Editing Talk:526: Converting to Metric

Why is 3L a two-liter bottle?[[Special:Contributions/75.69.96.225|75.69.96.225]] 21:16, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

:Because this is America and we supersize our sodas! {{unsigned ip|72.68.9.56}}

:It is the volume of the bottle itself. I have added this explanation. [[User:Sten|Sten]] ([[User talk:Sten|talk]]) 22:39, 29 August 2013 (UTC)

:A 2L bottle doesn't take 3L of space, not even close. I also think it's a reference to overly large drinks in the US. But even if it isn't, the current explanation is wrong. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.34|108.162.229.34]] 22:28, 12 December 2013 (UTC)

: I suspect he's just messing with us, because the approximate volume of a two-liter bottle should be obvious.  Many beverages sold in the US are already labeled in metric.  Soda is routinely sold in one and two liter bottles, with three-liter bottles common in some markets.  Bottled water is often sold in liters and half-liters.  Liquor and wine are sold in 375 and 750 mL bottles.  Also, since 1 quart = 946 mL, an approximate (+/- 5%) mental conversion from quarts to liters is already quite easy. [[User:Fryhole|Fryhole]] ([[User talk:Fryhole|talk]]) 01:35, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

:: Yes. He is just joking. The name of the bottle contains its volume. The 3 liter measurement is a joke. It would be like saying a cup has 2 cups of volume. [[User:Flewk|flewk]] ([[User talk:Flewk|talk]]) 01:58, 4 January 2016 (UTC)
:::My coffee cup is 12 ounces.  Given a standard 8 ounce cup, my coffee cup is 1.5 cups.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 15:24, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

My names River, that is all --[[Special:Contributions/139.216.242.254|139.216.242.254]] 02:52, 29 August 2013 (UTC)

:Tick tock, goes the clock, 'till River kills the Doctor

Earth's hottest is 70,7 °C... [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.29|199.27.128.29]] 03:06, 24 February 2014 (UTC)

:The world record as per wikipedia (and Guiness) is "only" 56.7. See corrected explanation above. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:03, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

There was an incomplete asking for checking all measures and also for making sure that the references to serenity and velociraptors was mentioned. I did this, the last two by assigning the categories (firefly), and then also creating a new [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Your_Mom category:Your Mom]. I now consider this explanation complete. Although if someone will speculate two whom the remaining two from the Serenity crew tower then please do so ;-) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:03, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

:Simon and Kaylee is my guess. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.85|173.245.55.85]] 22:17, 30 June 2014 (UTC)

The speed of rapors given here is very different from [[135: Substitute]]. [[User:B jonas|B jonas]] ([[User talk:B jonas|talk]]) 14:58, 25 March 2014 (UTC)


This sentence in the 'Mass' section has a [small] error: 'This is a common theme in XKCD.'-- it should be 'xkcd', not 'XKCD'. See the website for Randall's personal opinion on this. Anyways, it's small, but kinda stands out if your a reeallyy hardcore fan. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.73|173.245.55.73]] 05:39, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
:Thanks for your hint, an update is done. But please add your comments here at the bottom. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:26, 9 April 2014 (UTC)

-40 degrees centigrade is also -40 degrees Fahrenheit!  The only such temperature.--DrMath 07:51, 7 July 2014 (UTC)

This is tagged with "Featuring real people" -- I don't see any real people in here, should we removethat tag? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 02:21, 25 July 2014 (UTC)

: It refers to Shaq, Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, Summer Glau, your mom... --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 08:18, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

Ron Paul is not a republican though. [[User:YourLifeisaLie|Yourlifeisalie]] ([[User talk:YourLifeisaLie|talk]]) 16:33, 5 May 2015 (UTC)

kph got me confused, because "km/h" is the usual way of displaying kilometers per hour. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.212|162.158.90.212]]

As a Maine resident I concur with this sentiment: "at -30°, the user is incapable of closing their mouth after starting the first "fuck", and so extends it into one long one." However, try uttering the word "fuck" without closing your mouth... uck-uck-uck... {{unsigned ip|Npsych}}

