2966: Exam Numbers - Revision history

130.76.187.57: /* Explanation */ rm, random reference

2026-05-19T17:56:46Z

‎Explanation: rm, random reference

82.132.236.68: /* Explanation */

2026-01-04T03:42:38Z

‎Explanation

82.132.236.68: Undo revision 402880 by Woofwooffire (talk) a weird edit. You tend to make the multiples increase (or maybe consistently decrease?) when you gabble such numbers, not mix up the order.

2026-01-04T02:59:00Z

Undo revision 402880 by Woofwooffire (talk) a weird edit. You tend to make the multiples increase (or *maybe* consistently decrease?) when you gabble such numbers, not mix up the order.

Woofwooffire: /* Explanation */

2026-01-04T01:53:01Z

‎Explanation

172.70.163.72: /* Transcript / Clunky, but as formatting should be described* in transcripts...

2025-04-04T01:15:42Z

‎Transcript: Clunky, but as formatting should be *described* in transcripts...

172.70.175.30: Fixed the transcript to show the underlined text and added to the beginning of the transcript, couldn't find any other issues.

2025-04-03T23:39:32Z

Fixed the transcript to show the underlined text and added to the beginning of the transcript, couldn't find any other issues.

ISaveXKCDpapers: removed unnecessary parentheses

2025-03-11T18:12:09Z

removed unnecessary parentheses

ISaveXKCDpapers: fixed sign error, formatting overhaul

2025-03-11T18:10:49Z

fixed sign error, formatting overhaul

Darkmatterisntsquirrels: 37 linked to disambiguation, fixed.

2024-12-16T01:02:34Z

37 linked to disambiguation, fixed.

172.70.207.128: /* Explanation */ smart ass comment about difficulty fitting numbers into the box

2024-12-01T01:04:52Z

‎Explanation: smart ass comment about difficulty fitting numbers into the box

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:56, 19 May 2026
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	(Verify by plugging ''x''=4 into the original equation. '''4''' = (3*'''4''') - 8 -> '''4''' = 12 - 8 -> '''4''' = 4.)		(Verify by plugging ''x''=4 into the original equation. '''4''' = (3*'''4''') - 8 -> '''4''' = 12 - 8 -> '''4''' = 4.)
−
−	~~4 is also the subject of [[221: Random Number]].~~

	\|-		\|-

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 ! Exam level !! Question !! Answer
 |-
-| {{w|Kindergarten}} math || Write down the biggest number you can think of || At a kindergarten-level education, it is assumed that an individual might write down a relatively small number like 300, depending upon whether they have encountered the concept of hundreds. It might also be interpreted as "what's the highest number that you (think you) can count up to". Given the nature of a child's exuberant glee at learning about ''really'' big (but otherwise normal) numbers, they may even try an answer something like "a million billion squillion gazillion... and seven!".  However, a kindergarten student is not likely to be able to write small enough to fit that number in the space provided; the largest numeral that will fit in a box of arbitrary size is consists of repeated ones, which are narrower than other digits, thereby allowing more digits to fit.  It is not certain what criteria would be used to mark this question correct or otherwise, it may actually be a stealth question in child psychology or a question that everybody "gets right" so long as they answer it.
+| {{w|Kindergarten}} math || Write down the biggest number you can think of || At a kindergarten-level education, it is assumed that an individual might write down a relatively small number like 300, depending upon whether they have encountered the concept of hundreds. It might also be interpreted as "what's the highest number that you (think you) can count up to". Given the nature of a child's exuberant glee at learning about ''really'' big (but otherwise normal) numbers, they may even try an answer something like "a million billion squillion gazillion... and seven!".  However, a kindergarten student is not likely to be able to write small enough to fit that number in the space provided; the largest numeral that will fit in a box of arbitrary size would consist of repeated ones, which are traditionally narrower than other digits (in the most unadorned form of handwriting, or {{w|Typeface#Proportional font|proportional font}}), thereby allowing more subsequent digits to fit into the limited space provided. It is not certain what criteria would be used to mark this question correct or otherwise, it may actually be a stealth question in child psychology or a question that everybody "gets right" so long as they answer it.
 Although an advanced concept taught years later, infinity is not out of the question here, as employing it is often the only way to explain a substantial number of very simple math questions.

