tornado is the typical objective of {{w|storm chaser}}s.
|-
| {{w|Whales}} || 85% || 90% || Widely distributed and diverse group of marine mammals. They are some of the largest animals to ever live, and often travel in groups, making them exciting and easy to see (when active at the surface). They have often been chased by humans, both for the purposes of hunting and exploiting them as a resource and by tourist-oriented whale-watching trips.
|-
| {{w|Icebergs}} || 85% || 75% || Piece of freshwater ice broken off a glacier or ice shelf. These come in many sizes and shapes, making it interesting to see a new one. At the time of this comic, there had recently been substantial interest in tracking the progress of the giant {{w|Iceberg A23a}}.
|-
| {{w|Hot air balloons}} || 80% || 60% || An aircraft whose bag is filled with heated air. Hot air balloons are ridden for a variety of reasons (entertainment, sport, advertisement, etc.) and they usually involve a "chase crew" of people on the ground. To an uninvolved observer, catching an unexpected glimpse of an airborne balloon is a moderately exciting event; giving chase is not advised, however, as it may interfere with the chase crew's operation and may be perceived as a hostile act, thereby creating ''uncomfortable'' levels of excitement.
|-
| {{w|Radiosondes}} || 85% || 50% || Small instruments carried in weather balloons to gather and transmit atmospheric parameters. There's not much to see in them, but they're easy to track with a proper receiver.
|-
| Neighborhood possums || 85% || 35% || "Possum" is a common term for {{w|Virginia opossum}}s, the only species of opossum found in North America. In urban areas they will get into human garbage, and may carry diseases, so many may consider them pests and hunt them. A coordinated group of hunters can track them.
|-
| {{w|Ice cream trucks}} || 85% || 25% || Vans that sell ice cream. They're easy to chase because they often play music and/or ring a loud bell so customers will know they're coming, and make frequent stops to allow customers to make purchases. Ice cream trucks may typically be chased by children too young to drive a convoy of vehicles for their pursuit, but their excited screams might provide data that can be used to track an ice cream truck through a city.
|-
| Other chasers || 90% || 10% || May result in an awkward or friendly encounter if met in person. Chasers may bond over their enjoyment of chasing various objects, much like how [[Geohashing|geohashers]] connect with each other at specific geohashed locations. However, another group of chasers might not appreciate it if they find out that they're being the target themselves.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[An X Y axis graph]
:[Y axis label:]
:Exciting to see in person
:[X axis label:]
:Possible to chase in a convoy of vehicles coordinating over radio and using instruments and data to find optimal viewing locations?
:[X and Y axis values (from bottom left):]
:No
:Yes

:[Top left quarter:]
:The Grand Canyon
:Meteors
:Rainbow
:Comets
:Niagara Falls
:Sunsets
:The Moon
:Tourist attractions
:Unusual clouds

:[Top right quarter:]
:Aurora
:Tornadoes
:Whales
:Your favorite band's shows
:Icebergs
:Rare birds
:Hot air balloons

:[Bottom left quarter:]
:Tourist traps
:Regular clouds
:Sand traps
:Fog
:Rain
:The International Date Line
:Gnats

:[Bottom right quarter:]
:Regular birds
:Radiosondes
:Neighborhood possums
:Regular balloons
:Ice cream trucks
:Tumbleweeds
:Speed traps
:Other chasers

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Scatter plots]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Rankings]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Tornadoes]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Weather]]

547: Simple

2024-11-30T05:50:16Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Corrected a small error I just made :/

{{comic
| number = 547
| date = February 23, 2009
| title = Simple
| image = simple.png
| titletext = Actually, I think if all higher math professors had to write for the Simple English Wikipedia for a year, we'd be in much better shape academically.
}}

==Explanation==
There are three [[Cueball]]s discussing a {{w|particle accelerator}}. One Cueball asks the others about the "tertiary Free-electron laser ({{w|Free-electron_laser|F.E.L}}) guidance system". As this is a fairly technical topic, we would expect a response filled with scientific jargon. The joke is that the other Cueball instead responds in a much simpler manner. He uses simple phrases such as "smash the right tiny things together" and "that would be very bad".

As the caption below the comic notes, Cueball (probably [[Randall]]) has spent the previous night reading the {{w|Simple English Wikipedia}}, a [http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page simplified version] of {{w|Wikipedia}} intended to be easier to understand, and now he finds himself using similarly simple syntax. For example, the article for a [http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_accelerator particle accelerator] describes it as "a machine that makes really tiny things called particles travel at very high speeds." This is similar to the simple response given by the responding Cueball. In the actual comic, Cueball was able to effectively communicate the dangers of using a broken F.E.L. using simple syntax similar to the style of the Simple English Wikipedia.