== The whole point of this comic ==

I thought the whole point of this comic was NOT to think in terms of non-SI units.  The only reason (we) Amercans cling to customary/imperial units is because when some quantity of something is expressed in SI units you may as well tell them it's however many quatloos, because the average American has no idea what the units are like...nothing to which to compare that item.    Approach learning SI units EXACTLY how you learned customary units: pick up a kilo (pound) and feel how much Earth's gravity tugs on it, stick your hand out in the outdoor air and feel what the NWS or a thermometer tells you what the C (F) temp is,  eyeball a meter (yard) stick and try to remember how long that is, and so on. You're only hamstringing yourself by constant numeric conversions to some other system.  For example, just accept a cm is a cm, and DON'T WORRY about how big that is in any other system.  IMHO it is counterproductive to have the customary units (the conversions) in this explanation, and ALL of them should be removed.
@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 As a Maine resident I concur with this sentiment: "at -30°, the user is incapable of closing their mouth after starting the first "fuck", and so extends it into one long one." However, try uttering the word "fuck" without closing your mouth... uck-uck-uck... {{unsigned ip|Npsych}}
-kph is not a typical jogging pace. At least I hope not. That would make me depressingly slow. {{unsigned ip|162.158.150.100}}
+== The whole point of this comic ==
-;The whole point of this comic
+I thought the whole point of this comic was NOT to think in terms of non-SI units.  The only reason (we) Amercans cling to customary/imperial units is because when some quantity of something is expressed in SI units you may as well tell them it's however many quatloos, because the average American has no idea what the units are like...nothing to which to compare that item.    Approach learning SI units EXACTLY how you learned customary units: pick up a kilo (pound) and feel how much Earth's gravity tugs on it, stick your hand out in the outdoor air and feel what the NWS or a thermometer tells you what the C (F) temp is,  eyeball a meter (yard) stick and try to remember how long that is, and so on. You're only hamstringing yourself by constant numeric conversions to some other system.  For example, just accept a cm is a cm, and DON'T WORRY about how big that is in any other system.  IMHO it is counterproductive to have the customary units (the conversions) in this explanation, and ALL of them should be removed.
-I thought the whole point of this comic was NOT to think in terms of non-SI units.  The only reason (we) Amercans cling to customary/imperial units is because when some quantity of something is expressed in SI units you may as well tell them it's however many quatloos, because the average American has no idea what the units are like...nothing to which to compare that item.    Approach learning SI units EXACTLY how you learned customary units: pick up a kilo (pound) and feel how much Earth's gravity tugs on it, stick your hand out in the outdoor air and feel what the NWS or a thermometer tells you what the C (F) temp is,  eyeball a meter (yard) stick and try to remember how long that is, and so on. You're only hamstringing yourself by constant numeric conversions to some other system.  For example, just accept a cm is a cm, and DON'T WORRY about how big that is in any other system.  IMHO it is counterproductive to have the customary units (the conversions) in this explanation, and ALL of them should be removed. {{unsigned|RChandra}}
-Objection: In Australia are bottled drinks are 600 mL.  --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.222|162.158.2.222]] 00:45, 6 March 2016 (UTC)
-Was it really necessary to say 'Season 1' when talking about Firefly?  ;_; [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.68|108.162.219.68]] 04:10, 4 May 2016 (UTC)
-Anyone know if there's something like this comic for learning Customary when you're used to Metric?  I have a European friend with an American copy of D&D 5th edition that's tasked with DM'ing on short notice. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.144|162.158.122.144]] 21:43, 26 January 2017 (UTC)
-m/s is 90 km/h, not 100 km/h as stated in the comic. Is this also supposed to be a joke? {{unsigned ip|162.158.222.46}}
-:The inaccuracy is mentioned in the explanation. And please sign you comments.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:48, 25 September 2018 (UTC)
-degrees is a more comfortable value for room temperature. It also gets used in school physics questions, where we were allowed to convert it to 300 kelvin. (Sorry, but 26.85 degrees is too warm for a room.)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.39.41|162.158.39.41]] 16:58, 14 October 2018 (UTC)
-It does not get to -40 in Moscow, however. It did once, like in the 1940s, but even then it was a temperature record. Now, with all the global warming business, -10 is indeed a cold day. In the more northen cities of Russia, like Murmansk, the "spit goes clink" temperature is possible.