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 ! Exam level !! Question !! Answer
 |-
-| {{w|Kindergarten}} math || Write down the biggest number you can think of || At a kindergarten-level education, it is assumed that an individual might write down a relatively small number like 300, depending upon whether they have encountered the concept of hundreds. It might also be interpreted as "what's the highest number that you (think you) can count up to". Given the nature of a child's exuberant glee at learning about ''really'' big (but otherwise normal) numbers, they may even try an answer something like "a billion million gazillion and seven!".  However, a kindergarten student is not likely to be able to write small enough to fit that number in the space provided; the largest numeral that will fit in a box of arbitrary size is consists of repeated ones, which are narrower than other digits, thereby allowing more digits to fit.  It is not certain what criteria would be used to mark this question correct or otherwise, it may actually be a stealth question in child psychology or a question that everybody "gets right" so long as they answer it.
+| {{w|Kindergarten}} math || Write down the biggest number you can think of || At a kindergarten-level education, it is assumed that an individual might write down a relatively small number like 300, depending upon whether they have encountered the concept of hundreds. It might also be interpreted as "what's the highest number that you (think you) can count up to". Given the nature of a child's exuberant glee at learning about ''really'' big (but otherwise normal) numbers, they may even try an answer something like "a million billion squillion gazillion... and seven!".  However, a kindergarten student is not likely to be able to write small enough to fit that number in the space provided; the largest numeral that will fit in a box of arbitrary size is consists of repeated ones, which are narrower than other digits, thereby allowing more digits to fit.  It is not certain what criteria would be used to mark this question correct or otherwise, it may actually be a stealth question in child psychology or a question that everybody "gets right" so long as they answer it.
 Although an advanced concept taught years later, infinity is not out of the question here, as employing it is often the only way to explain a substantial number of very simple math questions.

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 ! Exam level !! Question !! Answer
 |-
-| {{w|Kindergarten}} math || Write down the biggest number you can think of || At a kindergarten-level education, it is assumed that an individual might write down a relatively small number like 300, depending upon whether they have encountered the concept of hundreds. It might also be interpreted as "what's the highest number that you (think you) can count up to". Given the nature of a child's exuberant glee at learning about ''really'' big (but otherwise normal) numbers, they may even try an answer something like "a million billion squillion gazillion... and seven!".  However, a kindergarten student is not likely to be able to write small enough to fit that number in the space provided; the largest numeral that will fit in a box of arbitrary size is consists of repeated ones, which are narrower than other digits, thereby allowing more digits to fit.  It is not certain what criteria would be used to mark this question correct or otherwise, it may actually be a stealth question in child psychology or a question that everybody "gets right" so long as they answer it.
+| {{w|Kindergarten}} math || Write down the biggest number you can think of || At a kindergarten-level education, it is assumed that an individual might write down a relatively small number like 300, depending upon whether they have encountered the concept of hundreds. It might also be interpreted as "what's the highest number that you (think you) can count up to". Given the nature of a child's exuberant glee at learning about ''really'' big (but otherwise normal) numbers, they may even try an answer something like "a billion million gazillion and seven!".  However, a kindergarten student is not likely to be able to write small enough to fit that number in the space provided; the largest numeral that will fit in a box of arbitrary size is consists of repeated ones, which are narrower than other digits, thereby allowing more digits to fit.  It is not certain what criteria would be used to mark this question correct or otherwise, it may actually be a stealth question in child psychology or a question that everybody "gets right" so long as they answer it.
 Although an advanced concept taught years later, infinity is not out of the question here, as employing it is often the only way to explain a substantial number of very simple math questions.

@@ Line 94: / Line 94: @@
 ==Transcript==
-:[6 different math test questions are arranged in a three by two grid.]
+:[6 different math test questions are arranged in a three by two grid. All subject headers include the words "Final exam" underlined, or given a similarly wide horizontal rule before the question itself.]
 :[The first panel:]

@@ Line 93: / Line 93: @@
 ==Transcript==
-{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
-:[6 different math test questions.]
+:[6 different math test questions are arranged in a three by two grid.]
 :[The first panel:]
-:Kindergarten math final exam
+:Kindergarten math
 :Q. Write down the biggest number you can think of
-:A. [empty box]
+:A. [Empty box.]
 :[The second panel:]
-:Pre-algebra final exam
+:Pre-algebra
 :Q. Write down the value of x if x=3x-8
-:A. [empty box]
+:A. [Empty box.]
 :[The third panel:]
-:Calculus final exam
+:Calculus
 :Q. Write down the value of [integral sign, from 0 to pi] x sin^2 x dx
-:A. [empty box]
+:A. [Empty box.]
 :[The fourth panel:]
-:PhD cosmology final exam
+:PhD cosmology
 :Q. Write down the Hubble constant to within 1%
-:A. [empty box]
+:A. [Empty box.]
 :[The fifth panel:]
-:Game theory final exam
+:Game theory
 :Q. Write down 10 more than the average of the class's answers
-:A. [empty box]
+:A. [Empty box.]
 :[The sixth panel:]
-:Postgraduate math final exam
+:Postgraduate math
 :Q. Write down the biggest number you can think of
-:A. [empty box]
+:A. [Empty box.]
 {{comic discussion}}

