explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2575: What If? 2

2023-09-07T11:29:48Z

108.162.237.133:

Yay! \o/ [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 15:09, 31 January 2022 (UTC)

Note that there is actually a term for the 13th month of the year, and it's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undecimber Undecimber].
[[User:Svízel přítula|Svízel přítula]] ([[User talk:Svízel přítula|talk]]) 15:12, 31 January 2022 (UTC)
:And the Jewish calendar has a 13th month every 2-3 years, since it's a lunar calendar. But rather than a completely different month name, the month Adar is doubled to Adar I and Adar II. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:12, 31 January 2022 (UTC)

This is awesome! I really hope one of the answers is about cotton candy breaking one's fall, since it was foreshadowed in book one. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.90.23|172.69.90.23]] 15:21, 31 January 2022 (UTC)

BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT YAYAYAYAYYAY!!!! [[User:Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)|Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)]] ([[User talk:Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)|talk]]) 16:37, 31 January 2022 (UTC)

According to the Simpsons the 13th month is Smarch. What do we do when Simpsons and Randall disagree?
Also, pretty sure 2021 was the first year that 13th month aligned with our reality. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.18|172.70.211.18]] 17:28, 31 January 2022 (UTC)

I can't shake the feeling that he announced it on 31/01 because it's coming out on 13/09 and that's nearly 13/10 which is 31/01 with the month and day digits switched. But I might be one of those numerology people without realising it --[[User:192·168·0·1|192·168·0·1]] ([[User talk:192·168·0·1|talk]]) 17:38, 31 January 2022 (UTC)
:If you're not, you should count yourself lucky! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.68|172.70.86.68]] 18:15, 31 January 2022 (UTC)
:: :D great pun, you win 1 internet 🎁 --[[User:192·168·0·1|192·168·0·1]] ([[User talk:192·168·0·1|talk]]) 15:09, 1 February 2022 (UTC)

The pre-order through all the different sources is good, but **What if** someone wanted a hard copy of the book autographed by Randall? I don't see any provision for that. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 00:16, 1 February 2022 (UTC)

Is it just me, but is 7 months in advance a bit early to announce a book release? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.228|108.162.250.228]] 01:04, 1 February 2022 (UTC)
: Seems an oddly advanced announcement to me too, but I guess with transport lines being so messed up, it's an attempt to be prepared well ahead for anything. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.87|108.162.249.87]] 05:12, 1 February 2022 (UTC)

: Yes. Especially in the world of ebooks and audiobooks which have no distirbution delays. With such a delay between completion and release, I'm expecting an ebook and audiobook edition to be available on the release day. I wonder if this sort of delay is normal in the publishing world, or if Randall is just a low priority for his publishers? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.234|108.162.250.234]] 05:05, 2 February 2022 (UTC)
::I think it's the opposite. Books have always needed months to actually fully be published, at least properly without resorting to letrasetting and sneaking time on the office photocopier/Gestetner for ultra-small initial runs - and definitely on a simultaneous worldwide release arranged from the start.
::What we see here is not a delay from the announcement, but the earlier and earlier time at which the announcement gets to the wider public, even the avid fanbase. Even so, there's probably been at least a month or three since Randall signed the contract and submitted the first proofs (of presumably already a roughly compiled proposal that got him that contract to sign), and distributors like Amazon clearly were tipped off enough to prepare for the release...
::And while it might be fairly easy to get the digital print-proofs into eBook format, save for some slight adjustments necessary to make it properly sellable, I imagine the fuss of getting an audiobook recorded (''without'' the complications of sufficiently audio-describing what will surely be an illustration-heavy book) is a task in itself.
::I don't know if they've even put ink to paper yet (or given any audiobook narrator the studio time) except for the proof-run. Even if they have started the mass-printing they probably are far from being able to put sufficient stock into shops tomorrow to meet expectations. We're just learning about it once it is officially inevitable (or even a day before!) rather than wandering into a bookshop in mid-September and getting a pleasant surprise, much like has happened for most ordinary consumers of literature across the entire extent of the book-publishing history. (IMO) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.225|141.101.98.225]] 09:49, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

This is one of the few times, it is quite explicit that Randall himself is in the comic instead of him as fictional narrator. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.68|172.70.86.68]] 07:01, 1 February 2022 (UTC)
:Is it now canon that going forth any character in the actual comic with that appearance is in fact Randall himself? [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 04:59, 6 February 2022 (UTC)

It comes out on my birthday! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.95|172.70.214.95]] 09:22, 1 February 2022 (UTC)
:Happy birthday! ...in advance. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.173|172.70.90.173]] 12:51, 1 February 2022 (UTC)

It's a crummy commercial? Son of a glitch. {{unsigned ip|172.69.71.163}}

This seems like an oddly-specific date to me. When I was at IBM it wasn't unusual for rumors about a product to start circulating more than a year before it would be released, and then IBM would announce that yes, it really was happening and specify something like mid-year of the next year for FCS (First Customer Ship) but the actual FCS date wouldn't be firm until a month or two before the FCS happened . . . and sometimes the FCS would get slipped, even by months like in the case of the S/38 which was the first product I was involved with. Of course, a book is a little bit of a smaller project, but still . . . . [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.153|172.70.130.153]] 10:16, 2 February 2022 (UTC)
:I think for tech releases, you could benefit from juggling the practical (official) release-date much closer to that point, rather than stockpiling a lot of potentially useful items uselessly in a warehouse just to make sure you have them.
:Alternately, promising a date based on Just-In-Time estimates then suffering delays that push release back is not a good thing either. (Also misestimating demand, see XBox/etc problems.) So, to stop too much of either, you get the rumour-mill going but make it officially official closer to the confirmed/confirmable delivery time.
:A book, probably deliberately scheduled explictly for a particularly popular (pre-)pre-Christmas purchase slot, has less issue being sent to storage for months at a time, and gives you leeway to organise additional print-runs from other partners if any (not uncommon) printing/binding places suffer problems (unlike what we've seen if issues hit one or more of the few specialist chip-fabricators).
:There are probably similar pressures and opportunities. But at different scales which changes the optimal buffer-times between various stages (hint, rumour, confirmation, official confirmation, near-certainty, actuality), and all under the microscope of the modern information-led world.
:(I remember the early days of Discworld series publication. Suddenly there would be a new Pratchett book in the bookstores, without knowing anything of it in advance, even when it was becoming a twice-yearly probability. By the end, attendees of the Discworld Conventions, and then thus all the readers of various official/fan-led online resources, would know roughly what books were in the pipeline a couple of years in advance and were counting down the days for several of them at a time, pretty much knowing the subject and main characters of them already and wildly speculating about storylines long since set in stone while Pterry had already started to work on the successor's successor, or beyond...)
:Not that I know the inside-out of the book industry, and also not so much of the electronics one as yourself, but this is my extrapolation from what I do know/think about them both. I think there's a wide range of possible schedules, with this one not at all being an outlier. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.126|172.70.91.126]] 15:10, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

