2642: Meta-Alternating Current - Revision history

2A0B:F4C2:2:0:0:0:0:37: Clarified title text joke

2025-07-01T20:57:29Z

Clarified title text joke

Mosw: Fixed a typo and a grammatical error.

2025-03-21T02:10:09Z

Fixed a typo and a grammatical error.

Kynde: /* Explanation */

2025-03-07T11:42:09Z

‎Explanation

B for brain: Added Note above the comic about the orphaned comic replaced by this one.

2025-02-18T18:40:16Z

Added Note above the comic about the orphaned comic replaced by this one.

172.70.251.159: Explanation already consistent, marked complete.

2024-03-18T14:20:38Z

Explanation already consistent, marked complete.

87.bus.rider at 13:46, 18 March 2024

2024-03-18T13:46:52Z

198.41.236.162: /* Explanation */

2024-02-03T18:59:19Z

‎Explanation

Wibeasley: apostrophe for possession

2024-02-02T16:49:47Z

apostrophe for possession

Kynde: /* Trivia */

2024-01-13T11:10:14Z

‎Trivia

Kynde: /* Transcript */ more details

2024-01-13T11:07:34Z

‎Transcript: more details

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 This comic proposes a humorous ''Meta-Alternating Current'', which uses a series of adapters to "alternate" between DC and AC current along the length of a connector. This is absurd in part because typical {{w|power inverter}} efficiency is 90%, and maximum {{w|bridge rectifier}} efficiency is about 99% for 120 V,{{actual citation needed}} so an {{w|extension cord}} made in this manner would lose about 11% power (compounded<!-- ...need a better word for this, but it's very much related to compound interest. It wouldn't be 100% loss after nine steps, but ~91% loss, i.e. 0.90*0.99)^9 -->) per such pair. For the wire shown in the comic, with seven pairs, the efficiency would be 0.89<sup>7</sup>, which is 0.45, that is, 45%.
-The title text bemoans that an inverter, which converts direct current to alternating current, does not work in the other direction, as a layman's interpretation of the word "inverter" might assume. Rather, a separate device, a {{w|rectifier}}, also pictured in the comic, must be used for this second conversion. (However, a similar circuit to an inverter may be used to rectify in a process called {{w|active rectification}}.)
+The title text bemoans that a second inverter doesn't reverse what the first inverter does.  The joke here is that in common parlance, to "invert" something is to turn it upside down, obviously doing this twice ends up with the object right side up again as it started.  However as used with regard to electricity, an "inverter" changes DC power to AC power.  You can't use another inverter to change back to DC.  Rather, a separate device, a {{w|rectifier}}, also pictured in the comic, must be used for this second conversion. (However, a similar circuit to an inverter may be used to rectify in a process called {{w|active rectification}}.)
 ==Transcript==

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 ==Explanation==
-This is the sixth installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #120: Meta-alternating current extension cord. It follows [[2589: Outlet Denier]] (#78) after about 4 moths but was first followed about 1,5 years later by [[2880: Sheet Bend]] (#46).
+This is the sixth installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #120: Meta-alternating current extension cord. It follows [[2589: Outlet Denier]] (#78) after about 4 months and was followed about 1.5 years later by [[2880: Sheet Bend]] (#46).
 {{w|Direct current}} is a unidirectional flow of electrons from a power source to something being powered, through one or more conductors, before returning to the power source via one or more other conductors, thus completing the circuit. Batteries produce direct current.  It is commonly used in electronics applications, including computers. {{w|Alternating current}}, on the other hand, frequently reverses the direction of electron flow, and is commonly used for longer-distance transmission (such as from the power plant to an outlet).

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ==Explanation==
-This is the sixth installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #120: Meta-alternating current extension cord.
+This is the sixth installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #120: Meta-alternating current extension cord. It follows [[2589: Outlet Denier]] (#78) after about 4 moths but was first followed about 1,5 years later by [[2880: Sheet Bend]] (#46).
 {{w|Direct current}} is a unidirectional flow of electrons from a power source to something being powered, through one or more conductors, before returning to the power source via one or more other conductors, thus completing the circuit. Batteries produce direct current.  It is commonly used in electronics applications, including computers. {{w|Alternating current}}, on the other hand, frequently reverses the direction of electron flow, and is commonly used for longer-distance transmission (such as from the power plant to an outlet).

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:40, 18 February 2025
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		+	This page is for the [[:Category:Cursed Connectors\|Cursed Connectors]] comic with this number. For the 4th of July comic that was replaced by this one, see [[No One Was Hurt]].
		+
	{{comic		{{comic
	\| number = 2642		\| number = 2642

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:20, 18 March 2024
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
−	~~{{incomplete\|please add the previous cursed connector for consistancy}}~~
	This is the sixth installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors\|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #120: Meta-alternating current extension cord.		This is the sixth installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors\|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #120: Meta-alternating current extension cord.

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:46, 18 March 2024
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
		+	{{incomplete\|please add the previous cursed connector for consistancy}}
	This is the sixth installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors\|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #120: Meta-alternating current extension cord.		This is the sixth installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors\|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #120: Meta-alternating current extension cord.

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 ==Trivia==
 *This comic replaced [[No One Was Hurt]] as comic 2642 after it was taken down from [[xkcd]]'s website.
-**See why on that comics explanation.
+**See why on that comic's explanation.
 *This comic initially did not have a high-resolution (2x) image for high-DPI displays, making it look more blurry than usual on such devices (such as smartphones). This was probably because it was uploaded hastily to replace No One Was Hurt quickly. It has since been updated to include a high-resolution version.

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 ==Transcript==
 :Cursed Connectors #120
+:Inverters
-:[Drawing of a chain of rectifiers and inverters. There are seven pairs of rectifiers/inverters. The chain starts on the left with a mains plug (type B), followed by the first rectifier. It ends with the last inverter, and a female mains plug (type B socket).]
+:Rectifiers
 :Meta-alternating current extension cord
 :(alternates between AC and DC)