Editing 980: Money/Transcript

Jump to: navigation, search

Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision Your text
Line 1: Line 1:
{{TOC}}
+
__NOTOC__
Below is the complete transcript of the [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/money_huge.png huge version] of the comic [[980: Money]].
+
*Below is the complete transcript for [[980: Money]].
 
+
**(Or so it will be - once someone finishes it).
Below in each panels section all these groups are listed as best as possible starting more or less from the top left going towards the bottom right. Within the groups, the individual items are listed similarly, but, if they're displayed in columns/rows, they will be used as well to define the order of the items. In groups with a given title, items that are on the list, will be indented to show where they belong. Similarly, if there is sub text on a given item, the text will be indented as well. If there is a title, it will be written in '''bold''' letters in the transcript.
+
*The transcript on the main page, has been assigned to just state the text that is visible in the small version of the image - that is mainly the headings.
 +
*This page tries to give a full transcript of this [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/money_huge.png huge version of the comic].
 +
*To be able to link to this transcript from the explain section, the title panel and each of the five main panels will have a section
 +
**[[980: Money/Transcript#Money|Money]]
 +
**[[980: Money/Transcript#Dollars|Dollars]]
 +
**[[980: Money/Transcript#Thousands|Thousands]]
 +
**[[980: Money/Transcript#Millions|Millions]]
 +
**[[980: Money/Transcript#Billions|Billions]]
 +
**[[980: Money/Transcript#Trillions|Trillions]]
 +
*Each group within each of these panels will have their own sub section for this purpose.
 +
**Due to the extensive work this is, there will be several notes in the transcript that may need to be moved to the explanation at some point, but this will be done so, when the right time arrives - i.e. when that relevant section of the explanation are written.  
 +
**One type will be the several errors mentioned below. There are not many sections that have been checked for errors, but when an error is discovered it will be noted.
  
 
==Money==
 
==Money==
Line 13: Line 24:
 
::what it can do
 
::what it can do
 
:[Almost is written in a very small font compared to the rest]
 
:[Almost is written in a very small font compared to the rest]
 +
 +
:[Below the entire chart there is a line of right text below the Trillions chart. As this is not part of the five sections it will be written here:]
 +
:Thank you to Emily Collins for economics help, Ray Nute for corporate accounting help, Sara Gillespie for miscellaneous information, and Christina Gleason for 3 AM typesetting.
  
 
:[There are 5 large panels below the title panel, each with a series of plots, comparing the values of various things. Each large panel is covered in colored squares, and each single square represents a power of ten (10^(3*n) for n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4), be it single dollars, thousands of dollars, or even trillions of dollars. Below is a section for each of these panels]
 
:[There are 5 large panels below the title panel, each with a series of plots, comparing the values of various things. Each large panel is covered in colored squares, and each single square represents a power of ten (10^(3*n) for n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4), be it single dollars, thousands of dollars, or even trillions of dollars. Below is a section for each of these panels]
 +
 +
:[Many of the items in each panel have been grouped in small or large groups - some clearly divided - maybe in a frame, or at least with a clear title. But many others are just grouped together. Below in each panels section all these groups are listed as best as possible starting more or less from the top left going towards the bottom right. Within the groups the individual items are listed similarly although if they are given in columns/rows this will be used as well to define the order of the items. If there is a heading for a group this will be used as the title for the sub section - else the first item in the group becomes the title. In groups with a given title, items that are on the list, will be indented to show where they belong. Similar if there are sub text to a given item - then this text will also be indented. If there is a title, then this will be written in '''bold''' letters in the transcript.]
  
 
==Dollars==
 
==Dollars==
Line 84: Line 100:
 
:[These items are singled out as they are framed by a light green square with rounded corners]
 
:[These items are singled out as they are framed by a light green square with rounded corners]
 
:'''Pet ownership'''
 
:'''Pet ownership'''
:ASPCA estimates
+
:ASPCA estiamtes
 
::Annual cost of rabbit ownership $730
 
::Annual cost of rabbit ownership $730
 
::Annual cost of dog ownership $695
 
::Annual cost of dog ownership $695
Line 115: Line 131:
 
==Thousands==
 
==Thousands==
 
:Complete on 2014-06-13
 
:Complete on 2014-06-13
:[This section is directly below the Dollars section – it discusses values from around $1000 to $1,000,000, including a dissection of the song ''If I had $1000000.'']
+
:[This section is directly below the Dollars section – it discusses values from around $1000 to $1,000,000, including a dissection of the song ''If I had $1000000.'']<br>
 
:'''Thousands'''
 
:'''Thousands'''
  
:[The Dollars section is zoomed down so the area is only 1/1000 of the size and is shown at the top of the Thousands section with lines indicating this zoom]
+
:[The Dollars section is zoomed down so the area is only 1/1000 of the size and is shown at the top of the Thousands section with lines indicating this zoom]<br>
 
:[The rest of this panel shows how much the individual items values compare to thousand dollars. Next to each price in dollar will be drawn a number of orange squares equal to the number of thousand dollars in the amount - so for a 1000 dollar item there will be one square. And for a small house at a price of $100,000 there will be 100 squares.]
 
:[The rest of this panel shows how much the individual items values compare to thousand dollars. Next to each price in dollar will be drawn a number of orange squares equal to the number of thousand dollars in the amount - so for a 1000 dollar item there will be one square. And for a small house at a price of $100,000 there will be 100 squares.]
 
===Typical household net worth by head of household’s age===
 
===Typical household net worth by head of household’s age===
Line 207: Line 223:
 
::Detroit $10,080
 
::Detroit $10,080
 
::Salt Lake City $9,108
 
::Salt Lake City $9,108
::Scranton $8,604
+
::Scranton $8,60
 
 
 
===Initial seat on Virgin Galactic suborbital flight===
 
===Initial seat on Virgin Galactic suborbital flight===
 
:Initial seat on Virgin Galactic suborbital flight $200,000
 
:Initial seat on Virgin Galactic suborbital flight $200,000
Line 304: Line 319:
 
:'''Millions'''
 
:'''Millions'''
  
:[The Thousands section is zoomed down so the area is only 1/1000 of the size and is shown below the Millions title to the far left of the section - with lines indicating this zoom]
+
:[The Thousands section is zoomed down so the area is only 1/1000 of the size and is shown below the Millions title to the far left of the section - with lines indicating this zoom]<br>
 
:[The rest of this panel shows how much the individual items values compare to a million dollars. Next to each price in dollar will be drawn a number of gray squares equal to the number of million dollars in the amount - so for a 3,000,000 dollar item, like a 30-second Super Bowl ad slot there will be three squares. And next to a lady with a fortune of $1,000,000,000 (like J.K. Rowling) there will be 1000 squares.]
 