No comic today (Wednesday 2022-02-02)? When's the last time Randall missed a comic? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.250.219|172.70.250.219]] 23:54, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

The 13th month is called [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcMTHr3TqA0 Gormanuary].--[[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.63|172.70.230.63]] 23:54, 6 February 2022 (UTC)
:[https://dwwiki.mooo.com/wiki/Calendar#The_months Ick]... (...or [https://wiki.lspace.org/Discworld_calendar#Months_Of_The_Discworld_Year December], depending upon your chosen version of canon.)[[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.121|172.70.90.121]] 01:16, 7 February 2022 (UTC)

Someone should add in what What If questions correspond to the topics Randall mentioned. For example, '...Planets destroyed, one of them by the soup' is a reference to Soupiter. 'Eating things you shouldn't' is a reference to that one question about rabid animals, etc. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.133|108.162.237.133]] 11:29, 7 September 2023 (UTC)me

706: Freedom

2021-01-21T02:09:19Z

108.162.237.133: Added to description about title text

{{comic
| number = 706
| date = February 24, 2010
| title = Freedom
| image = freedom.png
| titletext = Sometimes I'm terrified to realize how many options other people have.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] on the left, here most likely representing [[Randall]] as given in the title text, comments on the absence of physical enforcement for {{w|Norm (social)|social norms}}. He tells his friend that he is sometimes shocked to realize how many options he has. Cueball then goes through a list of possible things he could do that only his conscience and learned social norms (and his cerebrum) prevent him from doing, including stripping naked, taking a plane to {{w|Fiji}} or just punching his conversation partner for no reason at all, with all the "interesting" ensuing events that would result, potentially life changing (he could go to prison for instance).

Cueball continues, explaining that he does understand the mental rules and also the reason, but also that at least once in his life he should exercise that "freedom", hence the title. This is enough to convince his friend who promptly exercises his option to punch Cueball in the face, perfectly in keeping with Cueball's beliefs of how everyone should do so at least once.

On the ground, Cueball remarks that he should have expected this reaction. That he didn't was the beauty of it all, his friend states, because only when the "freedom" is used to do something completely unexpected could the person doing so denounce his mental ruleset.

The title text is a restatement of the first line of the comment, but reversed to show that Randall is terrified about his realization that the same freedoms apply to other people. This is justified by the comic, as some of these people could engage in actions detrimental to others, as Cueball's friend demonstrates; combined with the fact that there are many other people,{{Citation needed}} that makes for a lot of unpredictable possible situations.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to his Cueball like friend.]
:Cueball: Sometimes I'm shocked to realize how many options I have.
:Friend: Oh?

:[The text is written above a half height frame with a zoom in on Cueball who shakes his fist.]
:Cueball: Like, at any moment in any conversation, I could just punch the person I was talking to, and all these potentially life-changing events would unfold.

:[Zoom further out than the first panel with Cueball holding his arms out and his friends taking his hand to his chin.]
:Cueball: It's only my mental rules that stop me from punching you, or stripping naked, or getting on a plane to Fiji. Sure, rules have reasons. But shouldn't you exercise that freedom at least once before you die?
:Friend: Hmm.

:[In very big black letters written vertically between the two panels:]
:'''''Wham'''''

:[Cueball is knocked to the ground, dazed (three stars over his head) and bruised while his friend is looking down at him with his fist raised.]
:Cueball: Okay, I should have seen that coming.
:Friend: But you ''couldn't!'' That's the beauty!

==Trivia==
*This may also be an ironic reference to {{w|Zechariah Chafee}}'s oft-quoted [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Zechariah_Chafee line]:
:"Your right to swing your arms ends just where the other man's nose begins."
*"Getting on a plane to Fiji" could be a reference to the film titled {{w|''The Truman Show''}}. In the film Truman is the only one who doesn't know that his world is a film set with him as the only true-man on set. His first serious love affair, an actress, tries to tell him about the show, and is then taken of the show going to Fiji. Later Truman [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120382/quotes?item=qt0462320 tries] in vain to go to Fiji and mentions such a trip [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120382/quotes?item=qt1902201 more than once.]
*Philosopher [https://www.iep.utm.edu/sartre-ex/ Jean-Paul Sartre] expressed a very similar notion, which is known as "radical freedom."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

1729: Migrating Geese

2016-09-05T19:47:11Z

108.162.237.133: /* Table of labels */

{{comic
| number = 1729
| date = September 5, 2016
| title = Migrating Geese
| image = migrating_geese.png
| titletext = "Hey guys! I have a great idea for a migration!" "Dammit, Kevin."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete| Only a rough draft.}}
{{w|Bird migration|Migrating}} refers to the changing of a habitat, which happens every year with {{w|geese}} traveling long distances to avoid cold seasons. When geese fly to their new habitat they tend to fly in a very clear shape or formation which resembles a flipped V. This formation is shown and explained here like a military formation with different geese labeled with different roles and different areas of the formation also labeled. See the [[#Table of labels|table below]].

Only part of the formation that would not normally be seen is Kevin who flies off at a 45 degree angle. In that direction there is no help from the other birds, and in the title text the rest of the geese also exclaims "Dammit, Kevin" when he (again?) tells them that he has a great new idea for a migration.

