Editing 2977: Three Kinds of Research

{{comic
| number    = 2977
| date      = August 26, 2024
| title     = Three Kinds of Research
| image     = three_kinds_of_research_2x.png
| imagesize = 501x306px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = The secret fourth kind is 'we applied a standard theory to their map of every tree and got some suspicious results.'
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, three types of research are presented. First, [[Cueball]] presents an analysis of an existing theory, testing to see if it holds up under unusual circumstances. Second, [[Miss Lenhart]] presents a new theory; to prove that it has merit, it is tested on "standard" circumstances, presumably older data that the existing theories have already been tested on. As Miss Lenhart's data graph looks similar in form to Cueball's, it is possible that they are approaching the same field from two different directions.

The punchline is a disheveled [[Hairy]] presenting the third kind of research: not a theory, but a survey that collects the data to test theories on. Rather than sit around their laboratory crunching numbers, Hairy has gotten deep in the weeds &mdash; literally, judging by the leaves stuck to their body &mdash; to [https://www.google.com/search?q=lidar+tree+survey somehow] map out "every tree." How far their {{w|Forest inventory|survey}} of "every tree" reaches isn't clear but it's implied to be a massive area such as most of a country, continent or even the world (though the appearance of the graph doesn't have any obvious relationship to any [[977: Map Projections|global projection]]), and they're raising their arms in exhausted triumph over the fact that they're finally finished.

The comic thus presents a message about science: while it is perceived to be a high-minded affair with lots of very smart people performing calculations well over most people's heads, it still relies on getting down and dirty &mdash; again, literally in Hairy's case &mdash; with the rather basic challenges of measuring what the problems are to begin with. [[2456: Types of Scientific Paper|Some scientific papers]] are simply descriptions of measured phenomena.

The title text brings everything together by testing theories on the tree map (this is similar to Cueball's approach), with suspicious results. There can be multiple interpretations of these results: the "map of every tree" was manipulated or simply inaccurate, someone is messing with trees on a global level or the tree survey methods and/or mapping techniques are questionable. This could also be a reference to the discovery of General and Special relativity, which sprouted from the fact that the "standard theory" at the time, Newtonian gravity, was unable to account for certain observed phenomena, such as the orbit of Mercury. 

For example, the {{w|Lambda-CDM_model|ΛCDM standard model of cosmology}} could be<br>
1) supported or challenged by new empirical data on the distribution of galaxies, new simulations or a mathematical thought experiment based on that model<br>
2) challenged by a new model that is better at explaining some oddities of the model, such as {{w|dark energy}}<br>
3) complemented with a survey of the timeline of everything in the universe :-)<br>

In this case the fourth kind of researcher would apply the cosmological standard model to the map of everything and find something suspicious.

The title text refers to this particular Hairy as 'they' (Hairy is not a specific character, so Hairies in different comics are assumed to be different people). The use of a gender-neutral pronoun perhaps implies that this Hairy does not conform to a binary gender identity. If so, they would be the first character identified as such in the xkcd pantheon. It's also possible that 'they' refers to a group of people whose map it is, but there is only one obvious person (Hairy) that is presenting the map within the comic itself, as there are only individual presenters of the other two items (perhaps also group efforts).

Randall has previously created a similar type of comic in [[2529: Unsolved Math Problems]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A single panel with three separate drawings.]
:[Caption above the drawings:]
:The Three Kinds of Scientific Research:
:[Cueball is pointing to a scatter plot with a best-fit curve.]
:Cueball: We applied a standard theory to novel circumstances and got some surprising results.
:[Miss Lenhart is pointing to a similar scatter plot.]
:Miss Lenhart: We applied a novel theory to standard circumstances and got some intriguing results.
:[Hairy, with leaves in their messy hair and on their body, is pointing to another chart that is covered in random dots and unidentifiable shapes, while having both arms raised. Leaves are falling from their body and are scattered on the ground at their feet. A stick is stuck in their hair.]
:Hairy: ''Finally, a map of every tree.''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]