From the title text, Randall believes that if people teaching advanced mathematics followed this style, their subject would be more accessible. The implication is that more people would be drawn to studying mathematics and that (naturally) the world would be a better place because of this, ironically most likely true!

This concept was later revisited in [[722: Computer Problems]], [[1133: Up Goer Five]], [[Thing Explainer]] (probably most notably), [[1322: Winter]], [[1436: Orb Hammer]], [[2163: Chernobyl]], and [[2809: Moon]].

==Transcript==
:[Three Cueball-like guys stand in front of a sketch. The middle Cueball is the protagonist of the comic and will be called Cueball.]
:Left Cueball-like guy: Do you have any thoughts regarding the particle accelerator's tertiary F.E.L. Guidance System?
:Cueball: We can't put the broken part in the machine. It wouldn't smash the right tiny things together. Then the machine might break.
:Cueball: That would be very bad.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:I spent all night reading simple.wikipedia.org, and now I can't stop talking like this.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Simplified language]]

547: Simple

2024-11-30T05:49:09Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Added some examples of simple writing

{{comic
| number = 547
| date = February 23, 2009
| title = Simple
| image = simple.png
| titletext = Actually, I think if all higher math professors had to write for the Simple English Wikipedia for a year, we'd be in much better shape academically.
}}

==Explanation==
There are three [[Cueball]]s discussing a {{w|particle accelerator}}. One Cueball asks the others about the "tertiary Free-electron laser ({{w|Free-electron_laser|F.E.L}}) guidance system". As this is a fairly technical topic, we would expect a response filled with scientific jargon. The joke is that the other Cueball instead responds in a much simpler manner. He uses simple phrases such as "smash the right tiny things together" and "that would be very bad".

As the caption below the comic notes, Cueball (probably [[Randall]]) has spent the previous night reading the {{w|Simple English Wikipedia}}, a [http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page simplified version] of {{w|Wikipedia}} intended to be easier to understand, and now he finds himself using similarly simple syntax. For example, the article for a [http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_accelerator particle accelerator] describes it as "a machine that makes really tiny things called particles travel at very high speeds." This is similar to the simple response given by the responding Cueball. In the actual comic, Cueball was able to effectively communicate the dangers of using a broken F.E.L. using simple syntax similar to the style of the Simple English Wikipedia.

From the title text, Randall believes that if people teaching advanced mathematics followed this style, their subject would be more accessible. The implication is that more people would be drawn to studying mathematics and that (naturally) the world would be a better place because of this, ironically most likely true!

This concept was later revisited in [[722: Computer Problems]], [[1133: Up Goer Five]], [[Thing Explainer]] (probably most notably), [[1322: Winter]], [[1436: Orb Hammer]], [[2163: Chernobyl]], and [[2809: Orb Hammer]].

==Transcript==
:[Three Cueball-like guys stand in front of a sketch. The middle Cueball is the protagonist of the comic and will be called Cueball.]
:Left Cueball-like guy: Do you have any thoughts regarding the particle accelerator's tertiary F.E.L. Guidance System?
:Cueball: We can't put the broken part in the machine. It wouldn't smash the right tiny things together. Then the machine might break.
:Cueball: That would be very bad.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:I spent all night reading simple.wikipedia.org, and now I can't stop talking like this.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Simplified language]]

1065: Shoes

2024-11-29T20:04:02Z

HyperBirbN3rd: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1065
| date = June 6, 2012
| title = Shoes
| image = shoes.png
| titletext = I *do* hear that they're the most comfortable thing to wear on your feet since sliced bread.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is a knight that has saved a kingdom. It seems that he is being rewarded by a god, since his reward is inside a box that is floating in a beam of heavenly light. Inside the box is a pair of shoes with five toes - and with these magic shoes, he can outrun {{w|Death (personification)|Death}}.

This comic refers to a new type of {{w|Minimalist shoe|running shoes}} which have very little actual support with individual areas for each toe (they are supposed to make you feel like you are running barefoot). Specifically, the shoes Cueball takes out of the box look like {{w|Vibram FiveFingers}}.

The joke in the comic is that the shoes are so strange/creepy, that Cueball is not even sure he would want to live forever if he would have to wear these shoes at all times. {{W|Immortality}} is not worth it.

The title text is a play on the common phrase "x is the best thing since sliced bread". The way that [[Randall]] uses the phrase in the title text humorously implies that these shoes would be almost as good to wear on your feet as two slices of bread. Alternatively, that sliced bread had long maintained superiority in being comfortable footwear before only being surpassed by these new shoes of immortality. However, sliced bread is not very comfortable to wear on your feet{{cn}}.