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 ⌡0
-   ⌠π   (1 − cos 2x)
+   ⌠π   1 − cos 2x
-= │  x ―――――――――――― dx
+= │  x ―――――――――― dx
-   ⌡0        2
+   ⌡0       2
 ⌠π        1 ⌠π

@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 <pre style="line-height: initial;">⌠π
-│ x sin²x dx
+│  x sin²x dx
 ⌡0
-   ⌠π
+   ⌠π   (1 − cos 2x)
-= │ x (1−cos 2x)÷2 dx
+= │  x ―――――――――――― dx
-   ⌡0
+   ⌡0        2
-   ⌠π        ⌠π
+⌠π        1 ⌠π
-= ½│ x dx − ½│ x cos 2x dx
+= ― │  x dx − ― │  x cos 2x dx
-   ⌡0        ⌡0
+⌡0        2 ⌡0
-       │π  ⌠π
+    │π   1 ⌠π
-= ¼ x² │ -¼│ x (sin 2x)′ dx
+= ― x² │  - ― │  x (sin 2x)′ dx
-       │0  ⌡0
+    │0   4 ⌡0
-       │π            │π  ⌠π
+    │π   1          │π   1 ⌠π
-= ¼ x² │ -¼ x sin 2x │ +¼│ (x)′ sin 2x dx
+= ― x² │  - ― x sin 2x │  + ― │  (x)′ sin 2x dx
-       │0            │0  ⌡0
+    │0   4          │0   4 ⌡0
-       │π            │π  ⌠π
+    │π   1          │π   1 ⌠π
-= ¼ x² │ -¼ x sin 2x │ +¼│ sin 2x dx
+= ― x² │  - ― x sin 2x │  + ― │  sin 2x dx
-       │0            │0  ⌡0
+    │0   4          │0   4 ⌡0
-       │π            │π          │π
+    │π   1          │π   1        │π
-= ¼ x² │ -¼ x sin 2x │ +⅛ cos 2x │
+= ― x² │  - ― x sin 2x │  - ― cos 2x │
-       │0            │0          │0
+    │0   4          │0   8        │0
-= ¼ π² = 2.4674…
 </pre>

@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 As with the kindergarten question, there may be no previously anticipated "correct" answer. It could be another "correct just so long as you answer it" (or perhaps "sensibly" so) or the mark goes only to those giving the greatest valid number across all submissions.
 |-
-| {{w|Calligraphy}} (title text) || Write down the number 37, spelled out, nicely || Calligraphy is the art of artistic writing. The title text expands the joke outside the realm of math and points out that since calligraphy does not require any math skills, the only way a calligraphy exam would even mention numbers is if one had to write them out in such a way as to showcase their calligraphic skill and aesthetic judgement (choosing a form and adornment of script that is "nice", which may be a highly subjective choice). In this case, it could be rendered as "thirty-seven" or "thirty seven", or possibly, "one score and seventeen" in old-fashioned writing. The subject may choose to render it in a language other than English — for example "dau ar bymtheg ar hugain" would provide significant scope to show off calligraphic skill. {{w|37}} is a number that some people believe [http://thirty-seven.org mysteriously appears more often than it should]; this was a subject of a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6iQrh2TK98 recent Veritasium video].
+| {{w|Calligraphy}} (title text) || Write down the number 37, spelled out, nicely || Calligraphy is the art of artistic writing. The title text expands the joke outside the realm of math and points out that since calligraphy does not require any math skills, the only way a calligraphy exam would even mention numbers is if one had to write them out in such a way as to showcase their calligraphic skill and aesthetic judgement (choosing a form and adornment of script that is "nice", which may be a highly subjective choice). In this case, it could be rendered as "thirty-seven" or "thirty seven", or possibly, "one score and seventeen" in old-fashioned writing. The subject may choose to render it in a language other than English — for example "dau ar bymtheg ar hugain" would provide significant scope to show off calligraphic skill. {{w|37_(number)|37}} is a number that some people believe [http://thirty-seven.org mysteriously appears more often than it should]; this was a subject of a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6iQrh2TK98 recent Veritasium video].
 |}