===Table of labels===
{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!Explanation
|-
|Head Goose
(4th in line to the British throne)
|This goose may become the newest monarch of the UK, assuming the three who are further in line die. The current fourth in line to the British throne is {{w|HRH}} {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge}}. In North America, the best-known goose migration is that of {{w|Canada goose|Canadian geese}} to the US east coast; the movie {{w|Fly Away Home}} is a semi-fictional story about this. Canada used to be part of the {{w|British Empire}} and remains a member of the {{w|Commonwealth of Nations}}, so a Canadian goose would be well situated to stand within the succession.
|-
|Quarterback
|A {{w|quarterback}} is a position in {{w|American Football}}.
|-
|Comptroller
|A {{w|comptroller}} is a position in a company. A comptroller oversees and manages all financial operations.
|-
|Migration abort goose
|This might be a reference to launch abort capsules used in rockets to safely land astronauts in the case of a critical stage failure
|-
|Twin-Engine Model
|This goose has two tails, which makes it look like a Twin-Engine aircraft which has two motors on either wing instead of one in the nose.
|-
|Kevin
|Probably refers to Kevin Mcallister, from the {{w|Home Alone}} movies. Kevin, who was played by {{w|Macaulay Culkin}}, is a kid who tends to get separated from his family. Might also be a reference to the [https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/219w2o/whos_the_dumbest_person_youve_ever_met/cgbhkwp Kevin of reddit fame], or possibly a reference to one of the {{w|Minions (Despicable Me)|Minions}} from the "{{w|Despicable Me}}" franchise ([http://despicableme.wikia.com/wiki/Kevin Kevin]), who leaves the main Minion group in search of a new master, hence the comment about migration.
|-
|CIA Informant
|A person, usually a criminal, that surreptitiously provides information to the {{w|Central Intelligence Agency}}. If these geese are from Canada, the CIA might have inserted an informant to be kept up to date on their activities.
|-
|Backups
|These are geese that are not used in the formation so they can replace other geese in their positions in case they have problems performing their task.
|-
|Missing Valence Geese
|In Chemistry, {{w|Valence (chemistry)|valence}} electrons are the electrons in the outermost "layer" which change places when chemical reactions happen. As there is an optimal number of electrons in a layer, if there are missing valence electrons, atoms which can fill in these gaps tend to react with the atoms having the missing electrons. In this case, a second goose formation that has proper "valence geese" in the appropriate position could bond (=merge) with this one to form a larger molecule. A normal Goose V formation like the one in the comic has one side longer than the other. This is Randall's explanation for the phenomenon.
|-
|Shock Front
| A shock front is the front boundary of a {{w|shock wave}} created by either a {{w|sonic boom}} or another explosion in a fluid/gas. It can also refer to the shock wave itself.
|-
|Stealth cargo being escorted
|The formation is forming a protective surrounding around an empty space in the middle which in a military formation could contain protected cargo. As there is no cargo visible in the goose formation, it is titled "{{w|Stealth technology|stealth}}".
|}

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:Understanding Migration of Geese

:[20 geese are shown flying in a typical migratory V-formation. As they are shown in silhouette it is not possible to determine if they are seen from above or from below. They are flying toward the top of the image with the first goose close to the top in the middle of the image. There is one head goose, and then there are 7 geese in the left arms and 9 geese in the right arm. Behind the left arm there are two stragglers that are not in line with the others, but closer to the middle than those above and not as close to each other as the rest but still flying in the same direction. Finally there is one goose at the bottom right corner flying at a 45 degree angle away from the other to the right. The first goose is flapping its wing, which is also the case with six other geese, no. 4 and 6 in the left and 3, 5 and 6 in the right arm as well as the middle of the two in the rear towards the middle. The rest are soaring with straight wings and all of these look the same except no. 7 in the right arm which has two tails, which both goes ahead of the wings, making it look like a plane with two engines. The head goose and 5 of the 9 geese in the right arm as well as the one bottom right are labelled with and arrow pointing to them from the label. The front goose has the label in front to the left, the other have it in front to the right, except the second last in the arm which has the label inside the V and one flying away which has the label right above it. The two behind and right of the left arm have one label behind them with two arrows from the label pointing at both geese. There is a thick curvy line in front of geese no. 3 to 5 in the left arm. In front of that line is a thinner broken line. In front of this is a label written with the same curvature. There are two areas surrounded by dotted lines. The first one is behind the last of the left arms geese, extending in the same direction for a distance of about two geese. It has a label above and left with and arrow pointing to it. The other area is in the middle of the V forming a loose triangular structure with a label inside.]
:Head goose: Head goose (4th in line to the British throne)
:Right no. 1: Quarterback
:Right no. 3: Comptroller
:Right no. 5: Migration abort goose
:Right no. 7: Twin-engine model
:Right no. 8: CIA informant
:Bottom right corner: Kevin
:Behind center: Backups
:In front of left no. 3-5: Shock front
:Empty area behind left arm: Missing valence geese
:Empty area in center: Stealth cargo being escorted

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:American football]]

Talk:1727: Number of Computers

2016-09-03T15:02:07Z

108.162.237.133:

Huh. Just noticed I missed a sentence at the beginning, but I'm too lazy to fix it. Could someone else rewrite my horrible draft? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.85|173.245.50.85]] 06:19, 31 August 2016 (UTC)
:I have done that now. ;-) And added a "few" extra details. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:52, 31 August 2016 (UTC)

The dotted line may also mean that the mission could possibly be extended, as happened to many NASA missions, in which case the destruction would occur later than currently planned.
Zetfr 15:22, 31 August 2016 (UTC)

There's a HAL9000 joke <s>in there</s> all over it. [[User:Aasasd|Aasasd]] ([[User talk:Aasasd|talk]]) 16:26, 31 August 2016 (UTC)

The line is indicating linear growth, not exponential. Exponential growth would be parabolic, not straight. Tinny 17:20, 31 August 2016 (UTC)
:Note the log scale.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.137|162.158.86.137]] 17:51, 1 September 2016 (UTC)

If the implied goal is destroying computers ''in Jupiter'' I’m afraid it is completely impossible for NASA to finish even if we stopped manufacturing them now. Some computers have already been destroyed by other means. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.27|162.158.74.27]] 03:01, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

Could there be a reference to Lord of the Rings? Having to travel a long distance to destroy an object in the one location it can be destroyed.