:[The rest of this panel shows how much the individual items values compare to a million dollars. Next to each price in dollar will be drawn a number of gray squares equal to the number of million dollars in the amount - so for a 3,000,000 dollar item, like a 30-second Super Bowl ad slot there will be three squares. And next to a lady with a fortune of $1,000,000,000 (like J.K. Rowling) there will be 1000 squares.]
 
===One million dollars===
 
===One million dollars===
Line 416: Line 431:
 
:::George W. Bush $247,100,000
 
:::George W. Bush $247,100,000
 
::2010 midterm elections fundraising
 
::2010 midterm elections fundraising
:[The squares are divided in to one blue and one red block]
+
:[The squares are divided in to on blue and one red block]
 
:::Democrats $815,000,000
 
:::Democrats $815,000,000
 
:::Republicans $587,000,000
 
:::Republicans $587,000,000
Line 506: Line 521:
  
 
==Billions==
 
==Billions==
Complete on 2014-06-24
+
It may take long time to complete the transcript – as this section is by far the largest and most complicated!
:[This section is to the right of the Dollars section and above both the Millions and Trillions section – This section is by far the largest. This section gets into larger scale finances, profits of various sectors, costs of natural disasters, and net worth of the richest people on the planet including Donald Trump.]
+
:[This section is to the right of the Dollars section and above both the Millions and Trillions section – This section is by far the largest. This section gets into larger scale finances, profits of various sectors, costs of natural disasters, and net worth of the richest people on the planet including Donald Trump.]<br>
 
:'''Billions'''
 
:'''Billions'''
:[The Millions section is zoomed down so the area is only 1/1000 of the size and is shown at in the left part and at the bottom of the Billions section with lines indicating this zoom]
+
:[The Millions section is zoomed down so the area is only 1/1000 of the size and is shown at in the left part and at the bottom of the Billions section with lines indicating this zoom]<br>
 
:[The rest of this panel shows how much the individual items values compare to a billion dollars. Next to each price in dollar will be drawn a number yellow squares equal to the number of billion dollars in the amount - so next to J. K. Rowling (1 billion dollars) there will be 1 square and next to the value of Facebook (70 billion dollars) there are 70 squares etc.]
 
:[The rest of this panel shows how much the individual items values compare to a billion dollars. Next to each price in dollar will be drawn a number yellow squares equal to the number of billion dollars in the amount - so next to J. K. Rowling (1 billion dollars) there will be 1 square and next to the value of Facebook (70 billion dollars) there are 70 squares etc.]
 
:[In this section the order of the items will be given in the '''three columns''' that are fairly clearly defined (i.e. not from top to bottom as a first rule - only within these three columns do this rule apply when possible.) The '''first column''' stops before the Economic vortex. And the '''second column''' stops at the Disaster section with Federal budget and war spendings as the other borders. Only the art and entertainment section breaches this line - but it belongs to the second column as it also belongs to the entire section below Federal spending. The rest belongs to the '''third column'''.]
 
:[In this section the order of the items will be given in the '''three columns''' that are fairly clearly defined (i.e. not from top to bottom as a first rule - only within these three columns do this rule apply when possible.) The '''first column''' stops before the Economic vortex. And the '''second column''' stops at the Disaster section with Federal budget and war spendings as the other borders. Only the art and entertainment section breaches this line - but it belongs to the second column as it also belongs to the entire section below Federal spending. The rest belongs to the '''third column'''.]
Line 954: Line 969:
 
===Federal spending===
 
===Federal spending===
 
:'''Federal spending'''
 
:'''Federal spending'''
:[This high block is to the right of the ''US household income'' block and of course to the left of the ''Federal Budget'' block. It is divided in three groups. The bottom group has five arrows pointing at it from the household block – the Federal taxes. The two other groups are drawn in light yellow squares. The middle part is much smaller than the two other. They are all labeled. As the middle part is label is to the right - the others to the left, this smaller part will be mentioned last. The others from the top down.]
+
:[This high block is to the right of the US household income block. It is divided in three groups. The bottom group has five arrows pointing at it from the household block – the Federal taxes. The two other groups are drawn in light yellow squares. The middle part is much smaller than the two other. They are all labeled. As the middle part is label is to the right - the others to the left, this smaller part will be mentioned last. The others from the top down.]
 
::Annual deficit $1,394,530,000,000
 
::Annual deficit $1,394,530,000,000
 
::Taxes raised $2,192,180,000,000
 
::Taxes raised $2,192,180,000,000
 
::Additional receipts $83,230,000,000
 
::Additional receipts $83,230,000,000
:[Below the block are two arrows pointing down towards the complex compound of blocks that are part of the US GDP section. In particular they seem to point toward ''Health and education'' and ''Other services''. But this could be a coincidence. The sum total of the three groups is $3,669,940,000,000 which is only $592,830,000 larger than the sum of the total in the ''Federal Budget'': $3,670,532,830,000]
+
:[Below the block are two arrows pointing down towards the complex compound of blocks that are part of the US GDP section. In particular they seem to point toward ''Health and education'' and ''Other services''. But this could be a coincidence.]
 
 
 
===The Economic Vortex===
 
===The Economic Vortex===
 
:[This special item is below and to the left of Household income, to the right of the corporate revenue and just above and to the left the US GDP section. Two large gray arrows are forming roughly half circles, the one within the other. The inner arrow is pointing clockwise, the other arrow anticlockwise. Both arrows finish at the top. There are also three smaller gray lines following the curves of the other two, one within the inner arrow and two on the outside. This forms the vortex of the title of this item. The title is written in the middle of this vortex. The text below is written over the gray arrows, the last line below the vortex.]
 