Earlier in [[977: Map Projections]], it was stated that those who preferred the {{w|Dymaxion map|Dymaxion projection}} would wear shoes with toes. And later in [[1735: Fashion Police and Grammar Police]] it was a different type of shoes that were deemed non-fashionable with the {{w|Crocs}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball, holding a sword, looks up to a disembodied voice coming from above, and a box hovers in the air before him.]
:Voice: For saving my kingdom, I offer you a gift of great power.

:[Cueball's sword is now propped up against the right edge of the panel. The box opens, a glow emanating from within.]
:Voice: These magic shoes enable the wearer to outrun death itself.
:Cueball: Thank you. I...

:[A close-up on Cueball as he examines the shoes. They have five toes.]
:Cueball: Whoa, wait. They have those creepy individual toes.

:[Cueball puts the shoes back in the still-hovering box. The sword cannot be seen.]
:Voice: But they make you immortal.
:Cueball: ...I have to think about this.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

2876: Range Safety

2024-11-29T19:58:36Z

HyperBirbN3rd: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2876
| date = January 3, 2024
| title = Range Safety
| image = range_safety_2x.png
| imagesize = 565x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The Range Mischief Officer has modified the trajectory to add a single random spin somewhere in the flight, but won't tell us where.
}}

==Explanation==

A {{w|Range Safety}} Officer is responsible for ensuring the safety of the flight of a missile or launch vehicle – such as the rocket in the comic. This involves tasks like creating a launch corridor clear of any aircraft or ships, as well as ensuring that atmospheric conditions are favorable for a launch.

In this comic, the RSO has noticed reports of thunderstorms downrange, and has ordered a hold as conditions are no longer favorable.

[[Randall]] continues on by imagining the opposite position, a "Range Danger Officer," responsible for ensuring that the flight of the vehicle is dangerous. Flying into the biggest thunderstorm may qualify as dangerous - in 1987 an ATLAS rocket launched into thunderstorm conditions by NASA was destroyed by lightning strikes that caused electrical malfunction.

Finally, someone on the staff justifiably{{cn}} wonders what reason there is for that position to exist.

Needless to say, the "Range Danger Officer" is not an actual position at NASA or any other notable space agency.

The title text additionally imagines a Range Mischief Officer, responsible for mischief – generally defined as minor/playful annoyance. Introducing a random unknown spin may qualify, since the spin shouldn't affect the flight too much, but would make all the flight engineers nervous about the flight as they seek to understand why telemetry is inverted (or why it is not!), as they work out the cause and whether it is symptomatic of bigger underlying issues or just a technical change of reference to an otherwise correct flight trajectory. Hopefully, the spin is just axial and not end-over-end, or the rocket is [[1133: Up Goer Five|having a bad problem and will not go to space today]].

The Range Danger Officer and Range Mischief Officer both sound like suitable positions for [[Black Hat]], xkcd's resident [[classhole]].

This is the second holiday season comic in 3 years to depict rocket safety officers. A Range Safety Officer was also mentioned in the title text of [[2559: December 25th Launch]], where the RSO shoots down Santa so he cannot interfere with the rocket launch.

==Transcript==
:[A rocket is on a launchpad with a tower next to it as seen from far away. There are two birds flying to the right of them and one bird flying to the left of them. To the left of the launchpad there is a very small building. Much farther to the right there are two smaller buildings, and a voice is emanating from the largest and right most building which also has two antennas on top. The scene is shown in black silhouette on a white background.]
:Voice: There are reports of thunderstorms in the downrange area.

:[Same scene, except there are now only two visible birds, both flying on the left side of the rocket.]
:Voice: The Range Safety Officer has ordered a launch hold.

:[Almost same scene, but panned to the right so the smallest building to the left is not shown and a third building to the right of the other two buildings can be seen. Birds are now flying with one on either side of the rocket. Two voices are now emanating from the middle building.]
:Voice: But the Range '''''Danger''''' Officer wants to launch the rocket toward the biggest thunderstorm.
:Voice 2: Okay, why do we even '''''have''''' that position?

==Trivia==
* The [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/range_safety.png standard size] image was uploaded with a resolution/size larger than the supposed 2x version.
** This may have been an error.
* The tower next to the rocket was also missing from panel 2.
** See the original version [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/1/18/20240103171847%21range_safety_2x.png here]
* Both these errors were later corrected.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Weather]]
[[Category:Rockets]]

3018: Second Stage

2024-11-29T19:26:45Z

HyperBirbN3rd: Adding actual content to the page

{{comic
| number = 3018
| date = November 29, 2024
| title = Second Stage
| image = second_stage_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hmm, they won't do in-flight delivery, so let's order a new first and second stage to our emergency landing site and then try to touch down on top of them to save time.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SECOND STAGE AMAZON DELIVERY DRIVER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is about how rockets use multiple stages when lifting off, and in the comic, they installed too few stages. This is unlikely to happen in real life,{{cn}} because a lot of work goes into planning rockets.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A multi-stage rocket, with a capsule on top, is lifting-off the ground from a launchpad. A voice comes from the capsule at the top.]
:We have liftoff.