1047: Approximations

2016-08-21T12:01:26Z

108.162.237.133: updated fine structure constant approximation

{{comic
| number = 1047
| date = April 25, 2012
| title = Approximations
| image = approximations.png
| titletext = Two tips: 1) 8675309 is not just prime, it's a twin prime, and 2) if you ever find yourself raising log(anything)^e or taking the pi-th root of anything, set down the marker and back away from the whiteboard; something has gone horribly wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic lists some approximations for numbers, most of them mathematical and physical constants, but some of them jokes and cultural references.

Approximations like these are sometimes used as {{w|mnemonic}}s by mathematicians and physicists, though most of Randall's approximations are too convoluted to be useful as mnemonics. Perhaps the best known mnemonic approximation (though not used here by Randall) is that "pi is approximately equal to 22/7". Randall does mention (and mock) the common mnemonic among physicists that the {{w|fine structure constant}} is approximately 1/137. Although Randall gives approximations for the number of seconds in a year, he does not mention the common physicist's mnemonic that it is "pi times 10^7," though he later added a statement to the top of the comic page addressing this point.

At the bottom of the comic are expressions involving {{w|transcendental numbers}} (namely pi and e) that are tantalizingly close to being exactly true but are not (indeed, they cannot be, due to the nature of transcendental numbers). Such near-equations were previously discussed in [[217: e to the pi Minus pi]]. One of the entries, though, is a "red herring" that is exactly true.

Randall says he compiled this table through "a mix of trial-and-error, ''{{w|Mathematica}}'', and Robert Munafo's [http://mrob.com/pub/ries/ Ries] tool. "Ries" is a "{{w|Closed-form expression#Conversion from numerical forms|reverse calculator}}" that forms equations matching a given number.

The first part of the title text notes that "Jenny's constant," which is actually a telephone number referenced in Tommy Tutone's 1982 song {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}, is not only prime but a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime. Twin primes have always been a subject of interest, because they are comparatively rare, and because it is not yet known whether there are infinitely many of them. Twin primes were also referenced in [[1310: Goldbach Conjectures]].

The second part of the title text makes fun of the unusual mathematical operations contained in the comic. {{w|Pi}} is a useful number in many contexts, but it doesn't usually occur anywhere in an exponent. Even when it does, such as with complex numbers, taking the pi-th root is rarely helpful. Similarly, {{w|e (mathematical constant)|e}} typically appears in the basis of a power (forming the {{w|exponential function}}), not in the exponent. (This is later referenced in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ Lethal Neutrinos]).

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
|align="center"|Thing to be approximated:
|align="center"|Formula proposed:
|align="center"|Resulting approximate value:
|align="center"|Correct value:
|align="center"|Discussion:
|-
|align="center"|One light year(m)
|align="center"|998
|align="center"|9,227,446,944,279,201
|align="center"|9,460,730,472,580,800 (exact)
|align="left"|998 and 698 are sexual references.
|-
|align="center"|Earth Surface(m2)
|align="center"|698
|align="center"|513,798,374,428,641
|align="center"|5.10072*1014
|align="left"|998 and 698 are sexual references.
|-
|align="center"|Ocean's volume(m3)
|align="center"|919
|align="center"|1,350,851,717,672,992,089
|align="center"|1,332*1018
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Seconds in a year
|align="center"|754
|align="center"|31,640,625
|align="center"|31,557,600 (Julian calendar) 31,556,952 (Gregorian calendar)
|align="left"|After this comic was released [[Randall]] got many responses by viewers. So he did add this statement to the top of the comic page:
"Lots of emails mention the physicist favorite, 1 year = pi x 107 seconds. 754 is a hair more accurate, but it's hard to top 3,141,592's elegance." Pi x 107 is nearly equal to 31,415,926.536, and 754 is exactly 31,640,625. Randall's elegance belongs to the number pi, but it should be multiplied by the factor of ten.