:[This special item is below and to the left of Household income, to the right of the corporate revenue and just above and to the left the US GDP section. Two large gray arrows are forming roughly half circles, the one within the other. The inner arrow is pointing clockwise, the other arrow anticlockwise. Both arrows finish at the top. There are also three smaller gray lines following the curves of the other two, one within the inner arrow and two on the outside. This forms the vortex of the title of this item. The title is written in the middle of this vortex. The text below is written over the gray arrows, the last line below the vortex.]
Line 1,033: Line 1,047:
 
::'''Retail trade $844,380,000,000'''
 
::'''Retail trade $844,380,000,000'''
 
:[The eight group has no segments but in spite of using a half square it actually has one square too much (845.5 not 844.5)]
 
:[The eight group has no segments but in spite of using a half square it actually has one square too much (845.5 not 844.5)]
:[Group 9 to 12 have no segments, and they are in the same column with the two first next to each other and their titles at the top. The third of these (group 11) is the first with the title in the middle of the big block of squares. This title is written below the group it belongs to, with the same font size as the segments, but for the overview, it will still be written in bold here. Below the third is some text that belongs to the next half column and also text that belongs to the last column. This can make it difficult to be certain which text belongs where. Group 12 is at the bottom. Special for group 10 ''Other Services'' is that the tip of one of the two gray arrows, that goes from the ''Federal spending'' section right above, points directly at this groups heading. If this is intentionally...?]
+
:[Group 9 to 12 have no segments, and they are in the same column with the two first next to each other and their titles at the top. The third of these (group 11) is the first with the title in the middle of the big block of squares. This title is written below the group it belongs to, with the same font size as the segments, but for the overview, it will still be written in bold here. Below the third is some text that belongs to the next half column and also text that belongs to the last column. This can make it difficult to be certain which text belongs where. Group 12 is at the bottom. Special for group 10 ''Other Services'' is that the tip of one of the two gray arrows, that goes from the ''Federal spending'' section right above, points directly at this groups heading. If this is intentionally...?]]
 
::'''Utilities $276,210,000,000'''
 
::'''Utilities $276,210,000,000'''
 
::'''Other Services $345,540,000,000'''
 
::'''Other Services $345,540,000,000'''
Line 1,080: Line 1,094:
 
:'''Disasters'''
 
:'''Disasters'''
 
:Estimated total damage
 
:Estimated total damage
:[There are eight blocks in this sections, and then an under section in the right part singled out in a separate black frame. (This frame will be covered below.) The blocks are to the left (the first is so long it goes in over the black frame). They are listed one above the other, with the title to the far left, except for the fifth “row” where there are two hurricanes listdn on the same level. The title of the second block is also to the left of this block. They will be listed top to bottom.]
+
:[There are eight blocks in this sections, and then an under section in the right part singled out in a separate black frame. (This frame will be covered below.) The blocks are to the left (the first is so long it goes in over the black frame). They are listen one above the other, with the title to the far left, except for the fifth “row” where there are two hurricanes listen on the same level. The title of the second block is also to the left of this block. They will be listed top to bottom.]
 
::Japan 2011 earthquake reconstruction and recovery cost, World Bank estimate $235,000,000,000
 
::Japan 2011 earthquake reconstruction and recovery cost, World Bank estimate $235,000,000,000
 
::Hurricane Katrina $107,440,000,000
 
::Hurricane Katrina $107,440,000,000
Line 1,095: Line 1,109:
 
::Estimated total losses if the disaster happened today
 
::Estimated total losses if the disaster happened today
 
::(based on insurance industry modeling)
 
::(based on insurance industry modeling)
:[There are also eight blocks in this section, the first four are listed with one on each row, then there are two for each of the last two rows. The titles of all items are listed to their left. They will be listed top to bottom.]
+
:[There are also eight blocks in this section, the first four are listed on pr. Row, then there are two for each of the last two rows. The titles of all items are listed to their left. They will be listed top to bottom.]
:::1938 Long Island Express if it had curbed left and made landfall in New Jersey instead of Long Island $236,960,000,000
+
::1938 Long Island Express if it had curbed left and made landfall in New Jersey instead of Long Island $236,960,000,000
 
:::1812 New Madrid, Missouri earthquake $206,050,000,000
 
:::1812 New Madrid, Missouri earthquake $206,050,000,000
 
:::1926 Miami hurricane $202,000,000,000
 
:::1926 Miami hurricane $202,000,000,000
 
:::1906 San Francisco earthquake $197,810,000,000
 
:::1906 San Francisco earthquake $197,810,000,000
 
:::1900 Galveston hurricane $82,420,000,000
 
:::1900 Galveston hurricane $82,420,000,000
:::Charleston, SC quake of 1886 $76,240,000,000
+
::Charleston, SC quake of 1886 $76,240,000,000
:::Long Island Express (1938 New England Hurricane) $78,060,000,000
+
::Long Island Express (1938 New England Hurricane) $78,060,000,000
:::1989 Prieta earthquake $12,360,000,000
+
:::1989 Prieta earthquake $12,360
===Cost of electricity===
 
:[These items are singled out as they are framed by a light yellow square with rounded corners]
 
:'''Cost of electricity'''
 
:Price of enough electricity to power all US homes for one year, by plant type
 
:[There are 11 blocks in this sections, and then an under section in the right part singled out in a separate black frame. (This frame will be covered below.) The blocks are to the left. The second has a “special” light yellow section that goes above the black frame, and has some extra text to explain these. The last three is so also in themselves so long they go under the black frame. They are listed one above the other, with the title to the far left. Two have text to their right. One of these goes into the black frame which belongs to that block. They will be listed top to bottom, with the extra info given as it comes.]
 
::Advances combined cycle natural gas $78,100,000,000
 
::Conventional coal  $117,340,000,000
 
:[After the 117 squares are four more segments of squares that belongs to the coal block. Above these extra blocks, are written:]
 
:::External societal costs from use of that amount of coal power $226,690,000,000
 
:::Harvard Medical School analysis. Range of possible values was $119b to $342b. Most of the uncertainty was due to potentially lower costs from air pollution or higher ones from climate change.
 