:[The first stage separates from the rest of the rocket.]
:Main engine cutoff.
:Stage separation confirmed.
:We are go for second stage burn.

:Second stage?

:Yes.
:...What?

:[The first stage and the rest of the rocket are drifting apart. No rocket is firing.]
:We were supposed to have a second stage?

:...Yes!

:Did '''''you''''' set up a second stage?

:I thought '''''you''''' were handling staging!

:Oh no.

:[They continue to drift apart slowly.]
:Okay, don't panic.
:Lemme see if we can order a stage online for same-day delivery.

:''Sigh''.

:Hey, what zip code should I put? Ours keeps changing.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Rockets]]

32: Pillar

2024-11-29T05:48:37Z

HyperBirbN3rd: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 32
| date = November 19, 2005
| title = Pillar
| before = <big><big>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=Friday%27s%20Drawing%20%2D%20Pillar Original title]: '''Friday's Drawing - Pillar'''</big></big>
| image = pillar.jpg
| titletext = A comic by my brother Doug, redrawn and rewritten by me [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=Friday%27s%20Drawing%20%2D%20Pillar Original caption]: Oops, I totally forgot to update yesterday afternoon. Well, I haven't slept, so I say it's still Friday. It's been a weird couple days and I was just thinking it was the weekend. Anyway, the first version of this strip was drawn by me and then written by Doug. I redrew/wrote it and now you are reading it! Cool, huh? Also, all the barrel strips are now [http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html here] for easy linkage to people you think might like them.
}}

==Explanation==
This was the thirty-fourth comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[31: Barrel - Part 5]], and the next one was [[33: Self-reference]].

Two [[Cueball]]-like guys ponder the unanswerable philosophical question of whether all people observe the universe the same, or whether, for example, what one person sees as "red" might be what another see as "green". They muse that no one really knows how anyone else sees the world. The misdirection and punchline of the comic come when the pole-guy asks if his friend can help him down from this pole where he's been standing for the entire comic. The friend's reply indicates that he does not see a pole, proving that one person can observe the world differently than another, in this case, in a far more extreme and unexpected way than color differences.

Another interpretation of the punchline is that the friend doesn't like pole-guy's idea of questioning all of human existence and mocks that philosophy by pretending not to see that he is standing on a pole. The concept of a philosopher on a pole is likely a reference to many "{{w|stylites}}" or "pillar-saints" of the late antiquity period, perhaps the first and most famous them being {{w|Simeon Stylites}}. Unlike most other [[xkcd]] comics, the "panels" of this comic are not divided and are drawn within a single frame.

The title text and the original caption say the comic is based on a comic drawn by [[Randall Munroe|Randall]]'s brother Doug, although Randall apparently redrew and rewrote it. In the original caption of the LiveJournal post, he also apologizes for forgetting to post the comic on a Friday and reminds people of the link he created to group all the comics in the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], because the [[31: Barrel - Part 5|previous comic]] was the last episode in the series. The link is now defunct, but there's an [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version].

Note that the caption at the top is in {{w|Comic Sans}}.

==Transcript==
:[At the top of the panel is a black frame with the following text:]
:This one is mostly by my little brother, Doug.

:[A Cueball-like guy stands on the top of a tall pole and talks to his Cueball-like friend on the ground. The drawing is repeated three time in the same panel, once for each comment by the two guys.]
:Pole-guy: The sky is so blue, and all the leaves are green.
:Friend: Haven't you ever wondered if we really see the same colors as everyone else? It's all perception.

:Pole-guy: Well, you might as well call into question all of human experience. Who really knows what world someone else sees?
:Friend: Yeah, I guess.

:Pole-guy: Anyway, can you help me down from this pole?
:Friend: What pole?

==Trivia==
This was the first comic to be [[:Category:Saturday comics|released on a Saturday]], at 7:55 PM.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 34]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

2858: Thanksgiving Arguments

2024-11-29T05:44:01Z

HyperBirbN3rd: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2858
| date = November 22, 2023
| title = Thanksgiving Arguments
| image = thanksgiving_arguments_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = An occasional source of mild Thanksgiving tension in my family is that my mother is a die-hard fan of The Core (2003), and various family members sometimes have differing levels of enthusiasm for her annual tradition of watching it.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic features a conversation between [[Cueball]] (possibly representing [[Randall]])and [[Megan]], discussing the dynamics of family gatherings during {{w|Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving}}, specifically about the topics of political arguments and how to navigate them. This was a topical comic, as Thanksgiving in the United States in 2023 was on November 23, the day after the posting of this comic.

