Editing 1867: Physics Confession

{{comic
| number    = 1867
| date      = July 24, 2017
| title     = Physics Confession
| image     = physics_confession.png
| titletext = "You know lightning, right? When electric charge builds up in a cloud and then discharges in a giant spark? Ask me why that happens." "Why does tha--" "No clue. We think it's related to the hair thing."
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|Theory of Everything}} is a goal of modern physics which would describe the properties of all fundamental particles and all the interactions between them. The current approach to a theory of everything is to describe how at high energies different interactions, such as electromagnetic forces and the strong and weak nuclear interactions merge. It would be possible, in principle to demonstrate how the rest of known physics can be derived from that quantum behavior. This approach, however, leaves many everyday phenomena which are not understood by modern physics, and many {{w|Theory_of_everything#Arguments_against|arguments against a theory of everything}} suggest that it won't ever be able to actually precisely describe everything. This comic lists several of those phenomena:

The fine detail of how ice skates work is unknown. It is known that there is a film of water between the skate and the ice that lubricates sliding, but scientists dispute how the film gets there. The commonly held belief is that it is caused by the pressure of the narrow skate; another belief is that the ice is melted by the friction of movement; but both fail to fully explain why skating continues to be possible at temperatures that are significantly below 0 Celsius. A better explanation is simply that, near the melting point of a solid, there will be a thin layer of liquid on the surface due to the dynamic equilibrium between the two phases, hence why ice is slippery. This happens regardless of the presence of skates. A more complete explanation is given in the linked article: [http://lptms.u-psud.fr/membres/trizac/Ens/L3FIP/Ice.pdf Why is ice slippery?]<!--{{Cite journal | url = | title = Why is ice slippery? | first = Robert | last = Rosenberg | journal= [[Physics Today]] | pages= 50–54 | date=December 2005 | accessdate= 15 February 2009 | doi = 10.1063/1.2169444 }}-->. 

Physicists lack a clear understanding of the interactions involved in the flow of {{w|granular material}}s, such as sand. It is known that the behavior diverges greatly from that of a liquid, but it is unknown exactly how the flow works. [http://physicscentral.com/explore/action/granular.cfm PhysicsCentral:Granular Materials]

Modern physics also doesn't understand what makes electrons move from one material to another when two materials are rubbed against each other (the {{w|triboelectric effect}}), and why the transfer takes more electrons in one direction than in the other. However this happens, and it's the cause of {{w|static electricity}}, which can be seen when one rubs a latex rubber balloon against hair.

The title text mentions another common phenomenon that is poorly understood: the separation of charges in a cumulonimbus cloud. It is thought that interactions between ice and water transfer electrons, and then the different motion of ice (as hail) and water droplets in the cloud separates the charge. [http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/lightning/lightning.html NOAA How lightning is created].

5 years later, the triboelectric effect was brought up again as an unsolved problem in [[2682: Easy Or Hard]].

==Transcript==
:[Megan is facing Ponytail and Cueball.]
:Megan: I'll be honest: We physicists talk a big game about the theory of everything, but the truth is, we don't really understand why ice skates work, how sand flows, or where the static charge comes from when you rub your hair with a balloon.

==Trivia==
*Randall modified the xkcd header on July 25, 2017 to ask readers to "...tell your senators to vote against this health care bill. It will hurt people." This is accompanied by a phone number, 202-224-3121, and a link to [https://www.trumpcareten.org/daily TrumpCare Ten]. An archived version of the image is available [https://web.archive.org/web/20170726150959im_/https://imgs.xkcd.com/notes/call-senate.png here].
*Later, after the senate rejected several versions of the bill, Randall replaced this message with a "thank you" message and a [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/25/us/politics/senate-votes-repeal-obamacare.html link] to an article showing the senate votes.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]