1643: Degrees - Revision history

FaviFake: fix

2026-04-11T09:05:29Z

fix

1234231587678: what is this kerning

2026-04-08T14:00:18Z

what is this kerning

FaviFake: From the [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#citation|Editor FAQ § [Citation needed]:]] "This template should only be placed when there is a deeper sense of humor and should not be overused."

2025-09-05T12:18:57Z

From the Editor FAQ § [Citation needed]: "This template should only be placed when there is a deeper sense of humor and should not be overused."

1234231587678 at 18:34, 3 September 2025

2025-09-03T18:34:17Z

CalibansCreations: /* Explanation */

2025-08-12T16:02:00Z

‎Explanation

FaviFake at 18:12, 20 April 2025

2025-04-20T18:12:39Z

FaviFake: /* Trivia */

2025-04-20T18:12:06Z

‎Trivia

172.69.79.191: /* Explanation / To disambiguate against differing by a constant multiple. (Might be best to say which way* the shift is, but might be too wordy.)

2024-10-20T21:43:57Z

‎Explanation: To disambiguate against differing by a constant multiple. (Might be best to say *which way* the shift is, but might be too wordy.)

172.71.26.61: /* Explanation */

2024-10-20T21:40:03Z

‎Explanation

162.158.167.17: /* Explanation */

2024-10-11T03:30:11Z

‎Explanation

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 :'''The Celsius scale''' is from the {{w|metric system}}. Though this system has been officially sanctioned for use in the US since 1866, it is not frequently used in daily American life (except for some things, like liter bottles of soda), although it is the preferred system for trade and commerce according to the {{w|Metric Conversion Act}} of 1975. The US remains the only industrialized country, and one of few countries period, that does not use the metric system for everyday measurements, and in which official government documents and signage do not enforce metric units. The unit ''degree Celsius'' or °C is an accepted {{w|International System of Units#Derived units|derived unit}} from the {{w|International System of Units}} (SI units) used in science (which again is the modern form of the metric system). The SI unit of temperature is the {{w|kelvin}}, but this temperature scale just differs from the Celsius scale by a constant shift (273.15).
-:'''The Fahrenheit scale''' is from the {{w|United States customary units|US customary system}} and the (British) {{w|Imperial units|imperial system}}. The unit is ''degree Fahrenheit'' or °F, and the relation to the Celsius scale is not easy to find in a mental calculation. The relations are: [°F] = [°C] × 9 ⁄ 5 + 32 or [°C] = ([°F] − 32) × 5 ⁄ 9. (For this exact reason Randall has previously made a helpful table for these situations in [[526: Converting to Metric]].)
+:'''The Fahrenheit scale''' is from the {{w|United States customary units|US customary system}} and the (British) {{w|Imperial units|imperial system}}. The unit is ''degree Fahrenheit'' or °F, and the relation to the Celsius scale is not easy to find in a mental calculation. The relations are: [°F] = [°C] × 9⁄5 + 32 or [°C] = ([°F] − 32) × 5⁄9. (For this exact reason Randall has previously made a helpful table for these situations in [[526: Converting to Metric]].)
 Unlike most areas of measurement, where the metric system is widely considered superior, there is considerable debate about the relative merits of Fahrenheit vs. Celsius. Cueball weighs up the benefits of both scales, but fails to find a solution he can live with, and since he feels he has to give his friend an answer now, he panics and gives the answer 0.173 {{w|radians}}.