:[Above the three first light yellow segments, are a square bracket with the label above. The fourth segment (of only four square) have the square bracket below and a small bend line going to the label]
 
:::Public health burden in Appalacia $55,400,000,000
 
:::Air pollution from power plants $118,300,000,000
 
:::Climate impact $40,030,000,000
 
:::Additional costs
 
:[Errors in the above. There are 60 not 55 squares in the Appalacia block and 123 not 118 squares in the Air pollution block. The numbers above add up to $217.3b not 226.69. But with 60 and 123 squares total ends up on the 227 blocks that would fit the total. The total of all the squares are 344 which is close to the maximum value from the Harvard text. However, this may have only been referring to the light yellow extra terms. It seems that either the Appalacia and pollution numbers are wrong (both squares and total points to this), or the total and square numbers are wrong.]
 
::Advanced coal with carbon capture $168,590,000,000
 
::Biomass $139,250,000,000
 
:[The following text stands to the right of the block:]
 
:::Estimated of climate impact vary wildly. Consensus seems to be more than nothing but less than coal.
 
::Geothermal $125,880,000,000
 
::Advanced nuclear $140,980,000,000
 
:[The following text that penetrates the black frame stands to the right of the block:]
 
:::Little impact on climate/air, but hard to find assessments of meltdown and fuel storage costs/risks. Some past cost shown for perspective.
 
:[The black frame belongs to this block, but will be listed below the other items on the current list]
 
::Hydroelectric $106,940,000,000
 
::Wind $120,070,000,000
 
::Offshore wind $301,030,000,000
 
::Solar (photovoltaic) $260,800,000,000
 
::Solar (thermal) $385,940,000,000
 
:[The next items are singled out as they are inside a black frame, inside the yellow frame. They belong to the Advanced nuclear block and the text right of this even penetrates into this frame. See above.]
 
::'''Nuclear accidents'''
 
:[There are four blocks in this section, there are two on the first two row, then one on the next two rows. The titles of all items are listed below them. They will be listed top to bottom.]
 
:::Fukushima meltdown estimated total cost to Japan $131,100,000,000
 
:::Fukushima cost from 300 extra cancer deaths (EPA conversion) $2,570,000,000
 
::::(Compare to $128,590,000,000 for deaths from quake/tsunami)
 
:::Belarus estimated 30-year costs from Chernobyl $282,350,000,000
 
:::Cost of estimated 42,457 Chernobyl deaths (EPA method) $344,750,000,000
 
===Federal budget===
 
:'''Federal budget'''
 
:[This very complicated block is located beneath ''Disasters'' and (of course) to the right of ''Federal spending''. Here it is shown what the 3670 billion dollars from the spending block is used to in the budget. One reason it is so complex, is that the top 10 segments each are singled out in their own gray frame, but the eight below these not are singled out like this. Also where the total for each of the bottom groups are given as well as the individual segments in each group, then it is only the segments total that is given for those in gray frames. That it all belongs together can though be verified by calculation as the sum total of both those in the gray frames as well as the rest reaches the same 3670 billion dollars from the spending block. More precisely the sum here is $3,670,532,830,000 (there are though only 3669,5 squares - one too few) and this amount is only $592,830,000 larger than the sum of the three segments of the spending block: $3,669,940,000,000.]
 
:[The first ten groups, that are singled out in individual gray frames, will be listed in this order - first the column, and then the two rows. The title is not always at the top, but it will always be mentioned first. Each group is divided in segments. The labels for each segment will always be given from top to bottom (only slight deviation is for ''Energy'' where the two rows will be taken from left, which would not give the exact same order). After each frames transcript there will be a note on layout and possible errors, as well as the sum total (which is not given in the transcript).]
 
:[These items are singled out in a gray frame:]
 
::'''General/Legislative'''
 
:::Fiscal assistance $5,150,000,000
 
:::Policy and regulation $629,460,000
 
:::Property and records $1,550,000,000
 
:::Legislative $4,140,000,000
 
:::Fiscal operations $12,070,000,000
 
:::Management $535,000,000
 
:[It is very difficult to see which label belongs to which segment. But this is because of one of the more important errors. The ''Policy and regulation $629,460,000'' label is a copy paste error from the ''Energy'' group below. That this is the case can be argued by the fact that there are only four segments for five labels, and below there are four for four. You could counter argue and say that there is two labels in this group of each about half a billion dollars – they could have been merged together in the single square segment (though this has not been seen anywhere else). But the sum total of all the individual labels throughout the ''Federal budget'' block comes to about 0.6 billion dollars too much compared with the ''Federal spending''. Taking this double amount out would make the two values equal within 0.05 billion dollars. That it is still difficult to understand the system of the labels is probably due to yet a mistake. The label below the group with five squares at the bottom right, should have been the one belonging to the 5 billion dollar amount. So either the entire label, just the amount or the last three zeroes have been switched (the last possibility would increase the difference between spending and budget slightly). Finally there was probably supposed to be a bracket and a line from the single square up to the top label (which should have belonged to the single square to make sense). With the Policy included the total of this group is $24,074,460,000, without only $23,445,000,000.]
 
:[These items are singled out in a gray frame:]
 
::'''Energy'''
 
:::Conservation $5,070,000,000
 
:::Policy and regulation $629,460,000
 
:::Supply $5,870,000,000
 
:::Preparedness $201,710,000
 
:[It is here the ''Policy and regulation $629,460,000'' belongs – see discussion above. It can be confusing that only the first labels amount is in the normal larger and bold font. For the rest the font is still bold but the same small font used for the text. For the first time a quarter square is used together with a three quarter square for the two small amounts. These two amounts (and square parts) are right above each other. The group total is $11,771,170,000.]
 
:[These items are singled out in a gray frame:]
 
::'''Science/Tech'''
 
:::General R&D $12,850,000,000
 
:::Space $18,620,000,000
 
:[Here two brackets indicate which segment belongs to which label – which was not really necessary here. The number of squares in the first segment is rounded down to make the total number of squares fit. The group total is $31,470,000,000.]
 
