Difference between revisions of "718: The Flake Equation"

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(Created page with "{{comic | number = 718 | date = 2010-03-24 | title = The Flake Equation | image = the flake equation.png | titletext = Statistics suggest that there should be ...")
 
(Transcript needs filling in, and explanation is sparse.)
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{{comic
 
{{comic
 
| number    = 718
 
| number    = 718
| date      = 2010-03-24
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| date      = March 24, 2010
 
| title    = The Flake Equation
 
| title    = The Flake Equation
 
| image    = the flake equation.png
 
| image    = the flake equation.png
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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
The Flake equation is a parody of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_equation Drake equation], which estimates the number of detectable extraterrestrial civilizations in the galaxy.
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{{incomplete}}
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The Flake equation is a parody of the {{w|Drake equation}}, which estimates the number of detectable extraterrestrial civilizations in the galaxy.
  
The alt-text refers to Fermi's Lack-of-a-Paradox as a parody of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox Fermi paradox]: the contradiction between the high estimated probability of extraterrestrial civilization and humanity's lack of evidence for such civilizations.
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The title text refers to Fermi's Lack-of-a-Paradox as a parody of the {{w|Fermi paradox}}: the contradiction between the high estimated probability of extraterrestrial civilization and humanity's lack of evidence for such civilizations.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
''None available.''
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{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
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[[Category:Math]]

Revision as of 23:14, 22 March 2013

The Flake Equation
Statistics suggest that there should be tons of alien encounter stories, and in practice there are tons of alien encounter stories. This is known as Fermi's Lack-of-a-Paradox.
Title text: Statistics suggest that there should be tons of alien encounter stories, and in practice there are tons of alien encounter stories. This is known as Fermi's Lack-of-a-Paradox.

Explanation

Ambox notice.png This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect:
Please include the reason why this explanation is incomplete, like this: {{incomplete|reason}}

If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.

The Flake equation is a parody of the Drake equation, which estimates the number of detectable extraterrestrial civilizations in the galaxy.

The title text refers to Fermi's Lack-of-a-Paradox as a parody of the Fermi paradox: the contradiction between the high estimated probability of extraterrestrial civilization and humanity's lack of evidence for such civilizations.

Transcript


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Discussion

Anybody notice that the real product of the numbers he gives is 6.3 (10), not 100,000? 02:32, 16 April 2017 (UTC)

No, it's not - you've multiplied Cr and Mx when you should have added them. The real product is 126,000 = 100,000. 162.158.69.51

There was a later comic about our capabilities' precluding of UFO sightings and such. I may find it at some point. --Quicksilver (talk) 02:51, 20 August 2013 (UTC)


Settled

googlesearch=site:explainxkcd.com ufo

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1235:_Settled

Kevin McCready (talk) 13:25, 10 May 2014 (UTC)

Is there any significance to the word "flake"? Urban Dictionary says it stands for "unreliable person", but certainly not in context of alien sightings. --162.158.90.217 13:34, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

 It's a portmanteau of "Drake" and "Fake". --172.68.10.94 10:58, 4 February 2017 (UTC)
It's not actually a portmanteau, more like a play on words :) -- The Cat Lady (talk) 13:57, 19 August 2021 (UTC)

The transcript looks pretty complete to me? Why is it tagged incomplete? Mushrooms (talk) 07:50, 22 March 2022 (UTC)