Using the traditional definitions that a second is 1/60th of a minute, a minute is 1/60th of an hour, and an hour is 1/24th of a day, a 365-day year is exactly 31,536,000 seconds (the "for rent method" approximation). Until the calendar was reformed by Pope Gregory, there was one leap year in every four years, making the average year 365.25 days, or 31,557,600. On the current calendar system, there are only 97 leap years in every 400 years, making the average year 365.2425 days, or 31,556,952 seconds. In technical usage, a "second" is now defined based on physical constants, even though the length of a day varies inversely with the changing angular velocity of the earth. To keep the official time synchronized with the rotation of the earth, a "leap second" is occasionally added, resulting in a slightly longer year.
|-
|align="center"|Seconds in a year (rent method)
|align="center"|525,600 x 60
|align="center"|31,536,000
|align="center"|31,557,600 (Julian calendar) 31,556,952 (Gregorian calendar)
|align="left"|"Rent Method" refers to the song "Seasons of Love" from the musical "{{w|Rent (musical)|Rent}}." The song asks, "How do you measure a year?" One line says "525,600 minutes" while most of the rest of the song suggests the best way to measure a year is moments shared with a loved one.
|-
|align="center"|Age of the universe (seconds)
|align="center"|1515
|align="center"|437,893,890,380,859,375
|align="center"|4.354±0.012*1017 (best estimate; exact value unknown)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Planck's constant
|align="center"|1/(30πe)
|align="center"|6.68499014108082*10−34 (rounded)
|align="center"|6.62606957*10−34
|align="left"|Informally, the {{w|Planck constant}} is the smallest action possible in quantum mechanics.
|-
|align="center"|Fine structure constant
|align="center"|1/140
|align="center"|0.0071428571
|align="center"|0.0072973525664 (accepted value as of 2014), close to 1/137
|align="left"|The {{w|fine structure constant}} indicates the strength of electromagnetism. It is unitless and around 0.007297, close to 1/137. At one point it was believed to be exactly the reciprocal of 137, and many people have tried to find a simple formula explaining this (with a pinch of {{w|numerology}} thrown in at times), including the infamous {{w|Arthur Eddington|Sir Arthur Adding-One}}.
|-
|align="center"|Fundamental charge
|align="center"|3/(14 * πππ)
|align="center"|1.59895121062716*10−19 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.602176565*10−19 (rounded)
|align="left"|This is the charge of the proton, symbolized "e" for electron (whose charge is actually -e. You can blame Benjamin Franklin [[567|for that]])
|-
|align="center"|Telephone number for the White House Switchboard
|align="center"|1/ 
π√(e(1 + (e-1)√8))
|align="center"|.2024561414 (truncated)
|align="center"|2024561414
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Jenny's Constant
|align="center"|(7(e/1 - 1/e) - 9) * π2
|align="center"|867.530901981685 (approximately)
|align="center"|8675309
|align="left"|"Jenny's constant" is actually a telephone number referenced in Tommy Tutone's 1982 song {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}. As mentioned in the title text, the number not only prime but a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime.
|-
|align="center"|World Population Estimate (billions)
|align="center"|Equivalent to 6+((3/4 Year + 1/4 (Year mod 4) - 1499)/10) billion
|align="center"|2005 6.5
2006 6.6
2007 6.7
2008 6.7
2009 6.8
2010 6.9
2011 7
2012 7
2013 7.1
2014 7.2
2015 7.3
2016 7.3
2017 7.4
2018 7.5
2019 7.6
2020 7.6
2021 7.7
2022 7.8
2023 7.9
2024 7.9
2025 8
2026 8.1
2027 8.2
2028 8.2
2029 8.3
2030 8.4
2031 8.5
2032 8.5
|align="center"|
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|U.S. Population Estimate (millions)
|align="center"|Equivalent to 310+3*(Year - 2010) million
|align="center"|2000 280
2001 283
2002 286
2003 289
2004 292
2005 295
2006 298
2007 301
2008 304
2009 307
2010 310
2011 313
2012 316
2013 319
2014 322
2015 325
2016 328
2017 331
2018 334
2019 337
2020 340
2021 343
2022 346
2023 349
2024 352
2025 355
2026 358
2027 361
2028 364
2029 367
2030 370
2031 373
2032 376
|align="center"|
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Electron rest energy
|align="center"|e/716 Joules
|align="center"|8.17948276564429*10−14
|align="center"|8.18710438*10−14 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Light-year(miles)
|align="center"|2(42.42)
|align="center"|5884267614436.97 (rounded)
|align="center"|9460730472580800 (meters in a light-year, by definition) / 1609.344 (meters in a mile) = 8212439646337500/1397 (exact) = 5878625373183.61 (rounded)
|align="left"|{{w|42 (number)|42}} is, according to Douglas Adams' ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
|-
|align="center"|sin(60°) = √3/2
|align="center"|e/π
|align="center"|0.8652559794 (rounded)
|align="center"|0.8660254038 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|√3
|align="center"|2e/π
|align="center"|1.7305119589 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.7320508076 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|gamma(Euler's gamma constant)
|align="center"|1/√3
|align="center"|0.5773502692 (rounded)
|align="center"|0.5772156649015328606065120900824024310421...
|align="left"|In {{w|mathematics}}, the {{w|Euler-Mascheroni constant}} (Euler gamma constant) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.
|-
|align="center"|Feet in a meter
|align="center"|5/(e√π)
|align="center"|3.2815481951
|align="center"|1/.3048 (exact) = 3.280839895 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|√5
|align="center"|2/e + 3/2
|align="center"|2.2357588823 (rounded)
|align="center"|2.2360679775 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Avogadro's number
|align="center"|69π√5
|align="center"|6.02191201246329*1023 (rounded)
|align="center"|6.02214129*1023 (rounded)
|align="left"|Also called a Mole for shorthand, this is (roughly) the number of individual atoms in twelve grams of pure Carbon. Used in basically every application of chemistry.
|-
|align="center"|Gravitational constant G
|align="center"|1 / e(pi - 1)(pi + 1)
|align="center"|6.67361106850561*10−11 (rounded)
|align="center"|6.67385*10−11 (rounded)
|align="left"|The universal {{w|gravitational constant}} G is equal to F*r2/Mm, where F is the gravitational force between two objects, r is the distance between them, and M and m are their masses.
|-
|align="center"|R(gas constant)
|align="center"|(e+1) √5
|align="center"|8.3143309279 (rounded)
|align="center"|8.3144622 (rounded)
|align="left"|The {{w|gas constant}} relates energy to temperature in physics, as well as a gas's volume, pressure, temperature and {{w|mole (unit)|molar amount}} (hence the name).
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|6*π5
|align="center"|1836.1181087117 (rounded)
|align="center"|1836.15267246 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Liters in a gallon (U.S. liquid gallon, defined by law as 231 cubic inches)
|align="center"|3 + π/4
|align="center"|3.7853981634 (rounded)
|align="center"|3.785411784 (exact)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|''g''0 or ''g''n
|align="center"|6 + ln(45)
|align="center"|9.8066624898 (rounded)
|align="center"|9.80665 (standard)
|align="left"|Standard gravity, or standard acceleration due to free fall is the nominal gravitational acceleration of an object in a vacuum near the surface of the Earth. It is defined by standard as 9.80665 m/s2, which is exactly 35.30394 (km/h)/s (about 32.174 ft/s2, or 21.937 mph/s). This value was established by the 3rd CGPM (1901, CR 70) and used to define the standard weight of an object as the product of its mass and this nominal acceleration. The acceleration of a body near the surface of the Earth is due to the combined effects of gravity and centrifugal acceleration from rotation of the Earth (but which is small enough to be neglected for most purposes); the total (the apparent gravity) is about 0.5 percent greater at the poles than at the equator. Randall used a letter g without a suffix, which can also mean the local acceleration due to local gravity and centrifugal acceleration, which varies depending on one's position on Earth.
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|(e8 - 10) / ϕ
|align="center"|1836.1530151398 (rounded)
|align="center"|1836.15267246 (rounded)
|align="left"|ϕ is the {{w|golden ratio}}, or (1 + √5)/2. It has many interesting geometrical properties.
|-
|align="center"|Ruby laser wavelength
|align="center"|1 / (12002)
|align="center"|0.00000069444
|align="center"|694.3 nm
|align="left"|The ruby laser wavelength varies because "ruby" is not clearly defined.
|-
|align="center"|Mean Earth Radius
|align="center"|(58)*6e
|align="center"|2343750e (exact), 6,370,973.035450887 (6370 km, 973 m, 3 cm, 5 mm, 450 μm, 887 nm, 270 pm, 375 fm, 673 am, 760 zm, 982 ym) (rounded)
|align="center"|6,371,008.7 (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics definition)
|align="left"|The {{w|Earth radius#mean radii|mean earth radius}} varies because there is not one single way to make a sphere out of the earth. Randall's value lies within the actual variation of Earth's radius. The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) defines the mean radius as 2/3 of the equatorial radius (6,378,137.0 m) plus 1/3 of the polar radius (6,356,752.3 m).
|-
|align="center"|√2
|align="center"|3/5 + π/(7-π)
|align="center"|1.4142200581 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.4142135624 (rounded)
|align="left"|There are reoccurring math jokes along the lines of, "3/5 + π/(7 – π) – √2 = 0, but your calculator is probably not good enough to compute this correctly".
|-
|align="center"|cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7)
|align="center"|1/2
|align="center"|0.5
|align="center"|0.5 (exact)
|align="left"|This is the exactly correct equation referred to in the note, "Pro tip - Not all of these are wrong", as shown below and also [http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/140388/how-can-one-prove-cos-pi-7-cos3-pi-7-cos5-pi-7-1-2 here]. If you're still confused, the functions use {{w|radians}}, not {{w|degrees (angle)|degrees}}.
|-
|align="center"|γ(Euler's gamma constant)
|align="center"|e/34 + e/5
|align="center"|0.5772154006 (rounded)
|align="center"|0.5772156649015328606065120900824024310421...
|align="left"|In {{w|mathematics}}, the {{w|Euler-Mascheroni constant}} (Euler gamma constant) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.
|-
|align="center"|√5
|align="center"|(13 + 4π) / (24 - 4π)
|align="center"|2.2360678094 (rounded)
|align="center"|2.2360679775 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Σ 1/nn
|align="center"|ln(3)e
|align="center"|1.2912987577 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.2912859971 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|}