:[These items are singled out in a gray frame:]
 
::'''International'''
 
:::Foreign affairs $13,740,000,000
 
:::Foreign military aid $11,520,000,000
 
:::Information exchange $1,510,000,000
 
:::Foreign aid $19,270,000,000
 
:[All segments have been marked with square bracket and lines goes from these to the labels , this is necessary here! The 1.51 billion dollars segment has been rounded down to one square to make the total number of squares fit. The group total is $46,040,000,000.]
 
:[These items are singled out in a gray frame:]
 
::'''Agriculture'''
 
:::Farm income $16,830,000,000
 
:::R&D and services $4,820,000,000
 
:[The group total is $21,650,000,000.]
 
:[These items are singled out in a gray frame:]
 
::'''Justice'''
 
:::Law Enforcement $28,140,000,000
 
:::Criminal justice assistance $4,920,000,000
 
:::Legal $13,250,000,000
 
:::Corrections $7,850,000,000
 
:[The group total is $54,160,000,000.]
 
:[These items are singled out in a gray frame:]
 
::'''Community and regional development'''
 
:::Community $10,040,000,000
 
:::Regional $3,290,000,000
 
:::Disaster relief $10,800,000,000
 
:[All three segments are clearly marked with square brackets and for the last also a line to the label. But there is a clear error for the last two labels, something must have been switched - either the numbers or the whole, as the number of squares in these two segments fits to each other’s amount. It seems most likely that it is the correct label but the wrong number. The group total is $24,130,000,000.]
 
:[These items are singled out in a gray frame:]
 
::'''Transportation'''
 
:::Air $21,720,000,000
 
:::Water $9,480,000,000
 
:::Ground $61,610,000,000
 
:[ All three segments are clearly marked with square brackets and a line to the labels. The last segment has been rounded down to make the group total fit. The group total is $92,810,000,000.]
 
:[These items are singled out in a gray frame:]
 
::'''Educations and job training'''
 
:::Social services $19,440,000,000
 
:::Training/employment $9,990,000,000
 
:::Research and other labor $5,470,000,000
 
:::Higher education $20,300,000,000
 
:::K-12 $74,260,000,000
 
:[Here there are no brackets, but it could have been used. Again two different fonts are used for the amount, so two are with the small font. This can make it easy to misinterpret the top label as the title of this group, especially since the title is located near the bottom close to an indentation in the last segment. And this segments label is quite far down and thus further away from its segment than the title. It would have been obvious to have lines to brackets from the two first mentioned segments to the two segments in the middle of the top row. There are 7 squares (not 5) in the ''Research...'' segment, but with 73 (not 74) in the ''K-12'' segment these two errors cancels each other out so the total sum of squares fits. The group total is $129,460,000,000.]
 
:[These items are singled out in a gray frame:]
 
::'''Natural resources'''
 
:::Pollution control $10,990,000,000
 
:::Conservation $10,930,000,000
 
:::Recreation $3,960,000,000
 
:::Other resources $6,560,000,000
 
:::Water $11,810,000,000
 
:[Here there are no brackets, but it could have been used. It seem like all three labels at the top have been shifted down and to the right whereas the two at the bottom seems to have been shifted down and to the left. Had this not been the case, there had been no need for brackets. There is used half a square in the last two - to make the total fit. The group total is $44,250,000,000.]
 
:[The rest of the items in the Federal budget block is '''not''' singled out in any frames. The eight groups left below those in gray frames will be listed with the top group first, then the two groups to the left, then the four groups to the right and finally the bottom group. As these items have the group total given in the group title, this will no longer be mentioned, but comments on layout and errors will be given below each group. Four of the groups have no segments, the other four have. For those who have segments the labels will be mentioned left to right then top to bottom in the order the labels (not the segments) appear.]
 
::'''Health/Medicaid $374,080,000,000'''
 
:::Health care $335,210,000,000
 
:::Safety $4,200,000,000
 
:::Research $34,670,000,000
 
:[A square bracket marks out the left segment, but no brackets for the other two segments. There are 336 (not 335) squares in the ''Health care'' segment and also one too many in total (375 not 374). The sum of the three segments amount matches the total amount. This is (almost) the case also for the other three groups with segments.]
 
::'''Interest on debt $198,870,000,000'''
 
::'''Income security $630,680,000,000'''
 
:::Other income aid $184,350,000,000
 
:::Food aid $96,410,000,000
 
:::Retirement and disability (non-SS) $6,650,000,000
 
:::Housing $59,450,000,000
 
:::Government retirement and disability $121,500,000,000
 
:::Unemployment $162,330,000,000
 
:[Here a brackets mark out the right part with a line out to the label. Half squares are used in the second and fourth segment. It can be a little tricky to see where this group starts and stops compared to the ''Military'' group below. ''Unemployment'', however, is the last segment in this block as can be calculated from the segments sum total which is only $10,000,000 larger than the group total.]
 
::'''Social Security $716,360,000,000'''
 
::'''Federal payments to dead retirees $120,200,000'''
 
:[This very tiny amount of less than an eight of a billion has been left floating away from the general outline of this entire block right next to the huge ''Social Security'' block. It could be for comparison reasons. However, another possibility is that it has been lost from the ''Veterans'' or ''Military'' group? But then it should have been before the group total was calculated for these two groups, as the difference between their group total and the segments sum total is not this big. (For ''Military'' it does reach 2/3 of the way with $80,000,000, see below). It seems like it consist of less than one full block, but it also looks slightly bigger than a half block? If anything it should at least have been down to a quarter square - a size used already (for the first time) under the ''Energy'' section of this block. Maybe it was chosen in this size as to not lose sight of it completely?]
 
::'''Medicare $457,790,000,000'''
 
::'''Veterans $109,860,000,000'''
 
:::Other $4,940,000,000
 
:::Training and rehab $8,200,000,000
 
:::Housing $547,000,000
 
:::Medical care $46,340,000,000
 
:::Unemployment $49,830,000,000
 
:[Here brackets mark out both the single square and the segment to the left,  both have a line going out to the labels. The top label is placed a little too high, as are the title, which can be confusing. There are only 44 (not 46) squares for Medical care, and the total is also two squares too few (108 not 110) The group total and the sum of the amount given on each segment is a little different, but only with $3,000,000.]
 