In the first panel, Cueball is depicted sitting at a computer, presumably writing an article or blog post titled "How to Win Political Arguments with Your Awful Relatives at Thanksgiving Dinner" - a common topic for 'filler' articles at this time of year. Such articles are based on the perception that political arguments are common at holiday dinners. This is likely based on the idea that people will tend to avoid relatives with "awful" political views, but holiday dinners carry the expectation that the whole family will be together, making such arguments difficult to avoid.

Megan challenges this perception, citing [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/poll-nobody-fights-thanksgiving_n_5deece02e4b07f6835b7eab6 an article in ''Huffington Post''] which reports on a poll which found that only 16% of families reported discussing politics at Thanksgiving dinner, and only 3% reporting having argued about politics. She also points out that Cueball's family has political views that are "mostly fine". This is probably not especially uncommon, as families tend to share similar experiences and backgrounds, which inform their political opinions. Where disagreements do occur, it's common for those to be minor, and not the subject of particularly emotional arguments. In addition, where politics are a source of friction within a family, most learn not to bring it up at holiday gatherings, precisely to avoid such arguments.

The misperception at the root of this may be a case of selection bias. There certainly are families in which members hold opposing political views{{Citation needed}} with such emotional fervor that gatherings typically devolve into arguments. Since those arguments can be so intense and emotional (and often personally hurtful), the people involved are far more likely to relate their experiences to others, both in person and in media (such as in articles, columns, and portrayal in fiction). By contrast, people who have quiet, undramatic family dinners are less likely to get attention. This can give rise to the perception that heated political arguments are the norm for such gatherings.

The comic concludes by revealing that Cueball's family, rather than arguing about politics, tends to argue about ''{{w|The Rise of Skywalker}}'', a controversial recent entry in the {{w|Star Wars}} franchise, with Megan agreeing that his aunt "brings that up a lot". The joke is that Cueball's family, like him, tend to have nerdy, pop-culture-based passions, and those are areas that are far more likely to result in family debates. The title text extends this theme by referencing the mother's devotion to the 2003 movie ''{{w|The Core}}'' (widely considered a contender for "{{w|The Core#Reception|all-time-worst 'science in a movie' winner}}") and her insistence on watching it annually during Thanksgiving is mentioned as a bone of contention within the family. This underscores the idea that perceptions of a "normal" family gathering (ie, arguing about politics) aren't necessarily applicable to most families. The individual character and eccentricities of each family are far more likely to define what their holidays are like.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting on an office chair at his desk typing on his stationary computer as Megan walks up behind him. The text he writes is shown above the screen with a zigzag line going from a starburst on the screen.]
:Text: ''How to win political arguments with your awful relatives at Thanksgiving dinner''

:[Closeup of Megan in a frame-less panel. Below Megan there is a footnote relating to the asterisk at the end of her sentence.]
:Megan: You know, despite all the posts about it, surveys show most families don't actually argue about politics at Thanksgiving.*
:Footnote: *<nowiki>https://www.huffpost.com/entry/poll-nobody-fights-thanksgiving_n_5deece02e4b07f6835b7eab6</nowiki>

:[Zoom back on to Cueball and Megan. Cueball has turned around in his chair, hands on his lap, looking up at Megan.]
:Megan: Take ''your'' relatives. Their political opinions are basically fine.
:Megan: Maybe you should write about what ''they'' argue about?

:[Closeup of Cueball typing on his computer. The text he writes is again shown above the screen with a zigzag line going from a starburst on the screen. Megan speaks to him from off-panel, her speech line coming from a starburst at the right edge of the panel.]
:Text: ''How to win arguments about '''The Rise of Skywalker''' at your Thanksgiving dinner''
:Megan (off-panel): Aunt Katie ''does'' bring that up a lot, doesn't she.
:Cueball: This'll be year four.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Holidays]]
[[Category:The Core]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]] 
[[Category:Footnotes]]
[[Category:Comics with citations]]

2970: Meteor Shower PSA

2024-11-29T05:36:27Z

HyperBirbN3rd: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2970
| date = August 9, 2024
| title = Meteor Shower PSA
| image = meteor_shower_psa_2x.png
| imagesize = 561x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you hold the meteor too long, it may imprint on you and form a contact binary, making reintroduction to space difficult.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a {{w|public service announcement}} (PSA) regarding what to do in case you discover a {{w|meteorite}} from the upcoming {{w|Perseid}} {{w|meteor shower}}, which occurred the weekend after this comic appeared. (See here regarding [[1723: Meteorite Identification]]).