===Proof===

One of the "approximations" actually is precisely correct: cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2. Here is a proof:

cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7)

* Multiplying by 1 (or by a number divided by itself) leaves the equation unchanged.

= (cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7)) (2sin(π/7)/(2sin(π/7)))

* The 2sin(π/7) on the top of the fraction is multiplied through the original equation.

= (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7) + 2cos(3π/7)sin(π/7) + 2cos(5π/7)sin(π/7))/(2sin(π/7))

* Use the trigonometric identity 2cos(A)sin(B)=sin(A+B)-sin(A-B) on the 2nd two terms ([2cos(3π/7)sin(π/7)] + {2cos(5π/7)sin(π/7)}) /(2sin(π/7))

= (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7) + [sin(3π/7+π/7) - sin(3π/7-π/7)] + {sin(5π/7+π/7) - sin(5π/7-π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7) + [sin(4π/7) - sin(2π/7)] + {sin(6π/7) - sin(4π/7)})/(2sin(π/7))

* Use the trigonometric identity 2cos(A)sin(A) = sin(2A) on the first term (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7))

= (sin(2π/7) + [sin(4π/7) - sin(2π/7)] + {sin(6π/7) - sin(4π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (sin(6π/7) + [sin(2π/7) - sin(2π/7)] + {sin(4π/7) - sin(4π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (sin(6π/7))/(2sin(π/7))

* Note that 6π/7 = (7π - π)/7 = 7π/7 - π/7 = π - π/7.

= (sin(π - π/7))/(2sin(π/7))

*Since sines of supplementary angles are equal.

= (sin(π/7))/(2sin(π/7)) 
= (1/2) (sin(π/7)/sin(π/7)) 
= 1/2

==Transcript==
:'''A table of slightly wrong equations and identities useful for approximations and/or trolling teachers.'''
:(Found using a mix of trial-and-error, ''Mathematica'', and Robert Munafo's ''Ries'' tool.)
: All units are SI MKS unless otherwise noted.

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
|colspan="2" align="center" | Relation:
|align="center" | Accurate to within:
|-
|align="center" | One light year(m)
|align="center" | 998
|align="center" | one part in 40
|-
|align="center" | Earth Surface(m2)
|align="center" | 698
|align="center" | one part in 130
|-
|align="center" | Ocean's volume(m3)
|align="center" | 919
|align="center" | one part in 70
|-
|align="center" | Seconds in a year
|align="center" | 754
|align="center" | one part in 400
|-
|align="center" | Seconds in a year (rent method)
|align="center" | 525,600 x 60
|align="center" | one part in 1400
|-
|align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)
|align="center" | 1515
|align="center" | one part in 70
|-
|align="center" | Planck's constant
|align="center" | 1/(30πe)
|align="center" | one part in 110
|-
|align="center" | Fine structure constant
|align="center" | 1/140
|align="center" | [I've had enough of this 137 crap]
|-
|align="center" | Fundamental charge
|align="center" | 3/(14 * πππ)
|align="center" | one part in 500
|-
|align="center"|White House Switchboard
|colspan="2" align="center"|1/ 
π√(e(1 + (e-1)√8))
|-
|align="center"|Jenny's Constant
|colspan="2" align="center"|(7(e/1 - 1/e) - 9) * π2
|-
|colspan="3" align="center"|Intermission: World Population Estimate which should stay current for a decade or two: 
Take the last two digits of the current year

Example: 20[14]

Subtract the number of leap years since hurricane Katrina

Example:14 (minus 2008 and 2012) is 12

Add a decimal point

Example: 1.2

Add 6

Example: 6 + 1.2

7.2 = World population in billions.