::'''Military $703,030,000,000'''
 
:::R&D $78,040,000,000
 
:::Housing $3,220,000,000
 
:::Nuclear security $19,580,000,000
 
:::"Defense-related" $7,670,000,000
 
:::Construction $21,460,000,000
 
:::Personnel $157,810,000,000
 
:::Operations $279,750,000,000
 
:::Equipment $135,420,000,000
 
:[The group total and the sum of the amount given on each segment is a little different 703.03 vs. 702.95 billion dollars. The difference is only $80,000,000.]
 
===BP oil claims fund===
 
:[These five items are below the ''Disasters'' frame. They are '''not''' singled out. They are listed in two columns:]
 
:BP oil claims fund $20,270,000,000
 
:Total 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami aid from all countries $15,840,000,000
 
:Worldwide aid to Somalia since 1991 $55,000,000,000
 
:G8/IMF loan pledge to Arab Spring $73,000,000,000
 
:Japan’s contribution to TEPCO victim fund $62,000,000,000
 
===Cost to fund Wikipedia at current levels for 100 years===
 
:[These six items are below the ''BP oil spill'' section and ''Cost of Electricity'' frame. They are '''not''' singled out. They are listed four in top two row, and two below the last two items:]
 
:Cost to fund Wikipedia at current levels for 100 years $1,850,000,000
 
:Cost to provide free yearly tax prep to every US household $8,450,000,000
 
:Cost to give every US 18 year-old a free degree at a community college $46,340,000,000
 
:Additional cost to fund all US schools at magnet school levels $46,340,000,000
 
:Annual cost to send every US child to a university for free $127,610,000,000
 
:Cost to buy the Amazon rainforest ($100/acre going rate for poor access land) $130,000,000,000
 
:[Note that there are two items in a row with the same amount $46,340,000,000. This could be a copy paste error, but the two blocks have 46 squares each.]
 
 
 
===UBS loss from one rogue trader===
 
:[These three items are right of the ''Wikipedia'' section and below the ''Cost of Electricity'' frame. They are '''not''' singled out. They are listed top to bottom:]
 
:UBS loss from one rogue trader $2,300,000,000
 
:DoE loan to CA Valley Solar Ranch Project $1,200,000,000
 
:Apple’s cash on hand $76,200,000,000
 
===New York City===
 
:[This item is singled out as it is framed by a light yellow square with rounded corners. The frame is below the ''Cost to fund Wiki'' section to the right of the ''Federal Budget''.]
 
:'''New York City'''
 
:(combined property value)
 
:$806,490,000,000
 
:[There are five groups, three in a row, and then two on top of each other at the end of the row. Only the first are with the normal yellow squares, the other groups are drawn with light yellow squares.]
 
::Manhattan $281,040,000,000
 
::Queens $208,180,000,000
 
::Brooklyn $201,230,000,000
 
::Staten Island $61,380,000,000
 
::Bronx $54,660,000,000
 
:[There are two error that cancel in the total sum as there are 209 (not 208) squares in Queens and only 54 (not 55) in Bronx. The sum fits, both for squares and the amounts.]
 
 
 
===Megaprojects===
 
:[These items are singled out as they are framed by a light yellow square with rounded corners. The frame is below the ''Cost to fund Wiki'' and ''UBS loss'' sections to the right of the ''New York City''.]
 
:'''Megaprojects'''
 
:[There are 23 groups, three columns on top of the last five which are also sorted into three columns. They will be listed in columns as described. The last items in the two last of the first three columns is a little off the line. They will still be given in the order as they can be fit into these two columns:]
 
::National missile defense shield cost through 2013 $107,690,000,000
 
::F-22 Raptor program (halted) $67,610,000,000
 
::Planned Russian Bering Strait tunnel $66,000,000,000
 
::Obama’s 2011 high-speed rail proposal $53,000,000,000
 
::Cost to build SF-to-LA high-speed rail $45,000,000,000
 
::UK Crossrail $26,490,000,000
 
:[The last part of the next group is drawn in light yellow squares and are labeled with a square bracket and a little line to the label. There are a total of 50 squares in the group.]
 
::King Abdullah Economic City $50,020,000,000
 
:::High-speed rail $9,120,000,000
 
::Hong Kong International airport $27,120,000,000
 
::Manhattan project $24,400,000,000
 
::2nd Avenue NYC subway line $17,960,000,000
 
::Big Dig cost as of 2008 $18,510,000,000
 
::Failed Army intelligence-sharing computer system $2,700,000,000
 
::Bay Bridge span replacement $6,300,000,000
 
:[The top of the last column of the next group is drawn in light yellow squares and are labeled with a square bracket. There are a total of 20 squares in the group.]
 
::Downtown Dubai project $20,270,000,000
 
:::Burj Khalifa $1,520,000,000
 
::Channel Tunnel $22,960,000,000
 
::Nimitz-class carrier $4,930,000,000
 
::Gerald R. Ford-class carrier $9,00,000,000
 
::Amtrak 30-year plan for northeast corridor $192,000,000,000
 
::City Qatar is building to host the 2022 World Cup $207,000,000,000
 
::Apollo moon landing project $192,000,000,000
 
::International Space Station $138,000,000,000
 
::Space Shuttle program $194,620,000,000
 
::US interstate highway system $465,970,000,000
 
:::(The largest single public-works project in the history of mankind)
 
===Six things I learned===
 
:[This list is singled out as it is framed by a black frame with rounded corners. The frame is below the ''New York City'' frame and to the right of the ''Federal Budget'' section.]
 
:'''Six things I learned while researching this chart:'''
 
::'''1.''' The world’s most expensive thing by weight is probably the Treskilling Yellow postage stamp.
 
::'''2.''' The US’s 400 richest people have a greater combined net worth than the poorest 50% of the country.
 
::'''3.''' The EPA has a dollar value for human life; it’s currently $8.4 million. They don’t like to talk about it; they call it a VSL (Value of Statistical Life), and tend to use terms like “1000 Micro-VSLs”.
 