In the first panel of the comic, [[Cueball]] finds a {{w|meteorite}} on the ground, likely from the {{w|Perseids}} meteor shower. He then tries to throw it back into space, which is obviously impossible. However, the comic marks this action as wrong (with an X) not because it’s impossible, but for a different reason. The PSA in the next panel (marked as correct with a check mark) suggests that instead of throwing it, Cueball should contact an observatory and deliver the meteorite to them. There, astronomers like [[Ponytail]] can care for it, possibly releasing it back into space during the next launch.

This idea mixes up the concept of meteoroids with baby animals that have been separated from their parents and need rehabilitation—like baby birds that have fallen from their nests (though usually from trees rather than the sky). The advice for finding a wild animal, especially a baby one, is generally to leave it alone because its parents are likely nearby and taking care of it. If the animal is sick, injured, or orphaned, it's best to contact a wildlife rehabilitator who can properly care for it and return it to the wild. However, this advice does not apply to meteors.{{Citation needed}}

If you find a recently fallen meteorite or a {{w|Meteor air burst|fragment}} of one, avoid touching it, as it may be extremely cold. Though the meteor’s surface is heated by the atmosphere during its descent, the interior remains as cold as space, and the surface will rapidly cool if it hasn't already. The coldness depends on the meteorite’s size, fragmentation, and how long it has been on the ground—unless it was {{w|Impact crater#Impact craters on Earth|large enough}} to generate additional heat from the {{w|Lithobraking|impact}}. Experts prefer you not handle meteorites directly, as this can contaminate the specimen, making it less valuable for scientific study. In rare cases, such as with {{tvtropes|GreenRocks|more dangerous examples}}, the meteorite could even contaminate ''you''!

[[1475: Technically|Technically]], [[Randall]] uses the term "meteor" incorrectly. A "meteor" refers to the streak of light seen when a meteoroid enters the atmosphere. If a piece survives and lands on the ground, it's called a "meteorite" (although some refer to it as [[1405: Meteor|magma]]). This might be intentional to fit the "lost baby bird" analogy, as, like baby birds (except for those from {{w|Bird nest#Type|ground-nesting}} species), a true meteor should never be found on the ground.

The title text humorously suggests that handling the meteor for too long might result in forming a {{w|contact binary (small Solar System body)|contact binary}}, which is when two space rocks stick together. While this term is also used for binary star systems, it’s unlikely that a person and a rock would form one{{cn}}. In rehabilitating young animals, preventing {{w|Imprinting_(psychology)|imprinting}}—where the animal forms a psychological attachment to its caregiver—is important because the animal needs to be able to survive in the wild without human help.

==Transcript==
:[A two panel comic with the panels next to each other.]

:[In the left side of the first panel, Cueball spots a meteorite on the ground. It lies a bit buried in the earth between tufts of grass. On the right side, he's shown throwing the rock into the air, with small lines indicating the flight of the meteorite. There's an "X" above him. Above this there is the following text:]
:This meteor shower weekend, remember: If you find a meteor on the ground, don't try to return it to the sky yourself.

:[In the left side of the second panel, Cueball is holding the meteorite in one hand and talking on his cellphone in his other hand, there's a check mark above him. In the middle of the panel Cueball is holding the meteorite out in both hands handing it to Ponytail who is also holding both hand out to receive it. To the right in the panel a rocket is blasting upwards with fire coming out beneath it and a plume of smoke showing its ascending path. Above this there is the following text:]
:Instead, contact an observatory where astronomical rehabbers will care for it, and hopefully release it back into the wild with the next space launch.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Public service announcement]]
[[Category:Rockets]]

2959: Beam of Light

2024-11-27T05:41:21Z

HyperBirbN3rd: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2959
| date = July 15, 2024
| title = Beam of Light
| image = beam_of_light_2x.png
| imagesize = 235x419px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Einstein's theories solved a longstanding mystery about Mercury: Why it gets so hot. "It's because," he pointed out, "the sun is right there."
}}

==Explanation==
[[Albert Einstein]] is famous for his theory of {{w|special relativity}} (which deals with the interactions between high speeds and the perceptions of time), and he developed this theory, in part, by imagining himself flying alongside a beam of light. {{w|thought_experiment|Thought experiments}} such as this can reveal what appear to be fundamental principles of the universe that can revolutionize scientific understanding.

In this comic, Albert Einstein is depicted having an early version of this thought experiment. At this stage of theory development, it is less about breaking down the complex nature of relativity and more about how fun it would be to go really fast. So his thought experiment is currently just, so to speak, a flight of fantasy. (Although even Einstein's "NYYOOOM" sound of a car whizzing by is the sound of the {{w|Doppler effect}}, which alludes strongly to the {{w|relativistic Doppler effect}} and [[2853: Redshift|redshift]].) Since this is early in his life, he is most likely sitting in the {{w|Albert_Einstein#1902–1909:_Assistant_at_the_Swiss_Patent_Office|Swiss patent office}} he is so famous for working at, when he got his groundbreaking ideas.