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 :'''The Celsius scale''' is from the {{w|metric system}}. Though this system has been officially sanctioned for use in the US since 1866, it is not frequently used in daily American life (except for some things, like liter bottles of soda), although it is the preferred system for trade and commerce according to the {{w|Metric Conversion Act}} of 1975. The US remains the only industrialized country, and one of few countries period, that does not use the metric system for everyday measurements, and in which official government documents and signage do not enforce metric units. The unit ''degree Celsius'' or °C is an accepted {{w|International System of Units#Derived units|derived unit}} from the {{w|International System of Units}} (SI units) used in science (which again is the modern form of the metric system). The SI unit of temperature is the {{w|kelvin}}, but this temperature scale just differs from the Celsius scale by a constant shift (273.15).
-:'''The Fahrenheit scale''' is from the {{w|United States customary units|US customary system}} and the (British) {{w|Imperial units|imperial system}}. The unit is ''degree Fahrenheit'' or °F, and the relation to the Celsius scale is not easy to find in a mental calculation. The relations are: [°F] = [°C]×9⁄5 + 32 or [°C] = ([°F] − 32)×5⁄9. (For this exact reason Randall has previously made a helpful table for these situations in [[526: Converting to Metric]].)
+:'''The Fahrenheit scale''' is from the {{w|United States customary units|US customary system}} and the (British) {{w|Imperial units|imperial system}}. The unit is ''degree Fahrenheit'' or °F, and the relation to the Celsius scale is not easy to find in a mental calculation. The relations are: [°F] = [°C] × 9 ⁄ 5 + 32 or [°C] = ([°F] − 32) × 5 ⁄ 9. (For this exact reason Randall has previously made a helpful table for these situations in [[526: Converting to Metric]].)
 Unlike most areas of measurement, where the metric system is widely considered superior, there is considerable debate about the relative merits of Fahrenheit vs. Celsius. Cueball weighs up the benefits of both scales, but fails to find a solution he can live with, and since he feels he has to give his friend an answer now, he panics and gives the answer 0.173 {{w|radians}}.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 [[Cueball]] (possibly representing [[Randall]]) is being asked by a friend for the {{w|temperature}}. While he is checking his smartphone for the weather, he begins pondering what unit he should use when answering the question. (See below for [[#Cueball's reasoning|Cueball's reasoning]].)
-In the US (where Cueball{{cn}} and Randall are from), the {{w|Conversion of units of temperature|temperature scale}} used in daily life is {{w|Fahrenheit}}.  However, most of the rest of the world uses {{w|Celsius}} in daily life, and even in the US it is commonly used for science. This is also why Randall has previously made the comic [[526: Converting to Metric]]. There are also people who wish the US to change to the metric system, although some of them still wish to keep the Fahrenheit scale as mentioned in [[1982: Evangelism]]
+In the US (where Cueball and [[Randall]] are from), the {{w|Conversion of units of temperature|temperature scale}} used in daily life is {{w|Fahrenheit}}.  However, most of the rest of the world uses {{w|Celsius}} in daily life, and even in the US it is commonly used for science. This is also why Randall has previously made the comic [[526: Converting to Metric]]. There are also people who wish the US to change to the metric system, although some of them still wish to keep the Fahrenheit scale as mentioned in [[1982: Evangelism]]
 :'''The Celsius scale''' is from the {{w|metric system}}. Though this system has been officially sanctioned for use in the US since 1866, it is not frequently used in daily American life (except for some things, like liter bottles of soda), although it is the preferred system for trade and commerce according to the {{w|Metric Conversion Act}} of 1975. The US remains the only industrialized country, and one of few countries period, that does not use the metric system for everyday measurements, and in which official government documents and signage do not enforce metric units. The unit ''degree Celsius'' or °C is an accepted {{w|International System of Units#Derived units|derived unit}} from the {{w|International System of Units}} (SI units) used in science (which again is the modern form of the metric system). The SI unit of temperature is the {{w|kelvin}}, but this temperature scale just differs from the Celsius scale by a constant shift (273.15).

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 [[Cueball]] (possibly representing [[Randall]]) is being asked by a friend for the {{w|temperature}}. While he is checking his smartphone for the weather, he begins pondering what unit he should use when answering the question. (See below for [[#Cueball's reasoning|Cueball's reasoning]].)
-In the US (where Cueball and [[Randall]] are from), the {{w|Conversion of units of temperature|temperature scale}} used in daily life is {{w|Fahrenheit}}.  However, most of the rest of the world uses {{w|Celsius}} in daily life, and even in the US it is commonly used for science. This is also why Randall has previously made the comic [[526: Converting to Metric]]. There are also people who wish the US to change to the metric system, although some of them still wish to keep the Fahrenheit scale as mentioned in [[1982: Evangelism]]
+In the US (where Cueball{{cn}} and Randall are from), the {{w|Conversion of units of temperature|temperature scale}} used in daily life is {{w|Fahrenheit}}.  However, most of the rest of the world uses {{w|Celsius}} in daily life, and even in the US it is commonly used for science. This is also why Randall has previously made the comic [[526: Converting to Metric]]. There are also people who wish the US to change to the metric system, although some of them still wish to keep the Fahrenheit scale as mentioned in [[1982: Evangelism]]
 :'''The Celsius scale''' is from the {{w|metric system}}. Though this system has been officially sanctioned for use in the US since 1866, it is not frequently used in daily American life (except for some things, like liter bottles of soda), although it is the preferred system for trade and commerce according to the {{w|Metric Conversion Act}} of 1975. The US remains the only industrialized country, and one of few countries period, that does not use the metric system for everyday measurements, and in which official government documents and signage do not enforce metric units. The unit ''degree Celsius'' or °C is an accepted {{w|International System of Units#Derived units|derived unit}} from the {{w|International System of Units}} (SI units) used in science (which again is the modern form of the metric system). The SI unit of temperature is the {{w|kelvin}}, but this temperature scale just differs from the Celsius scale by a constant shift (273.15).

