https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Teddymar37explain xkcd - User contributions [en]2026-05-22T14:00:22ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1872:_Backup_Batteries&diff=1435991872: Backup Batteries2017-08-04T14:06:45Z<p>Teddymar37: </p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1872<br />
| date = August 4, 2017<br />
| title = Backup Batteries<br />
| image = backup_batteries.png<br />
| titletext = If it falls below 20% full, my bag turns red and I start to panic.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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A backup battery is a source of energy that may be used to recharge an electronic device. Backup batteries for phones are typically hand-sized and their capacity roughly that of a phone.<br />
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In an effort to prevent stress, Cueball decides to carry a backup battery. This way he can recharge his phone should its battery run low. Cueball realises that the backup battery is itself prone to depletion, and so carries a second. He then comes to the same realisation for the second backup battery, and indeed every subsequent battery he can carry. This leads to an unending series of backup batteries, hence his speech is cut off.<br />
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The title text talks about how the battery on an iPhone will turn red if the battery is below 20%, as the same thing happens to Cueball's backpack.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
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:[Cueball is talking to White Hat. He is wearing a large backpack and holding a phone battery.]<br />
:Cueball: I get stressed out when my phone battery is low, so I carry this backup battery.<br />
:Cueball: But then I worry about the backup running low, so I carry this second backup.<br />
:Cueball: Then I worry—<br />
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:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:My bag is 90% backup batteries.<br />
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Smartphones]]<br />
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{{comic discussion}}</div>Teddymar37