In a similar vein, the title text refers to one of the long-standing issues about Mercury: {{w|Tests_of_general_relativity#Perihelion_precession_of_Mercury|its orbit around the Sun}} doesn't ''quite'' match what {{w|Newtonian physics}} would predict. We now know that this is accounted for by {{w|general relativity}}, another of Einstein's notable theories (which relates how gravity, or the space-time curvature that we understand as gravity, influences time and space, including planetary orbits) that was further developed out from the framework of special relativity. Again, we find ourselves overhearing his thoughts before he reaches any insights that will start to explain this. Instead he is stuck at just 'imagining' that Mercury is hot due to its proximity to the Sun, which isn't a particularly novel or useful conclusion, or close to what we would now recognize as Einstein's much-lauded theory.

At around the time of the comic's scenario, being only the first stages of Einstein's thoughts about Relativity, the issue of the Sun's heat was still considered a mystery. The {{w|Kelvin–Helmholtz mechanism}} was proposed as the cause of the Sun's heat but was later superseded by the more modern understanding of nuclear fusion. The {{w|Yarkovsky effect}} had also been previously described as how thermal effects may influence orbital dynamics; this is still useful to know about in the case of asteroids but is not considered a significant factor for Mercury. Neither of these things were ever the focus of Einstein's own studies, though in 1915 he showed that General Relativity could explain Mercury's orbital anomalies, and independent observations during a 1919 solar eclipse helped confirm the principles and make Einstein famous.

An older version of Einstein was previously drawn in [[1206: Einstein]] and [[1233: Relativity]].

Also, a comic with a similar punchline to this one is [[2689: Fermat's First Theorem]], which has Pierre de Fermat instead of Einstein.

==Transcript==
:[Albert Einstein (a relatively young version, drawn with dark curly hair and a dark moustache) sitting on a chair, with a thought bubble above his head. There are papers, books and a cup on the desk in front of him.]
:Einstein (thinking): ''Nyoooooooooom!''
:Einstein (thinking): I'm so fast!
:Einstein (thinking): ''Nyyooooooooom!''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The first few times Einstein imagined flying alongside a beam of light, he didn't have any particular insights.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Albert Einstein]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2952: Routine Maintenance

2024-11-27T05:23:19Z

HyperBirbN3rd: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2952
| date = June 28, 2024
| title = Routine Maintenance
| image = routine_maintenance_2x.png
| imagesize = 299x413px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The worst was the time they accidentally held the can upside down and froze all the Earth's magma chambers solid.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is almost certainly a reference to chapter 9 of the book {{W|The Little Prince}} by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. On the first page the following quote can be found: ''"On the morning of his departure he put his planet in perfect order. He carefully cleaned out his active volcanoes."''

A recommended routine maintenance step for many electronics, such as desktop computer towers, is to remove the buildup of dust on a regular basis. This can help prevent the electrical components from overheating, and lengthen their lifetime. To make this job easier, safer, and cleaner, there exist {{w|Gas duster|cans}} of high-pressure gas, as depicted, which force through high-flow gas to displace the dust. (Attempting to do this with air from the lungs would be less effective, may add unintended moisture to the electronics, and could result in a face-full of dust.{{Citation needed}})

The comic suggests that a similar maintenance step is performed on the Earth itself, blowing gas into the Earth to force out the dust from its magma chambers. However, filling the atmosphere with dust would be unhealthy and fatal to living beings, so as a safety measure everyone would have to take shelter.

This may be a reference to one theory about the K-T extinction event — that a crashing meteor sent so much dust into the air that it killed off many plants and animals, including all non-avian dinosaurs, in a much wider area than that directly affected by the initial impact. Those lineages that chanced to survive the global effects must have been able to escape the worst of the disrupted ecosphere while the worst of the atmospheric effects subsided, and were then able to exploit various newly vacant (and/or changed) environmental niches. (This would include our own mammalian ancestors, and the avian dinosaurs that led to todays birds; some of them may, perhaps, have survived by already being more inclined/suited to living in burrows.) However, this dust cloud would have lasted longer than the 48 hours suggested in the comic.

The image suggests that the "routine maintenance" for Earth would involve using the {{w|Hawaii hotspot}} (possibly via its most active volcano, {{w|Kilauea}}), as the point to insert the high-pressure gas, causing volcanoes to erupt in Iceland, the {{w|Aleutian Islands}} or the {{w|Kamchatka Peninsula}}, the {{w|Andes}}, and elsewhere; the two geographically-indeterminate plumes may represent Italy and Indonesia.

