913: Core
explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
| Core |
 Title text: If you're a geologist or geophysicist and you don't introduce yourself by saying your name, then gesturing downward and saying "... and I study that", I don't know what you're doing with your life. |
[edit] Explanation
This comic reflects on the fact that below our feet, the earth's core is incredibly hot and under huge amounts of pressure. Yet most of the time, we ignore this completely (unless there is a volcanic eruption). Various facts about the Earth are included in the images: that it has an inner core and an outer core, that the inner core is a solid ball, the size of the moon, that the outer core is at a pressure of 30 million pounds per square inch (approximately 2 million times atmospheric pressure at sea level) and the outer core is made of molten metal in a constant turbulent motion - a bit like a pot of boiling water. How cool would it be to study that? Therefore, Randall suggests if you do study it for a living, make the most of it.
[edit] Transcript
- [A cutaway diagram of the Earth, with colored layers including a labeled outer core and inner core.]
- [A closeup of the stylized outer core, labeled "Turbulent molten metals at 30 million PSI" with turbulence lines, and of the inner core, labeled "moon-sized iron sphere."]
- [Cueball reading a book pulls legs up tight under office chair, peering downwards.]
- I freak out about fifteen minutes into reading anything about the Earth's core when I suddenly realize it's RIGHT UNDER ME.
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