::'''4.''' The Eisenhower Interstate Highway System is arguably the most expensive public works project in the history of mankind.
 
::'''5.''' We spend roughly the same amount on cancer treatment as we do on cigarettes. I’m not sure what lesson to take from that.
 
::'''6.''' Given their annual marketing budget, Coca-Cola could afford to literally buy the world a Coke. However, singing lessons for every person on Earth would be prohibitively expensive.
 
===Budget options===
 
:[These items are below the ''Six things I learned'' frame.]
 
:'''Budget options'''
 
:Estimates by the Congressional Budget Office of the effect of various hypothetical policy decisions on annual tax revenue, averaged over the next ten years.
 
:[The items are grouped in two columns with three segments each, and a title above the columns.]
 
::'''Cost of existing tax cuts'''
 
::Loss in annual revenue if tax cuts are made permanent
 
:::2001 (Bush) tax cuts $158,240,000,000
 
:::2003 (Bush) capital gains tax cuts $27,190,000,000
 
:::2010 (Obama) payroll tax cuts $111,700,000,000
 
::'''Potential new taxes'''
 
::Increase in annual tax revenue if implemented
 
:::Raise corporate taxes by one percentage point $10,060,000,000
 
:::Legalize marijuana and tax it at levels similar to tobacco $7,020,000,000
 
:::Institute tax on CO2 emissions $10,060,000,000
 
:[There is a copy paste error in the last label from the first item in this row. There are 10 squares as expected the first time, but 118 squares for CO2. All other squares fits.]
 
 
 
===Annual improper federal payments===
 
:[These seven items are below the ''Megaprojects'' frame. They are not all clearly related but will be listed together here. There is a column to begin with, at the bottom to the left there is block that will be listed as the last item in this column. Then there are three larger blocks to the right. They will be listed in that order:]
 
:[For the first block a single square has been removed slightly from the rest of the squares. This is the same item as was also a loose square next to the huge ''Social Security'' group in the ''Federal Budget'' section. It has the exact same label.]
 
:Annual improper federal payments compromising fraud, abuse, and poorly-documented payments $125,400,000,000
 
::Federal payments to dead retirees $120,200,000
 
:Ground Zero medical expenses fund $2,800,000,000
 
:Total US spending since 2001 to secure borders $90,000,000,000
 
:[The next block has been split in two. The smaller part has its own label. There are a total of 60 squares.]
 
:Wasted money in Afghanistan/Iraq war contracts $60,000,000,000
 
::Reconstruction money reportedly missing $18,000,000,000
 
:NEA-estimated cost to bring all US schools into good repair $413,300,000,000
 
:Annual economic cost of unmaintained infrastructure $129,000,000,000
 
:Estimated direct annual agricultural value of bees $220,000,000,000
 
 
 
===Stimulus spending===
 
:[These items are singled out as they are in a frame. The frame is below the ''Federal Budget'' and the ''Budget options'' sections.]
 
:'''Stimulus spending'''
 
:[There are two bocks with their title at the bottom left of each block. The first block is divided in three groups with labels. The two groups at the top are marked with a square bracket; one of them has a line to the label. All squares are drawn in a light yellow color.]
 
::2008 $205,930,000,000
 
:::Student loan guarantees $33,470,000,000
 
:::Business tax breaks $52,360,000,000
 
:::Individual tax breaks $120,110,000,000
 
:[Errors in 2008 – 53 (not 52) squares in ''Business'' to make the total number of squares fit. The sum total is 205.94 (not 205.93) billion dollars.]
 
:[The second block is divided in 7 groups. All of which are marked with a square bracket and a label. Only the first group is drawn in light yellow squares, the rest are in the normal yellow color. The other six will be listed as their labels appear from top to bottom.]
 
::2009 $747,950,000,000
 
:::Tax breaks $307,530,000,000
 
:::Education $90,460,000,000
 
:::Medicare/Medicaid $80,500,000,000
 
:::Transportation $32,560,000,000
 
:::Unemployment $62,740,000,000
 
:::Infrastructure $24,000,000,000
 
:::Other spending
 
:[There are more serious errors in the 2009 block than in the 2008 block. There are 800 squares compared to the expected 748. As the number of squares rarely has been wrong, it could have been a 9 to 4 error, so the total should have been 797.95 billion dollars (798 blocks – only two wrong) rather than 747.95. However, there are both 10 too many squares in ''Tax breaks'' (318 not 308) and 8 too many in ''Medicare'' (89 not 81). So it is hard to guess what is correct here. There are 183 squares in the ''Other'' segment. If the values were correct there should only have been 150.]
 
===Bailouts===
 
:[These items are '''not''' singled out but it is easy to see which four blocks belongs to the title. The heading is below the ''Stimulus spending'' frame.]
 
:'''Bailouts'''
 
:[There are four blocks on a row. The last is much taller than the other, and goes up alongside the ''Stimulus spending'' frame.]
 
::1980s-1990s S&L bailout total cost to taxpayers $78,300,000,000
 
:[Big error as there are drawn 180 not 78 squares. If he has forgotten a 1 ahead of the amount 178 billion, then it would only be two squares to many…]
 
::Cost to FDIC of bank failures resulting from the 2008 financial crisis $19,000,000,000
 
:[The next block is divided in three groups, each marked by a square bracket and a label (the middle also with a line to the label). The squares of the two bottom groups are drawn with a light yellow color. Labels are listed from the top.]
 
::TARP bailout funds distributed (out of  $700,000,000,000 available)  $392,980,000,000
 
:::Estimated TARP taxpayer losses $41,660,000,000
 
:::Value of outstanding TARP assets $144,440,000
 
:::Bailout funds returned $206,880,000,000
 
:[A triple zero error, where the last three zeroes (,000) has been left out of the middle of the TARP labels. There are only 36 not 42 squares in the top group and these 6 squares are also missing in the total (only 387 not 393). The sum total equals the total.]
 
:[This tall block’s squares are all are drawn with a light yellow color.]
 