The title text mentions using the can upside-down, and this freezing solid the magma chambers. Pressurized canisters of "air", as with similar aerosol sprayers, contain a propellant gas that condenses into a liquid when compressed. When the spray valve is opened, the release of pressure allows some of the liquid to evaporate and take the place of the released gases, or become some of the gas subsequently released (or all of it, if its purpose is not to spray other contents). The transition of the propellant liquid/gas from dense liquid to space-filling gas requires it to 'boil off', this process needing to pick up {{w|Enthalpy of vaporization|heat (or 'enthalpy') energy}}. Under typical operation, the cooling liquid/gas takes heat from the general mass of the can itself as it tries to attain thermal equilibrium. As a result, the can (and the expelled gases) will be cooled a little. Then (ultimately) heat will also be taken from anything touching or surrounding the slightly cooled can and its spray. This is precisely how a purposeful refrigerant acts, either as a one-time process or as a reversible cycle where re-pressurizing a suitable gas can 'release' heat (the heat/enthalpy of condensation) at the 'hot side' of a refrigerator, returning the gas in the system to liquid that it can later let boil again and cool the 'cold side' of the refrigerator.

It is not normally useful for such a can to allow the liquid propellant-in-waiting to exit the container, as it would waste its usefulness as a source of pressure once it does. But by holding the container the wrong way up (which way that is being dependent upon its design, and intended use...) the pressurized contents push the liquid out via the nozzle's stream. The now exposed propellant is now free to evaporate into the air at atmospheric pressure, typically much lower than the constraints it had within the can, after landing directly upon whatever the can was sprayed at. The resulting demand for heat energy (much more rapid than normal, and likely concentrated upon a much smaller target than the can itself represents) produces a greater localized drop in temperature and can lead to freezing nearby liquids (which may or may not be intended/useful). Of course, the total 'cooling effect' of such a can does not change, depending upon how it is (mis)used, it merely changes the extent (and lifetime) of application, and how extreme the temperature change may be within a much more limited 'liberation' of its cooling ability.

Spraying "canned air" with the can inverted is a party trick used to very quickly cool beverages, being able to bring them down from room temperature to ice cold in seconds if performed correctly.

{{w|Freeze spray|Some spray cans are designed to freeze objects}}, e.g. to help in plumbing repairs or finding overheating electronic components. Freeze spray is also used in medical applications. These require careful use to avoid unintentionally (or [[Black Hat|intentionally]]!) damaging exposed skin or objects that can be damaged by local temperature differences, such as glass.

Given the location of the planetary-scale dust-busting 'air canister', it may be considered confusing which 'way up' is the correct orientation, given that Earth-gravity would be pulling the contents sideways (however that changes what the nozzle ends up ejecting from the can itself). But such a large can would also have its own significant internal 'can-centric' gravity that possibly (depending upon how full of still-liquid propellant it is) exceeds that of the Moon, possibly letting all the denser liquid hold itself into the centre of the canister, even against the nearby Earth's gravity. Being significantly closer to the Earth than the Moon is, this can could also be a far greater influence upon Earth's own tides (not alluded to in the comic), making the dusting of the atmosphere or the freezing of some of its magma secondary issues to the sheltering population. But if magma froze to the extent of disrupting or disabling the {{w|Earth's magnetic field}}, this "secondary" issue could quickly become primary, even existential.

Three comics after this one [[Randall]] released [[2955: Pole Vault]], where the Earth is being punctured by the tip of a pole vaulting stick causing the Earth to burst like a ballon. That idea seems to be similar, but opposite the one from this comic. With so few days between the releases there might have been some similar thoughts behind the creation of both.

==Transcript==
:[The nozzle of a gas duster can is pointing into a hole on the Earth's surface in the Pacific Ocean around where Hawaii is located. This point is on the left side of the depicted Earth, so north America is centered on the drawing, with the top of South America visible beneath it. Greenland and Iceland and the most eastern part of Russia is the only other land visible. The trigger on the can is pressed as an arrow indicates and lines around the nozzle indicates that air is pushed out of the can. This results in dust clouds being released from at least five spots of the Earth, three of these are on the visible side of Earth and the volcanoes that erupts are visible, one only the top of the volcano can be seen and the last only the cloud can be seen. Other volcanoes could be erupting on the other side of the Earth without there being any visible clouds from this vantage point. The visible eruptions are in the Aleutian Islands or Kamchatka Peninsula, on Iceland and in the Andes. The one where the volcano can be seen is in Asia, most likely Japan, and the other where only the cloud can be seen is most likely in Europe, perhaps near the Mediterranean ocean. The can has a label with several lines of text, most of it unreadable. But there is a large label on it and a readable text below this:]
:<big>Dust-Off</big>
:Compressed air

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I know routine maintenance is important, but I hate how we all have to take shelter for 48 hours every year while they flush out the Earth's magma system for cleaning.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Volcanoes]]
[[Category:The Little Prince]]