explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar

2015-12-03T08:43:07Z

Musashi1600: Clarification on Hawaii

{{comic
| number = 1611
| date = December 2, 2015
| title = Baking Soda and Vinegar
| image = baking_soda_and_vinegar.png
| titletext = Sure, it may not meet science fair standards, but I want credit for getting my baking soda and vinegar mountain added to the Decade Volcanoes list.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Does it miss something about the reaction although that may not count as "real" science?}}
In popular fiction (and maybe in part in fact) the "{{w|Sodium bicarbonate|Baking Soda}} and {{w|Vinegar}}" {{w|volcano}} is often a staple image of the science nerd at the science fair (see [https://sciencebob.com/the-erupting-volcano/ example here]), unless all the science nerds are doing ''real'' imaginative science and the student(s) with the volcano exhibit are dragging out the old hackneyed stereotype. It may also be age-dependent, this being something that is relatively advanced science for the lower grades but rather a childish experiment in the hands of older students.

As [[Ponytail]] is probably about to point out, the 'volcano' exhibit doesn't (usually) actually demonstrate anything about volcanic activity, it is just simple chemistry - such as you usually conduct in a simple test-tube - dressed up to look more impressive, often with dye or other additives to make the 'lava' look realistic for the model, but unrelated to the geology it supposedly represents. In most soda volcano projects people don't even explain what's happening.

The girl with hair bun has made a little more of her volcano, however, as it seems to go beyond simple chemistry. The model replicates many of the dangers (aside from the pure lava) of a volcano, and appears to have been given scaled-down vehicles (not visible in the comic) trying (and failing) to escape the dangers of the resultant mud-flows (a.k.a. {{w|lahar|lahars}} in professional terminology) being modelled.

Even more, this is not an isolated 'model volcano' but a vinegar-powered representation of a geological 'hot spot', such as with the islands of Hawaii, in which the spot moves with respect to the Earth's crust (or vice-versa) and generates a new volcano some way off. Despite this model being supported on a table, it appears that the 'project' extends some way beyond that and has somehow contrived further eruptions away from the table, the room and probably even the building.

The 'project' seems to be turning into a very thorough model of a much larger geological process (a {{w|Supervolcano}} like {{w|Yellowstone Caldera|the one}} under {{w|Yellowstone National Park|Yellowstone}}) and destined to produce a ''very real'' {{w|volcanic winter}}. Where a magma-powered volcano could produce vast clouds of dust, preventing the sun's energy from warming the Earth, in this case it's the airborne salt (probably sodium acetate) from the chemical reaction that appears to be in danger of causing crop failure. There's no mention of the corresponding environmental effects of the vast amounts of carbon dioxide (and/or aqueous carbonic acid) necessarily released in proportion to the ejected salt (presumably itself not left in solution).

It is especially troubling that the child even mentions that her model volcano is an offshoot of a bakingsoda ''super''volcano. Supervolcanoes are massive volcanoes, far larger than even those on the list of {{w|Decade Volcanoes}} (mentioned in the title text), whose eruption would likely trigger species-level extinction events comparable to the dinosaur extinction. Humanity can only hope the child is exaggerating in her description, but the symptoms witnessed by the adult looking out the window suggest otherwise. {{w|Campi Flegrei}} is actually a real life example of her project.

[[Randall]] has mentioned supervolcanoes before in [[1053: Ten Thousand]] (title text) and [[1159: Countdown]], making it a recurring interest of his.

In the title text the student expects extra credit for getting her model volcano added to the Decade Volcanoes list, a list maintained by {{w|International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior}} of the worlds most dangerous volcanoes (currently 16). It is either an absurd notion or a very troubling achievement that a science fair project could achieve the threatlevel posed by the likes of {{w|Mount Vesuvius}} (which destroyed ancient Pompeii in Italy, and threatens modern-day Naples in the same manner), {{w|Mount Rainier}} (whose lahars could potentially destroy parts of Seattle) or {{w|Mauna Loa}} (which could create a massive landslide, triggering a major tsunami that would threaten all of Hawaii). But at least that means that it was only a "local" volcano event and not a supervolcano event that she created. But considering the scale of her original model volcano, then the eruption of her supervolcano would probably fit with the difference between a normal single volcano eruption and that of one supervolcano! She kept it to scale!

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is standing behind a small girl with a hair bun who has one hand up. They are looking at a table with a model volcano.]
:Girl: My science project is a baking soda and vinegar volcano!