Version for US population:

Example: 20[14]

Subtract 10

Example: 4

Multiply by 3

Example: 12

Add 10

Example: 3[22] million
|-
|align="center"|Electron rest energy
|align="center"|e/716 Joules
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|align="center"|Light-year(miles)
|align="center"|2(42.42)
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|sin(60°) = √3/2 = e/π
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|√3 = 2e/π
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|align="center"|gamma(Euler's gamma constant)
|align="center"|1/√3
|align="center"|one part in 4000
|-
|align="center"|Feet in a meter
|align="center"|5/(e√π)
|align="center"|one part in 4000
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|√5 = 2/e + 3/2
|align="center"|one part in 7000
|-
|align="center"|Avogadro's number
|align="center"|69π√5
|align="center"|one part in 25,000
|-
|align="center"|Gravitational constant G
|align="center"|1 / e(pi - 1)(pi + 1)
|align="center"|one part in 25,000
|-
|align="center"|R(gas constant)
|align="center"|(e+1) √5
|align="center"|one part in 50,000
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|6*π5
|align="center"|one part in 50,000
|-
|align="center"|Liters in a gallon
|align="center"|3 + π/4
|align="center"|one part in 500,000
|-
|align="center"|g
|align="center"|6 + ln(45)
|align="center"|one part in 750,000
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|(e8 - 10) / ϕ
|align="center"|one part in 5,000,000
|-
|align="center"|Ruby laser wavelength
|align="center"|1 / (12002)
|align="center"|[within actual variation]
|-
|align="center"|Mean Earth Radius
|align="center"|(58)*6e
|align="center"|[within actual variation]
|-
|colspan="3" align="center"|Protip - not all of these are wrong:
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|√2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)
|align="center"|cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2
|-
|align="center"|γ(Euler's gamma constant) = e/34 + e/5
|align="center"|√5 = (13 + 4π) / (24 - 4π)
|align="center"|Σ 1/nn = ln(3)e
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Protip]]

992: Mnemonics

2016-05-26T18:44:53Z

108.162.237.133: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 992
| date = December 19, 2011
| title = Mnemonics
| image = mnemonics.png
| titletext = 'Sailor Moon's head exploded once' and 'Some men have explosive orgasms' both work for the Great Lakes from west to east (Paddle-to-the-Sea order).
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|mnemonic}} is any trick that makes memorization easier. For memorizing a sequence of names, a common type of mnemonic takes the initials of the sequence and invents another phrase to them. For example, the order of operations goes '''P'''arentheses, '''E'''xponentiation, '''M'''ultiplication and '''D'''ivision, '''A'''ddition and '''S'''ubtraction, and the traditional mnemonic goes '''P'''lease '''E'''xcuse '''M'''y '''D'''ear '''A'''unt '''S'''ally. To make them more memorable, mnemonics are usually quite silly and often vulgar. In this comic, Randall invents various scientific mnemonics, some of them as suggested replacements for traditional ones.

The category is listed at the top of the box, the members are listed below that. Then there is the traditional mnemonic that children are usually taught in school to help them remember. Below the comic is one or two options for new mnemonics suggested by Randall. The top one is illustrated in the frame.

*{{w|SI}} Prefixes are the prefixes for the systems of units from large to small and since there are so many, the mnemonic needs two lines.
**{{w|Karl Marx}}, as visible in the comic, was a German philosopher and economist who, among other things, invented the ideas of socialism and communism. Central to his ideas was the {{w|dictatorship of the proletariat}}, or the working class achieved by an uprising of the lower class, which taken literally could be done using zeppelins.
**{{w|Microsoft}}'s {{w|Zune}} was a failed mp3 player that Microsoft brought to market. It never caught on.

*{{w|Taxonomy}} is the science of identifying and naming species. {{w|Katy Perry}}, portrayed in the panel, is an {{w|United States|American}} {{w|pop music}} singer, whose popular songs are ones like "Fireworks" or "I Kissed A Girl".

*In the geologic periods frame, the illustration is of a month's worth of "the pill" a common contraceptive.

*In {{w|Resistor}} Color Codes, {{w|Glenn Beck}} is in the illustration. Beck is a far-right conservative commentator in the US, who used to have a show on the {{w|Fox News}} Network.
**The sign Glenn Beck is holding is a reference to [[966: Jet Fuel]].
**The prevailing mnemonic for resistor color codes is pretty terrible (and memorable), hence Randall's comment "none I care for".
**{{w|WP:BOLD|Be Bold}} is a {{w|Wikipedia}} credo. Respect Others may be a reference to {{w|WP:AGF|Assume Good Faith}}, another Wikipedia philosophy.

*In the Planets frame, the illustration is of Mary and Joseph, who in the story of the Birth of Jesus in the Bible, were mother and father to Jesus. However, Mary's conception of Jesus was from God and Mary was still considered a virgin. This mnemonic shows Joseph not really believing that story. Ironically the upstairs neighbour could have multiple meanings as you can't get more upstairs than heaven and thus God. Given the snarky tone of most xkcd comics take, it is likely a corporeal neighbor that is being suspected, but it is curious that a neighbor of the upstairs variety is specifically referenced especially given the lack of urban density in the time of Christ.
**Most traditional Planets mnemonics include Pluto, which was "officially" considered a planet before 2006.

*The {{w|Great Lakes}} mentioned by the title text are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario
**{{w|Sailor Moon}} is a manga series.
**{{w|Paddle-to-the-Sea}} is an illustrated children's book by Holling C. Holling about a toy boat's journey through the Great Lakes.