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 The title text indicates that Cueball's friend still wants to know whether the answer is in radians Fahrenheit or radians Celsius, which, despite being a silly way to express temperature, would actually enable the friend to get some meaning out of the reply. But this just takes Cueball back to the problem he failed to solve in the first place of choosing one scale in preference to the other, so suddenly he announces has to go and runs off without ever clarifying what he meant. This result is probably because he is afraid of being a bad friend according to his very last point regarding Fahrenheit: ''Valuing unit standardization over being helpful possibly makes me a bad friend.''
-The answer Cueball gives of 0.173 radians corresponds to a geometric angle 9.91° (0.173 × <sup>360°</sup>/<sub>2π</sub>). If this were "radians Celsius" it would be 9.91&nbsp;°C corresponding to 49.8&nbsp;°F and if it were "radians Fahrenheit" it would be 9.91&nbsp;°F corresponding to -12.3&nbsp;°C. [http://boston.cbslocal.com/2016/02/13/new-england-freezing-temperatures-valentines-day-weekend/ Given the temperatures] in {{w|Massachusetts}} (where Randall lives) when this comic came out, the day after Valentine's Day 2016, Cueball was probably giving his answer in radians Fahrenheit.
+The answer Cueball gives of 0.173 radians corresponds to a geometric angle 9.91° (0.173 × <sup>360°</sup>/<sub>2π</sub>). If this were "radians Celsius" it would be 9.91&nbsp;°C corresponding to 49.8&nbsp;°F and if it were "radians Fahrenheit" it would be 9.91&nbsp;°F corresponding to -12.3&nbsp;°C. Whilst the former may sound more reasonable, [http://boston.cbslocal.com/2016/02/13/new-england-freezing-temperatures-valentines-day-weekend/ given the temperatures] in {{w|Massachusetts}} (where Randall lives) when this comic came out, the day after Valentine's Day 2016, Cueball was probably giving his answer in radians Fahrenheit.
 === Cueball's reasoning ===

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 :'''Angular degrees''' is a system used to measure {{w|angles}} in {{w|geometry}}, and although it too uses the symbol ° and the word "degrees", it has nothing to do with temperature measurements of any sort. Potentially he is referring to a monitor on his phone that is giving him data on which he is deliberating.
-Thus, this answer is unhelpful and the joke is that traditionally both geometric angles and temperature are measured in "degrees", but there is no connection between the two.
+Thus, this answer is unhelpful and the joke is that traditionally both geometric angles and temperature are measured in "degrees", but there is no connection between the two. The Fahrenheit/Celsius debate was later referenced in [[1923: Felsius]].
 The title text indicates that Cueball's friend still wants to know whether the answer is in radians Fahrenheit or radians Celsius, which, despite being a silly way to express temperature, would actually enable the friend to get some meaning out of the reply. But this just takes Cueball back to the problem he failed to solve in the first place of choosing one scale in preference to the other, so suddenly he announces has to go and runs off without ever clarifying what he meant. This result is probably because he is afraid of being a bad friend according to his very last point regarding Fahrenheit: ''Valuing unit standardization over being helpful possibly makes me a bad friend.''