:[A larger frame that includes Megan who stands to the right. Ponytail is a little further back and the girl has taken her hand down. The baking soda volcano erupts in a small upwards explosion.]
:Ponytail: Why do people make these? It isn't really even a science project. It doesn't teach anything about-
:Volcano: '''''Foom! '''''

:[Smaller frame again. Ponytail has moved closer to the table, the girl moves around the table to the right, pointing at the volcano while Megan walks closer. The "lava" flows down the volcano on both sides.]
:Girl: See how the baking soda and vinegar mix with mud and ice to form deadly flowing lahars?

:[Zoom in on the girls head close to the stream of lava going down the lower part of the volcano's right slope.]
:Girl: You can see the tiny cars trying to flee.
:Girl: Whoops! Too slow.

:[Zoom in on Ponytail.]
:Ponytail: Um. This is a bit grim.
:Girl (off panel): Learning!

:[The girls stand to the right of the table looking at the now still volcano. Shaky lines surround a sound effect written over the top of this slim frame:]
:''Rumble''

:[Back to showing all three as before. The girl looks at something in her hand (a stopwatch maybe?)]
:Girl: And now we're learning that this volcano is an offshoot of a vinegar hotspot rising from deep within the earth.
:Girl: ''Annnnd...''

:[The girls turns away from the table looking right as a loud noise can be heard off-panel, depicted in white text on a wavy black bubble:]
:''Boooom''

:[Megan has walked over to a window to the right. It has the blinds drawn down. She opens a hole in the blinds by pulling down in the middle. It is dark outside. The other two are outside the frame to the left.]
:Girl (off panel): The baking soda supervolcano erupts, injecting clouds of salt into the stratosphere.
:Megan: Why is it getting dark outside?
:Girl (off panel): Learning is fun!

:[We see the girl standing close to the table, of which only the right leg can be seen. She holds up a tablet with a graph showing a rising trend. The other two are both out of the frame.]
:Girl: Sunlight dims. The earth cools. Summer frosts form. Crops die. We check the markets. Grain prices are rising.
:Megan (off panel): I want to stop learning now.
:Girl: Soon, we all will.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Science]]

1337: Hack

2014-03-03T08:23:27Z

Musashi1600: /* Explanation */ Hackers reference

{{comic
| number = 1337
| date = March 3, 2014
| title = Hack
| image = hack.png
| titletext = HACK THE STARS
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

Seems to be based on true story -- http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2014/02070836-isee-3.html

The characters Crash and Burn (the latter known for his catchphrase "Mess with the best, die like the rest") are an allusion to the 1995 movie [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers_(film) ''Hackers'']. Since the movie predates the shutdown-signal (1997), the charakters should both posess the skills and 'outdated' equipment to understand and hack the signal to the probe.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1196: Subways

2013-10-08T11:47:42Z

Musashi1600:

{{comic
| number = 1196
| date = April 8, 2013
| title = Subways
| image = subways.png
| titletext = About one in three North American subway stops are in NYC.
}}

The xkcd page links to [http://xkcd.com/1196/large/ a much larger version], which has another text added:
<blockquote style="font-style:italic">
For the pedantic rail enthusiasts, the definition of a subway used here is, with some caveats, "a network containing high capacity grade-separated passenger rail transit lines which run frequently, serve an urban core, and are underground or elevated for at least part of their downtown route." For the rest of you, the definition is "a bunch of trains under a city."
</blockquote>

==Explanation==
[[File:North American subways.svg.png|right|border|link=http://www.radicalcartography.net/subways.html|North America Subways by Prof. Bill Rankin]]
The comic shows the maps of all North American {{w|subway}} networks. In reality, none of these systems are interconnected, but in the diagram subways from different cities that have the same color on the official subway map have whimsically named connections, such as the "Ohio-California Tunnel" connecting the Green Lines of Cleveland and Los Angeles, or the "Rocky Mountain Tunnel" connecting the Blue Lines of Chicago and San Francisco. Vancouver and San Francisco are connected through a station called Richmond, which appears to double as {{w|Richmond, British Columbia}} and {{w|Richmond, California}}. The "Springfield Monorail" is fictional, from the animated series ''{{w|The Simpsons}}'' (see {{w|Marge vs. the Monorail}}), but its approximate location on this map would suggest the [http://www.seattlemonorail.com/ Seattle Monorail], or perhaps Springfield, Oregon, which [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Matt-Groening-Reveals-the-Location-of-the-Real-Springfield.html Matt Groening revealed was the inspiration for the Simpsons' hometown].

