Editing 2436: Circles

{{comic
| number    = 2436
| date      = March 12, 2021
| title     = Circles
| image     = circles.png
| titletext = ( MSTE ( AR ) CD )
}}

==Explanation==
The comic depicts five overlapping circles, themselves encircled by circles of various sizes which enclose two, four, or all five of the smaller overlapping circles, as in an {{w|Euler diagram}}. Several well-known logos consist of overlapping circles, and the larger circles reference these logos. These are: {{w|Mastercard}}, which consists of two side-by-side overlapping circles (technically, disks, since they're filled in); {{w|Audi}}, which is four side-by-side overlapping circles, and the {{w|Olympic rings}}, which are five topologically linked rings in a "W" shaped pattern.

<gallery>
Mastercard 2019 logo.svg|Mastercard logo
Audi-Logo 2016.svg|Audi logo
Olympic rings without rims.svg|Olympic rings
</gallery>

To indicate that the Mastercard logo comprises two overlapping circles, the diagram draws a larger circle around the first two circles, inscribed with a label. Other than its size and the label, this new circle is identical to the five smaller circles.

Similarly, to indicate that the Audi logo comprises four overlapping circles, the diagram again provides a larger circle, this time encompassing the first four smaller circles, inscribed with a label. The "Audi" circle completely encloses the "Mastercard" circle, indicating that the four circles of the "Audi" logo include the two circles of the "Mastercard" logo.

Finally, an even larger circle, enclosing all of the other circles, indicates that the Olympic Rings use all five original circles.

The comic was released only about four months before the postponed {{w|2020 Summer Olympics}} was scheduled to start on 23 July 2021. It was {{w|2020_Summer_Olympics#Postponement_to_2021|postponed}} because of the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}, which has spawned a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] of comics on xkcd.

The title text is a textual representation of the Mastercard name as a Venn diagram containing the letters in the words "master" and "card" — A and R are shared by both, while MSTE and CD are unique to their respective elements.

==Transcript==
:[Five small circles, looped together in the style of the Olympics logo is drawn in the center. On the left, a larger circle surrounds two of the prior ones, incidentally overlapping a third circle.". A larger circle surrounds four of the small circles, thus also the previous mentioned circle, cutting over the last of the five circles. Finally a very large circle fully contains all the other circles. The three larger circles have labels, with the small ones label above, and with a small clarifying line from the label towards the top of this circle. The middle sized circle has the label standing on a break in the circle at it's bottom, and the largest circle has the label just beneath it. From smallest to largest of the circles the labels are:]
:Mastercard
:Audi
:Olympics

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Euler diagrams]]
[[Category:Sport]]