https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=31.221.13.140&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T13:31:58ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1275:_int(pi)&diff=502511275: int(pi)2013-10-09T08:38:08Z<p>31.221.13.140: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1275<br />
| date = October 9, 2013<br />
| title = int(pi)<br />
| image = int pi.png<br />
| titletext = If replacing all the '3's doesn't fix your code, remove the 4s, too, with 'ceiling(pi) / floor(pi) * pi * r^floor(pi)'. Mmm, floor pie.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
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This comic tells a simple, deadpan joke: that the number "{{w|3 (number)|3}}" is cursed and thus should not be used in programming. [[Randall]] recommends that programmers instead use <code>int(pi)</code>, which means the {{w|integer}} part of {{w|pi}}, without the {{w|fractional part}}. Pi, an {{w|irrational number}}, has a value starting <code>3.14159...</code>, making <code>int(pi)</code> equal to 3.<br />
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In the title text, Randall takes the joke a step further, suggesting the usage of {{w|floor and ceiling functions}}: <code>ceiling(pi)</code> would be pi rounded ''up'' to the next integer, which is {{w|4 (number)|4}}; and <code>floor(pi)</code> is pi rounded ''down'' to the next integer, which is 3. (Note that <code>int(n)</code> and <code>floor(n)</code> have the same value when <code>n</code> is greater or equal to zero. For values less than zero, <code>int(n)</code> is equal to <code>ceiling(n)</code>. <code>round(n)</code> will always be equal to either <code>floor(n)</code> or <code>ceiling(n)</code>.)<br />
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The joke here plays off of the fact that the intricacies of programming are endlessly confusing, and that [[292|novice programmers are often told to simply not do certain things without any explanation]]. Without knowing how a given programming language works, a new coder has no way of knowing which sorts of things are important to pay attention to. Randall takes this to an extreme here by suggesting that certain numbers could be inherently problematic, but the general idea is perfectly believable.<br />
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The formula in the comic is for the volume of a sphere; 4/3*pi*r^3.<br />
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<i>Mmm... Floor pie.</i> is a reference to Homer Simpson [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnjzmdxTXGQ]<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:volume(r) = (4/int(pi))*pi*r^int(pi)<br />
:Programming Tip: The number "3" is cursed. Avoid it.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Programming]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>31.221.13.140https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1238:_Enlightenment&diff=438211238: Enlightenment2013-07-15T13:43:44Z<p>31.221.13.140: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1238<br />
| date = July 15, 2013<br />
| title = Enlightenment<br />
| image = enlightenment.png<br />
| titletext = But the rules of writing are like magic spells. If you never acquire them, then not using them says nothing.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
<!-- if anyone re-adds the {{incomplete}} tag, remember to set parameter 1 as this page's title, since otherwise people viewing this from the main page will see the wrong thing when they click "edit"--><br />
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This comic is a reference to a scene from {{w|Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace}} in which {{w|Yoda}} expresses doubt in a young {{w|Anakin Skywalker|Anakin}}'s potential to join the {{w|Jedi}} order. Yoda delivers a speech similar to the one that [[Ponytail]] gives here, except that the end of the sequence he presents is {{w|Dark side (Star Wars)|the dark side}}. (Yoda is ultimately correct; Anakin's fears lead him to join the dark side so that he may keep his loved ones from dying; this is at the expense of the stability of the galaxy, however, and his actions are in vain, as {{w|Padmé Amidala|his wife}} dies nonetheless.)<br />
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Here, [[Randall]] compares Anakin's decision to join the dark side to the propensity of many Internet commenters to correct others on their spelling and grammar. Randall's point is that correcting people, like joining the dark side, ultimately stems from insecurity.<br />
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Ponytail and [[Cueball]] challenge [[Megan]] to type the sentence "I heard you're idea's and their definately good", which contains four {{w|Commonly misspelled words|common misspellings}}: ''{{w|wikt:you're|you'''&#39;re'''}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:your|you'''r'''}}''; ''{{w|possessive|idea'''&#39;'''s}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:ideas|ideas}}'' (see {{w|greengrocers' apostrophe}}); ''{{w|wikt:their|the'''ir'''}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:they're|the'''y're'''}}''; and ''{{w|wikt:definately|defin'''a'''tely}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:definitely|defin'''i'''tely}}''. Megan, however, can't bring herself to do it, having spent so much time judging others for their trivial errors, even when they're saying helpful things like the sentence in question. Instead, she smashes the computer and runs away. Cueball and Ponytail remark on this, both failing to use {{w|apostrophe}}s. (Or, since you don't use apostrophes when you talk, you could think of it as Randall himself who's dropping them, to put his money where his mouth is.)<br />
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The particular sentence choice is also interesting: In {{w|software development}} (a frequent topic in ''xkcd'') an initial "{{w|wikt:+1|+1}}" can make a big difference. For instance, if a developer posts somewhere asking for input on how to design part of a software, and an end-user or a volunteer programmer posts some suggestions, it can really make that user feel validated if the developers follow up and say "yeah, that's a good idea"; if they just shoot it down, then the user feels discouraged, and next time might not be as likely to share their ideas. So, in other words, the sentence "I heard your ideas and they're definitely good" can be a very meaningful one in some circles; to care about whether or not the sentence is spelled right is to focus solely on its superficial elements, ignoring its meaning. Randall is saying that, if we spend more time appreciating what people say, and less time complaining about how they say it, ultimately we'll help make the Internet a more friendly place.<br />
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The alt-text possibly refers to the common situation in fantasy stories where the powerful wizards etc. refrain from using magic except when they need to - often because overuse corrupts or similar. However, simply not using magic because you don't know magic is not at all the same. Randall is making this comparison with use/misuse of the rules of English: he is saying that people should still learn the rules - he is not condoning ignorance.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
<pre><br />
Ponytail: To achieve *internet enlightenment*, you must free yourself from insecurity.<br />
Megan: But insecurity keeps me humble!<br />
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Ponytail: No. Insecurity leads to conceit. Conceit leads to judgment. Judgment leads to being an asshole.<br />
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[They are in front of a computer]<br />
Megan: I'm ready. How do I begin?<br />
Ponytail: Type this sentence.<br />
[White text on black background]<br />
I heard you're idea's and their definately good.<br />
<br />
[Megan is absent from the last panel, and the computer is on the floor, the stand on which the computer was is broken]<br />
Ponytail: She wasnt ready.<br />
Cueball: Its a difficult road.<br />
</pre><br />
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:<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Internet]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>31.221.13.140https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1196:_Subways&diff=32804Talk:1196: Subways2013-04-08T09:19:00Z<p>31.221.13.140: </p>
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<div>I think the comic is making fun of the ridiculous scale-inaccuracies found in public transport plans, including subway plans, which make it hard to estimate actual distances and travel times. {{unsigned|130.60.152.125}}<br />
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I think it's deffently a factor. <that one editor who always forgets to login><br />
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What does it mean "(with respect to geography)"? As a non US citizen I don't know what is odd about this map. Is this actually how the lines connect up? Are these real stations/lines? Can you really go from san fransisco to new york on subway?</div>31.221.13.140