@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
 * At -0.698 radians (-40 degrees) it would not have mattered whether it was radians Celsius or radians Fahrenheit as the two scales are equal at this point: -40&nbsp;°F is the same temperature as -40&nbsp;°C.
-* The Fahrenheit/Celsius debate was later referenced in [[1923: Felsius]].
+* Cueball’s friend’s last sentence does not end in punctuation. This mistake has not been fixed.
-* Cueball’s friend’s last sentence does not end in punctuation.
+{{comic discussion}}
 [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 [[Category:Science]]

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 In the US (where Cueball and [[Randall]] are from), the {{w|Conversion of units of temperature|temperature scale}} used in daily life is {{w|Fahrenheit}}.  However, most of the rest of the world uses {{w|Celsius}} in daily life, and even in the US it is commonly used for science. This is also why Randall has previously made the comic [[526: Converting to Metric]]. There are also people who wish the US to change to the metric system, although some of them still wish to keep the Fahrenheit scale as mentioned in [[1982: Evangelism]]
-:'''The Celsius scale''' is from the {{w|metric system}}. Though this system has been officially sanctioned for use in the US since 1866, it is not frequently used in daily American life (except for some things, like liter bottles of soda), although it is the preferred system for trade and commerce according to the {{w|Metric Conversion Act}} of 1975. The US remains the only industrialized country, and one of few countries period, that does not use the metric system for everyday measurements, and in which official government documents and signage do not enforce metric units. The unit ''degree Celsius'' or °C is an accepted {{w|International System of Units#Derived units|derived unit}} from the {{w|International System of Units}} (SI units) used in science (which again is the modern form of the metric system). The SI unit of temperature is the {{w|kelvin}}, but this temperature scale is linearly related to the Celsius scale, which is why Celsius can be derived from it.
+:'''The Celsius scale''' is from the {{w|metric system}}. Though this system has been officially sanctioned for use in the US since 1866, it is not frequently used in daily American life (except for some things, like liter bottles of soda), although it is the preferred system for trade and commerce according to the {{w|Metric Conversion Act}} of 1975. The US remains the only industrialized country, and one of few countries period, that does not use the metric system for everyday measurements, and in which official government documents and signage do not enforce metric units. The unit ''degree Celsius'' or °C is an accepted {{w|International System of Units#Derived units|derived unit}} from the {{w|International System of Units}} (SI units) used in science (which again is the modern form of the metric system). The SI unit of temperature is the {{w|kelvin}}, but this temperature scale just differs from the Celsius scale by a constant (273.15).
 :'''The Fahrenheit scale''' is from the {{w|United States customary units|US customary system}} and the (British) {{w|Imperial units|imperial system}}. The unit is ''degree Fahrenheit'' or °F, and the relation to the Celsius scale is not easy to find in a mental calculation. The relations are: [°F] = [°C]×9⁄5 + 32 or [°C] = ([°F] − 32)×5⁄9. (For this exact reason Randall has previously made a helpful table for these situations in [[526: Converting to Metric]].)

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-[[Cueball]] is being asked by a friend for the {{w|temperature}}. While he is checking his smartphone for the weather, he begins pondering what unit he should use when answering the question. (See below for [[#Cueball's reasoning|Cueball's reasoning]].)
+[[Cueball]] (possibly representing [[Randall]]) is being asked by a friend for the {{w|temperature}}. While he is checking his smartphone for the weather, he begins pondering what unit he should use when answering the question. (See below for [[#Cueball's reasoning|Cueball's reasoning]].)
 In the US (where Cueball and [[Randall]] are from), the {{w|Conversion of units of temperature|temperature scale}} used in daily life is {{w|Fahrenheit}}.  However, most of the rest of the world uses {{w|Celsius}} in daily life, and even in the US it is commonly used for science. This is also why Randall has previously made the comic [[526: Converting to Metric]]. There are also people who wish the US to change to the metric system, although some of them still wish to keep the Fahrenheit scale as mentioned in [[1982: Evangelism]]

1643: Degrees - Revision history

FaviFake: fix

1234231587678: what is this kerning

FaviFake: From the [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#citation|Editor FAQ § [Citation needed]:]] "This template should only be placed when there is a deeper sense of humor and should not be overused."

1234231587678 at 18:34, 3 September 2025

CalibansCreations: /* Explanation */

FaviFake at 18:12, 20 April 2025

FaviFake: /* Trivia */

172.69.79.191: /* Explanation */ To disambiguate against differing by a constant multiple. (Might be best to say *which way* the shift is, but might be too wordy.)

172.71.26.61: /* Explanation */

162.158.167.17: /* Explanation */

172.69.79.191: /* Explanation / To disambiguate against differing by a constant multiple. (Might be best to say which way* the shift is, but might be too wordy.)