::Current Eurozone bailout fund $1,361,700,000,000
 
:[Rather large error here as there are only 1162 squares not 1362 so 200 is missing. There seem to be space enough for this extra layer on top.]
 
===US nuclear arms spending during the Cold War===
 
:[These three items are below the ''Annual improper federal payments'' section and to the right of the ''Bailout'' section. They are not all clearly related but will be listed together here.]
 
:[The first blocks is divided into a large group and two smaller groups. The smaller groups have separate labels and are singled out with a square bracket.]
 
:US nuclear arms spending during the Cold War $2,818,300,000,000
 
::Ballistic missile submarines $451,360,000,000
 
::Ballistic missiles to put on those submarines $136,690,000,000
 
:The $87 billion which John Kerry votes for/against $101,800,000,000
 
:“Star Wars” missile defense system (1987 Heritage Foundation estimate) $185,300,000,000
 
===US spending on wars===
 
:[These items are singled out as they are in a frame. The frame is below the ''Bailout'' and the ''US nuclear arms spending during the Cold War'' sections.]
 
:'''US spending on wars 804,410,000,000'''
 
:Including only direct spending on war operations, and not resulting veterans’ benefits or interest on debt incurred.
 
:[A triple zero error here in the heading… where the last three zeroes (,000) has been left out of the total figure.]
 
:[The block is divided in 12 groups. All of which are marked with a square bracket and a label. Two of the three small segments at the bottom left are also marked with a line between bracket and label. Starting from bottom left, these wars are listed chronological, the three small at the bottom from left to right, then from bottom to top in the rest of the first column, and then there is only one war each column up to the last, where the newest war is again at the top. Here the groups will be listed chronological (from starting year), so from the bottom and up all the way.]
 
::American revolution $2,410,000,000
 
::1812 $1,550,000,000
 
::Mexican War $2,380,000,000
 
::Civil War $79,740,000,000
 
::Spanish-American War $9,030,000,000
 
::World War I $334,000,000,000
 
::World War II $4,104,000,000,000
 
::Korean War $341,000,000,000
 
::Vietnam War $738,000,000,000
 
::Persian Gulf War $102,000,000,000
 
::War in Afghanistan $321,000,000,000
 
::Iraq War $784,000,000,000
 
  
 
==Trillions==
 
==Trillions==
 
Complete on 2014-06-14  
 
Complete on 2014-06-14  
:[This section is below the Billions section to the right of the Millions section – Global financial status is described here. It discusses derivatives, liquid assets, public debt by nation and GDP by continent, culminating with the total economic production of the human race to date.]
+
:[This section is below the Billions section to the right of the Millions section – Global financial status is described here. It discusses derivatives, liquid assets, public debt by nation and GDP by continent, culminating with the total economic production of the human race to date.]<br>
 
:'''Trillions'''
 
:'''Trillions'''
  
:[The Billions section is zoomed down so the area is only 1/1000 of the size and is shown at the top of the Trillions section with lines indicating this zoom]
+
:[The Billions section is zoomed down so the area is only 1/1000 of the size and is shown at the top of the Trillions section with lines indicating this zoom]<br>
 
:[The rest of this panel shows how much the individual items values compare to a trillion dollars. Next to each price in dollar will be drawn a number cyan squares equal to the number of trillion dollars in the amount - so next to the value of all gold ever mines (9 trillion dollars) there will be 9 squares etc.]
 
:[The rest of this panel shows how much the individual items values compare to a trillion dollars. Next to each price in dollar will be drawn a number cyan squares equal to the number of trillion dollars in the amount - so next to the value of all gold ever mines (9 trillion dollars) there will be 9 squares etc.]
 
:[In this section the order of the items will be given in the three columns that are clearly defined (i.e. not from top to bottom as a first rule.)]
 
:[In this section the order of the items will be given in the three columns that are clearly defined (i.e. not from top to bottom as a first rule.)]
Line 1,492: Line 1,192:
 
:[This section is a timeline bar chart of the world’s total GDP as function of year. The years are stated below the bottom of the chart:]
 
:[This section is a timeline bar chart of the world’s total GDP as function of year. The years are stated below the bottom of the chart:]
 
:1920  1930  1940  1950  1960  1970  1980  1990  2000  2010
 
:1920  1930  1940  1950  1960  1970  1980  1990  2000  2010
:[Above the time lines are three types of blocks stacked to show the total GDP each year. At the bottom of the block bars are gray blue blocks, above them the normal cyan colored blocks and above them again lighter colored blocks. After the last bar at 2010 are three square brackets indicating what the three colors represent (there are no blocks until 1940, then only dark block until about 1950 where the cyan colored block fade in, and first in 1982-1983 do the lighter blocks fade in)]
+
:[Above the time lines are three types of blocks stacked to show the total GDP each year. At the bottom of the block bars are gray blue blocks, above them the normal cyan colored blocks and above them again lighter colored blocks. After the last bar at 2010 are three square brackets indicating what the three colors represent (there are no blocks until 1940, then only dark block until about 1950 where the cyan colored block fade in, and first in 1982-1983 do the lighter blocks fade in]
 
:US federal government
 
:US federal government
 
:GDP (total economic productivity) of the US (minus government)
 
:GDP (total economic productivity) of the US (minus government)
Line 1,522: Line 1,222:
 
:'''Estimated total economic production of the human race (so far) $2,396,950,000,000,000'''
 
:'''Estimated total economic production of the human race (so far) $2,396,950,000,000,000'''
 
:(roughly three-fifths of it since 1980)
 
:(roughly three-fifths of it since 1980)
 
==Dedication==
 
:[Below the entire chart there is a single line of text - right below the Trillions chart. As this dedication is not part of the five sections it will be written here:]
 
:Thank you to Emily Collins for economics help, Ray Nute for corporate accounting help, Sara Gillespie for miscellaneous information, and Christina Gleason for 3 AM typesetting.
 
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:0980}}
 
 
[[Category:Comic subpages]]
 

Please note that all contributions to explain xkcd may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see explain xkcd:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!

To protect the wiki against automated edit spam, we kindly ask you to solve the following CAPTCHA:

Cancel | Editing help (opens in new window)

Template used on this page: