Main Page
Welcome to the explain xkcd wiki!
We have an explanation for all 3199 xkcd comics, and only 64 (2%) are incomplete. Help us finish them!
Latest comic
| Tensegrity |
 Title text: Some people argue that the tension and compression in the human skeleton is technically tensegrity, but it's missing the defining characteristic: making people say 'wtf, how is that thing floating?' when they see it. |
Explanation
Tensegrity structures are structures that are suspended using a combination of rigid and compressional components, usually a series of rods and strings that give the illusion of a floating object held up by the strings. Buckminster Fuller coined the term tensegrity from the words "tensional integrity" (see here), and Steve Mould describes the mechanism in this video.
Randall makes the claim that there are animals that exist which use tensegrity in their anatomy, naming the (fictional) "Buckminster's Giraffe" as an example. The panel shows each leg of the giraffe using a structure similar to that of a tensegrity table. Some people consider giraffe to be an example of a body form that appears to defy their expectations of physical laws because of their unusually long legs and neck as compared to the body.
Biotensegeity studies the role that tensegrity plays in living organisms such as plants and animals. Though in reality it happens at cellurar level, and not macroscopic level as shown in the comic.
The title text brings up the argument that humans themselves use tensegrity in our anatomy. Randall, however, deems that this doesn't count due to lacking the "defining characteristic" of a tensegrity structure - namely, that its stiff bits appear to be 'floating' by being suspending on a bunch of flexible bits, causing an observer to say "wtf". Humans, thanks to our skin and other various layers, outwardly look like a single solid structure, unlike the giraffe in the comic.
Transcript
- [Cueball stands at the left of the panel, and at the right is a giraffe-like animal whose legs appear to be made of a tensegrity structure, with disconnected segments held together by strings]
- [Caption below the panel:]
- While tensegrity is rare in the animal kingdom, a few species, such as Buckminster's Giraffe, are known to employ it.
View comic discussionNew here?
Last 7 days (Top 10) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
You can read a brief introduction about this wiki at explain xkcd. Feel free to create an account and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for xkcd comics, characters, What If? articles, and everything in between. If it is referenced in an xkcd comic, it should be here.
- If you're new to wiki editing, see the explain xkcd:Editor FAQ for a specific guidance to this wiki and the more general help on how to edit wiki pages. There's also a handy wikicode cheatsheet.
- Discussion about the wiki itself happens at the Community portal.
- You can browse the comics from the list of all comics or by navigating the category tree at Category:Comics.
- The incomplete explanations are listed here. Feel free to help out by expanding them!
Rules
Don't be a jerk!
There are a lot of comics that don't have set-in-stone explanations; feel free to put multiple interpretations in the wiki page for each comic.
If you want to talk about a specific comic, use its discussion page.
Please only submit material directly related to xkcd and, of course, only submit material that can legally be posted and freely edited. Off-topic or other inappropriate content is subject to removal or modification at admin discretion, and users who repeatedly post such content will be blocked.
If you need assistance from an admin, post a message to the Admin requests board.