The [http://www.radicalcartography.net/subways.html Urban Mass Transit Systems of North America] map (right) created by [http://hshm.yale.edu/rankin Yale Professor Bill Rankin] on his web site [http://www.radicalcartography.net/ Radical Cartography] in 2006 presents all of the subway systems in North America at the same scale using geographic, instead of topological, layout.

The networks on XKCD's map are displayed in (relatively) geographic position, with {{w|Vancouver}} being the most North-West, and {{w|Mexico City}} being the most South – East/West and North/South order are correct, but distances are not (in reality, Vancouver is closer to Chicago than to Toronto for example). The map's design is modeled after the system map of the {{w|Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}} in Boston where Randall is from.

===City-specific notes===

====Vancouver====
* The {{w|Canada Line}} and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_Line_(TransLink) Expo Line] are shown as the same color; SkyTrain's official maps depict them with light blue and dark blue respectively.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_British_Columbia Richmond] is the name of the city where the southernmost terminus of the Canada Line is located, and shares its name with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_California Richmond, California] (see San Francisco section.)

====Boston====
* The "Green Line Extension to Canada" references [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Line_Extension the actual project] to extend the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Line_(MBTA) Green Line] into Medford, north of Boston.
* The "Ashmont–Manhattan High-Speed Line" shown as connecting Boston's Red Line to New York City's 1 train is a play on the {{w|Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line}} in Boston.
* The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Line_(MBTA) Red Line] stops "Skinflower" and "Bonevine" are plays on the actual name of the Red Line's terminus, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braintree_(MBTA_station) Braintree].

====San Francisco====
* Both Muni and BART are depicted in San Francisco's map and are completely separate systems, although the map gives the impression that trains interline between the two. Non-wheelchair-accessible stops on Muni lines are omitted.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_California Richmond] is the name of the city where the northern terminus of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond%E2%80%93Fremont_line Richmond–Fremont] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond%E2%80%93Daly_City/Millbrae_line Richmond–Daly City/Millbrae] BART lines are located, and shares its name with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_British_Columbia Richmond, British Columbia] (see Vancouver section.)
* "Sunnydale" is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnydale_Station actual name] of the terminus of the Muni {{w|T Third Street}} line, not to be confused with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnydale the city] where ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is set.

====Los Angeles====
* The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro) Gold Line] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro) Orange Line] are shown with swapped colors.
* The Orange Line is the only {{w|bus rapid transit}} (BRT) line to be shown on the map. LA Metro also operates a second BRT line, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro) Silver Line], which is not shown.

====New York City====
* The {{w|New York City Subway}}, {{w|Port Authority Trans-Hudson}} (PATH), and the single line of the {{w|Staten Island Railway}} (with a connection via the {{w|Staten Island Ferry}}) are shown.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica,_Queens Jamaica] is the name of the neighborhood in Queens where the E, F, and J/Z trains terminate.
* The actual [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_(New_York_City_Subway_service) G train] is notorious for unreliable service, hence the "Random Service" notation.
* The "Robert Moses High-Speed Line" refers to the NYC urban planner {{w|Robert Moses}}, who was one of the most influential planners in supporting cars over all public transport, creating the car-dependent {{w|New York metropolitan area}}.

====Philadelphia====
* Both {{w|SEPTA}} subway lines, a portion of the {{w|SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines}}, and the {{w|PATCO Speedline}} are shown.
* "Trolley Rt. 10 to California" is a play on the actual [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEPTA_Route_10 Route 10] trolley.

====Washington, DC====
* The "Graveyard for passengers killed by closing doors" refers to the warning played in the Washington DC Metro system advising passengers that the subway doors are "not like elevator doors" and will close on your limbs or belongings rather than opening when contact with an object is detected.
* The "Morgantown, WV Automated Line" references the {{w|Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit}} system, which was built in 1975 as a {{w|personal rapid transit}} demonstrator and serves the three campuses of West Virginia University.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenbelt_(WMATA_station) Greenbelt] is the northern terminus of the Washington Metro's Green and Yellow lines, hence the Green line being depicted as forming a belt.

====Miami====
* The "Caribbean Metromover" references the {{w|Miami Metromover}}, a people mover in downtown Miami (not shown on the map.)
* The airport logo for Miami International Airport (MIA) is replaced with a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewRjZoRtu0Y paper airplane].

====San Juan====
*The "Puerto Rico Submarine" that connects the Red Lines of San Juan and New York refers to the fact that San Juan is on an island, namely {{w|Puerto Rico}}.
*The "Mona Tunnel" that connects the Red Lines of San Juan and Santo Domingo may refer to the island of {{w|Isla de Mona|Mona}}, which lies between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.

====Monterrey====
*The "Chicxulub Tunnel" that connects the Red Lines of Santo Domingo and Monterey refers to the 65-million-year-old {{w|Chicxulub crater}}, which lies roughly between the two cities.

===Official subway maps===
* Atlanta - http://www.itsmarta.com/rail-schedules-or-route.aspx
* Baltimore (MTA Maryland) - http://mta.maryland.gov/sites/default/files/metro-subway.jpg
* Boston - http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/
* Chicago (CTA) - http://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/maps/P19_2012_CTA_Rail_Map.pdf
* Cleveland - http://www.riderta.com/pdf/maps/System_Map_Rapid_Connect.pdf
* Los Angeles (LACMTA) - http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/images/rail_map.gif
* Mexico City - http://www.metro.df.gob.mx/imagenes/red/redinternet.pdf
* Montreal - http://www.stm.info/english/metro/images/plan-metro.jpg
* New York City (MTA) - http://www.mta.info/maps/submap.html
* New York City (PATH) - http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html
* Philadelphia (SEPTA and PATCO) - http://www.septa.org/maps/system/index.html
* San Francisco (BART) - http://www.bart.gov/images/global/system-map.gif
* San Francisco (MUNI) - http://transit.511.org/static/providers/maps/SF_712200722845.gif
* Toronto (TTC) - http://tourbytransit.com/toronto/images/Toronto-Subway-Map.png
* Vancouver - http://mapa-metro.com/mapas/Vancouver/mapa-metro-vancouver.png
* Washington (WMATA) - http://wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

<br clear=all/>

==Transcript==
:

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]

1196: Subways

2013-06-30T10:57:41Z

Musashi1600: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1196
| date = April 8, 2013
| title = Subways
| image = subways.png
| titletext = About one in three North American subway stops are in NYC.
}}

The xkcd page links to [http://xkcd.com/1196/large/ a much larger version], which has another text added:
<blockquote style="font-style:italic">
For the pedantic rail enthusiasts, the definition of a subway used here is, with some caveats, "a network containing high capacity grade-separated passenger rail transit lines which run frequently, serve an urban core, and are underground or elevated for at least part of their downtown route." For the rest of you, the definition is "a bunch of trains under a city."
</blockquote>

==Explanation==
[[File:North American subways.svg.png|right|border|link=http://www.radicalcartography.net/subways.html|North America Subways by Prof. Bill Rankin]]
The comic shows the maps of all North American {{w|subway}} networks. In reality, none of these systems are interconnected, but in the diagram subways from different cities that have the same color on the official subway map have whimsically named connections, such as the "Ohio-California Tunnel" connecting the Green Lines of Cleveland and Los Angeles, or the "Rocky Mountain Tunnel" connecting the Blue Lines of Chicago and San Francisco. Vancouver and San Francisco are connected through a station called Richmond, which appears to double as Richmond, BC and Richmond, CA. The "Springfield Monorail" is fictional, from the animated series ''{{w|The Simpsons}}'' (see {{w|Marge vs. the Monorail}}), but its approximate location on this map would suggest the [http://www.seattlemonorail.com/ Seattle Monorail], or perhaps Springfield, Oregon, which [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Matt-Groening-Reveals-the-Location-of-the-Real-Springfield.html Matt Groening revealed was the inspiration for the Simpsons' hometown].

The [http://www.radicalcartography.net/subways.html Urban Mass Transit Systems of North America] map (right) created by [http://hshm.yale.edu/rankin Yale Professor Bill Rankin] on his web site [http://www.radicalcartography.net/ Radical Cartography] in 2006 presents all of the subway systems in N. America at the same scale using geographic, instead of topological, layout.

The networks on XKCD's map are displayed in (relatively) geographic position, with {{w|Vancouver}} being the most North-West, and {{w|Mexico City}} being the most South – East/West and North/South order are correct, but distances are not (in reality, Vancouver is closer to Chicago than to Toronto for example). The map's design is modeled after the system map of the {{w|MBTA}} in Boston where Randall is from.

===City-specific notes===

====Vancouver====
* The {{w|Canada Line}} and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_Line_(TransLink) Expo Line] are shown as the same color; SkyTrain's official maps depict them with light blue and dark blue respectively.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_British_Columbia Richmond] is the name of the city where the southernmost terminus of the Canada Line is located, and shares its name with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_California Richmond, California] (see San Francisco section.)

====Boston====
* The "Green Line Extension to Canada" references [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Line_Extension the actual project] to extend the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Line_(MBTA) Green Line] into Medford, north of Boston.
* The "Ashmont–Manhattan High-Speed Line" shown as connecting Boston's Red Line to New York City's 1 train is a play on the {{w|Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line}} in Boston.
* The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Line_(MBTA) Red Line] stops "Skinflower" and "Bonevine" are plays on the actual name of the Red Line's terminus, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braintree_(MBTA_station) Braintree].

====San Francisco====
* Both Muni and BART are depicted in San Francisco's map and are completely separate systems, although the map gives the impression that trains interline between the two.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_California Richmond] is the name of the city where the northern terminus of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond%E2%80%93Fremont_line Richmond–Fremont] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond%E2%80%93Daly_City/Millbrae_line Richmond–Daly City/Millbrae] BART lines are located, and shares its name with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_British_Columbia Richmond, British Columbia] (see Vancouver section.)
* "Sunnydale" is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnydale_Station actual name] of the terminus of the {{w|T Third Street}} line, not to be confused with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnydale the city] where ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is set.

====Los Angeles====
* The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro) Gold Line] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro) Orange Line] are shown with swapped colors.
* The Orange Line is the only {{w|bus rapid transit}} (BRT) line to be shown on the map. LA Metro also operates a second BRT line, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro) Silver Line], which is not shown.

====New York City====
* The {{w|New York City Subway}}, {{w|Port Authority Trans-Hudson}} (PATH), and the single line of the {{w|Staten Island Railway}} (with a connection via the {{w|Staten Island Ferry}}) are shown.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica,_Queens Jamaica] is the name of the neighborhood in Queens where the E, F, and J/Z trains terminate.
* The actual [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_(New_York_City_Subway_service) G train] is notorious for unreliable service, hence the "Random Service" notation.
* The "Robert Moses High-Speed Line" refers to the NYC urban planner {{w|Robert Moses}}, who was one of the most influential planners in supporting cars over all public transport, creating the car-dependent {{w|New York metropolitan area}}.

====Philadelphia====
* Both {{w|SEPTA}} subway lines, a portion of the {{w|SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines}}, and the {{w|PATCO Speedline}} are shown.
* "Trolley Rt. 10 to California" is a play on the actual [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEPTA_Route_10 Route 10] trolley.

====Washington, DC====
* The "Graveyard for passengers killed by closing doors" refers to the warning played in the Washington DC Metro system advising passengers that the subway doors are "not like elevator doors" and will close on your limbs or belongings rather than opening when contact with an object is detected.
* The "Morgantown, WV Automated Line" references the {{w|Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit}} system, which was built in 1975 as a {{w|personal rapid transit}} demonstrator and serves the three campuses of West Virginia University.

====Miami====
* The "Caribbean Metromover" references the {{w|Miami Metromover}}, a people mover in downtown Miami (not shown on the map.)
* The airport logo for Miami International Airport (MIA) is replaced with a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewRjZoRtu0Y paper airplane].

====San Juan====
*The "Puerto Rico Submarine" that connects the Red Lines of San Juan and New York refers to the fact that San Juan is on an island, namely {{w|Puerto Rico}}.
*The "Mona Tunnel" that connects the Red Lines of San Juan and Santo Domingo may refer to the island of {{w|Isla de Mona|Mona}}, which lies between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.

====Monterrey====
*The "Chicxulub Tunnel" that connects the Red Lines of Santo Domingo and Monterey refers to the 65-million-year-old {{w|Chicxulub crater}}, which lies roughly between the two cities.

===Official subway maps===
* Atlanta - http://www.itsmarta.com/rail-schedules-or-route.aspx
* Baltimore (MTA Maryland) - http://mta.maryland.gov/sites/default/files/metro-subway.jpg
* Boston - http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/
* Chicago (CTA) - http://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/maps/P19_2012_CTA_Rail_Map.pdf
* Cleveland - http://www.riderta.com/pdf/maps/System_Map_Rapid_Connect.pdf
* Los Angeles (LACMTA) - http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/images/rail_map.gif
* Mexico City - http://www.metro.df.gob.mx/imagenes/red/redinternet.pdf
* Montreal - http://www.stm.info/english/metro/images/plan-metro.jpg
* New York City (MTA) - http://www.mta.info/maps/submap.html
* New York City (PATH) - http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html
* Philadelphia (SEPTA and PATCO) - http://www.septa.org/maps/system/index.html
* San Francisco (BART) - http://www.bart.gov/images/global/system-map.gif
* San Francisco (MUNI) - http://transit.511.org/static/providers/maps/SF_712200722845.gif
* Toronto (TTC) - http://tourbytransit.com/toronto/images/Toronto-Subway-Map.png
* Vancouver - http://mapa-metro.com/mapas/Vancouver/mapa-metro-vancouver.png
* Washington (WMATA) - http://wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

<br clear=all/>

==Transcript==
:

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]

1196: Subways

2013-06-30T07:01:55Z

Musashi1600: Added sections for individual cities

{{comic
| number = 1196
| date = April 8, 2013
| title = Subways
| image = subways.png
| titletext = About one in three North American subway stops are in NYC.
}}

The xkcd page links to [http://xkcd.com/1196/large/ a much larger version], which has another text added:
<blockquote style="font-style:italic">
For the pedantic rail enthusiasts, the definition of a subway used here is, with some caveats, "a network containing high capacity grade-separated passenger rail transit lines which run frequently, serve an urban core, and are underground or elevated for at least part of their downtown route." For the rest of you, the definition is "a bunch of trains under a city."
</blockquote>

==Explanation==
[[File:North American subways.svg.png|right|border|link=http://www.radicalcartography.net/subways.html|North America Subways by Prof. Bill Rankin]]
The comic shows the maps of all North American {{w|subway}} networks. In reality, none of these systems are interconnected, but in the diagram subways from different cities that have the same color on the official subway map have whimsically named connections, such as the "Ohio-California Tunnel" connecting the Green Lines of Cleveland and Los Angeles, or the "Rocky Mountain Tunnel" connecting the Blue Lines of Chicago and San Francisco. Vancouver and San Francisco are connected through a station called Richmond, which appears to double as Richmond, BC and Richmond, CA. The "Springfield Monorail" is fictional, from the animated series ''{{w|The Simpsons}}'' (see {{w|Marge vs. the Monorail}}), but its approximate location on this map would suggest the [http://www.seattlemonorail.com/ Seattle Monorail], or perhaps Springfield, Oregon, which [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Matt-Groening-Reveals-the-Location-of-the-Real-Springfield.html Matt Groening revealed was the inspiration for the Simpsons' hometown].

The [http://www.radicalcartography.net/subways.html Urban Mass Transit Systems of North America] map (right) created by [http://hshm.yale.edu/rankin Yale Professor Bill Rankin] on his web site [http://www.radicalcartography.net/ Radical Cartography] in 2006 presents all of the subway systems in N. America at the same scale using geographic, instead of topological, layout.

The networks on XKCD's map are displayed in (relatively) geographic position, with {{w|Vancouver}} being the most North-West, and {{w|Mexico City}} being the most South – East/West and North/South order are correct, but distances are not (in reality, Vancouver is closer to Chicago than to Toronto for example). The map's design is modeled after the system map of the {{w|MBTA}} in Boston where Randall is from.

===City-specific notes===

====Vancouver====
* The {{w|Canada Line}} and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_Line_(TransLink) Expo Line] are shown as the same color; SkyTrain's official maps depict them with light blue and dark blue respectively.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_British_Columbia Richmond] is the name of the city where the southernmost terminus of the Canada Line is located, and shares its name with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_California Richmond, California] (see San Francisco section.)

====Boston====
* The "Green Line Extension to Canada" references [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Line_Extension the actual project] to extend the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Line_(MBTA) Green Line] into Medford, north of Boston.
* The "Ashmont–Manhattan High-Speed Line" shown as connecting Boston's Red Line to New York City's 1 train is a play on the {{w|Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line}} in Boston.
* The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Line_(MBTA) Red Line] stops "Skinflower" and "Bonevine" are plays on the actual name of the Red Line's terminus, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braintree_(MBTA_station) Braintree].

====San Francisco====
* Both Muni and BART are depicted in San Francisco's map and are completely separate systems, although the map gives the impression that trains interline between the two.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_California Richmond] is the name of the city where the northern terminus of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond%E2%80%93Fremont_line Richmond–Fremont] and the [Richmond–Daly City/Millbrae line Richmond–Daly City/Millbrae] BART lines are located, and shares its name with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_British_Columbia Richmond, British Columbia] (see Vancouver section.)
* "Sunnydale" is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnydale_Station actual name] of the terminus of the {{w|T Third Street}} line, not to be confused with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnydale the city] where ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is set.

====Los Angeles====
* The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro) Gold Line] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro) Orange Line] are shown with swapped colors.
* The Orange Line is the only {{w|bus rapid transit}} (BRT) line to be shown on the map. LA Metro also operates a second BRT line, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro) Silver Line], which is not shown.

====New York City====
* The {{w|New York City Subway}}, {{w|Port Authority Trans-Hudson}} (PATH), and the single line of the {{w|Staten Island Railway}} (with a connection via the {{w|Staten Island Ferry}}) are shown.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica,_Queens Jamaica] is the name of the neighborhood in Queens where the E, F, and J/Z trains terminate.
* The actual [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_(New_York_City_Subway_service) G train] is notorious for unreliable service, hence the "Random Service" notation.
* The "Robert Moses High-Speed Line" refers to the NYC urban planner {{w|Robert Moses}}, who was one of the most influential planners in supporting cars over all public transport, creating the car-dependent {{w|New York metropolitan area}}.

====Philadelphia====
* Both {{w|SEPTA}} subway lines, a portion of the {{w|SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines}}, and the {{w|PATCO Speedline}} are shown.
* "Trolley Rt. 10 to California" is a play on the actual [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEPTA_Route_10 Route 10] trolley.

====Washington, DC====
* The "Graveyard for passengers killed by closing doors" refers to the warning played in the Washington DC Metro system advising passengers that the subway doors are "not like elevator doors" and will close on your limbs or belongings rather than opening when contact with an object is detected.
* The "Morgantown, WV Automated Line" references the {{w|Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit}} system, which was built in 1975 as a {{w|personal rapid transit}} demonstrator and serves the three campuses of West Virginia University.

====Miami====
* The "Caribbean Metromover" references the {{w|Miami Metromover}}, a people mover in downtown Miami (not shown on the map.)
* The airport logo for Miami International Airport (MIA) is replaced with a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewRjZoRtu0Y paper airplane].

====San Juan====
*The "Puerto Rico Submarine" that connects the Red Lines of San Juan and New York refers to the fact that San Juan is on an island, namely {{w|Puerto Rico}}.
*The "Mona Tunnel" that connects the Red Lines of San Juan and Santo Domingo may refer to the island of {{w|Isla de Mona|Mona}}, which lies between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.

====Monterrey====
*The "Chicxulub Tunnel" that connects the Red Lines of Santo Domingo and Monterey refers to the 65-million-year-old {{w|Chicxulub crater}}, which lies roughly between the two cities.

===Official subway maps===
* Atlanta - http://www.itsmarta.com/rail-schedules-or-route.aspx
* Baltimore (MTA Maryland) - http://mta.maryland.gov/sites/default/files/metro-subway.jpg
* Boston - http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/
* Chicago (CTA) - http://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/maps/P19_2012_CTA_Rail_Map.pdf
* Cleveland - http://www.riderta.com/pdf/maps/System_Map_Rapid_Connect.pdf
* Los Angeles (LACMTA) - http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/images/rail_map.gif
* Mexico City - http://www.metro.df.gob.mx/imagenes/red/redinternet.pdf
* Montreal - http://www.stm.info/english/metro/images/plan-metro.jpg
* New York City (MTA) - http://www.mta.info/maps/submap.html
* New York City (PATH) - http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html
* Philadelphia (SEPTA and PATCO) - http://www.septa.org/maps/system/index.html
* San Francisco (BART) - http://www.bart.gov/images/global/system-map.gif
* San Francisco (MUNI) - http://transit.511.org/static/providers/maps/SF_712200722845.gif
* Toronto (TTC) - http://tourbytransit.com/toronto/images/Toronto-Subway-Map.png
* Vancouver - http://mapa-metro.com/mapas/Vancouver/mapa-metro-vancouver.png
* Washington (WMATA) - http://wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

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