==Transcript==
:XKCD Presents:
:'''Some New Science Mnemonics'''

:''(Pattern goes:''
:''Subject''
:''Elements''
:''Traditional mnemonic''
:''Contents of frame''
:''New mnemonics)''

:'''Order of Operations'''
:Parentheses, Exponents, Division & Multiplication, Addition & Subtraction
:Traditional: Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally
:[Person having a shark delivered to his laptop.]
:Please Email My Dad A Shark
:or
:People Expect More Drugs And Sex

:'''SI Prefixes'''
:Big: Kilo, Mega, Giga, Tera, Peta, Exa, Zetta, (Yotta)
:Milli, Micro, Nano, Pico, Femto, Atto, Zepto, (Yocto)
:Traditional: [I never learned one.]
:[Graph of the declining profits of the Zune.]
:[Karl Marx delivering a number of zeppelins to a bunch of confused proletariats.]
:Big: Karl Marx Gave The Proletariat Eleven Zeppelins(, Yo)
:Small: Microsoft Made No Profit From Anyone's Zunes(, Yo)

:'''Taxonomy'''
:Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
:Traditional: King Philip Came Over For Good Sex
:Katy Perry: I'm not sure who doubts this, really.
:Katy Perry Claims Orgasms Feel Good Sometimes
:or
:Kernel Panics Crash Our Family Game System.

:'''Geologic Periods'''
:(Precambrian), Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Paleogene, Neogene
:Traditional: [I never learned one.]
:[A month's set of birth control pills.]
:PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome Does Cause Problems That Judicious Contraceptives Partially Negate

:'''Resistor Color Codes'''
:Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, Gray, White
:Traditional: [none I care for]
:[Glenn Beck holding the traditional "Nanobot Vaccine Chemtrail 9/11" sign.]
:"Big Brother Reptilian Overlords", yelled Glenn, "Brainwashing Via Ground water!!";
:or
:Be Bold, Respect Others; You'll Gradually Become Versatile, Great Wikipedians!

:'''Planets'''
:Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
:Traditional: My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos
:[A pregnant Mary attempting to explain things to an incredulous Joseph]
:Mary's "Virgin" Explanation Made Joseph Suspect Upstairs Neighbor.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Airships]]
[[Category:Sharks]]

550: Density

2016-05-24T13:19:38Z

108.162.237.133: tense consistency

{{comic
| number = 550
| date = March 2, 2009
| title = Density
| image = density.png
| titletext = If only I had asked 4chan for ideas for what I should do to prevent this!
}}

==Explanation==
First up, we have a sex scene where [[Cueball]] is together with [[Megan]] who doesn't wish to become pregnant. Unfortunately for both of them, Cueball ends up {{w|ejaculating}} prematurely before "pulling out"...

Rather than apologize or try and salvage the relationship, Cueball responds in perhaps the most absurd possible way and invokes five then-popular {{w|Internet meme}} in one sentence:
: ''Sup dawg, I herd you didn't liek forming babby, but I accidentally in your base.''

The sentence can be translated into:
: ''Whats up girl, I heard that you don't want to get pregnant but I accidentally came inside you''.

Below the frame the pros and cons of uttering such a sentence is listed.
*Cons: Cueball's life is now thoroughly "ruined" as he now may become a father with a girl who did not wish a baby. Also the incident with the memes would likely put a damper on his relationship with Megan even if she did not get pregnant.
*Pros: The sentence set the new '''density''' record for memes (most memes referenced in fewest words). This explains the title of he comic. But it will be a very superficial and respectless world record to hold when the return is a ruined life.

The five memes used are:
*[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/xzibit-yo-dawg Yo Dawg]
**This can also be used with ''Sup Dawg'' as in this comic.
*[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-herd-u-like-mudkips I herd u liek Mudkips]
**{{w|Mudkip}} is a {{w|Pokémon}}, but here it is about not liking the next memes text.
*[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/how-is-babby-formed How is babby formed?]
**Full question in Yahoo Answers was "how is babby formed / how girl get pragnent".
**This was already referenced in the title text of [[481: Listen to Yourself]] and in [[522: Google Trends]].
*[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-accidentally I Accidentally].
**In this meme the verb is omitted.
**In this case the omitted verb is ''came'' or ''ejaculated''.
**Referenced again in [[997: Wait Wait]].
*[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/in-ur-base in ur base].
**This is extra funny in the relation {{w|Baseball metaphors for sex|to what base your date went}}, (see [[540: Base System]]).

The title text references {{w|4chan}}, a site known for its memes, {{w|Troll (Internet)|trolls}} and other assorted internet clutter, and sarcastically implies that any advice they might give would in any way be at all helpful. Due to its population of trolls and other unhelpful sorts, advice given by 4chan would normally be useless at best and actively detrimental at worst; however, the title text implies that Cueball regrets that he did not ask 4chan for advice, and maybe have used them for this earlier. Maybe to ask ''How is babby formed''...

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is in a bed with Megan.]
:Cueball: Sup dawg, I herd you didn't liek forming babby, but I accidentally in your base.
:[Below the frame:]
:Cons: Ruined life.
:Pros: Sentence set the new meme density record.

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

1054: The bacon

2016-05-22T16:01:46Z

108.162.237.133: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1054
| date = May 11, 2012
| title = The Bacon
| image = thebacon.png
| titletext = Normally pronounced 'THEH-buh-kon', I assume.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic plays off the American {{w|colloquialism}} "bring home the bacon", which generally means to work hard and bring money home to your family to put food on the table. If a man is out of work he may be stressed out about how to "bring home the bacon."

Some men would not be assuaged if their wife takes over but at first it seems that [[White Hat]] is happy that his wife, who work as a pharmacist, do bring home the bacon, and he tells this to [[Cueball]].

Later, however, Cueball finds out, that what White Hat actually was saying was "{{w|Thebacon}}", which is a common name for ''dihydrocodeinone enol acetate'' an {{w|opioid}} commonly market under names like Acedicon and Diacodin. As a pharmacist White Hat's wife has easy access to such drugs, and this may be the reason that he is so calm, because his wife supplies him with painkiller drugs.

Thebacon is compared to the better known drug {{w|Vicodin}}, another opioid sold as a painkiller, which can (and often has) become a drug of abuse.

The title text lists what [[Randall]] assumes to be the normal pronunciation for Thebacon.

According to {{w|thebacon|Wikipedia}}, Randall seems to be mistaken in no less than ''three'' places:
*The proper name is
**Dihydrocodeinone enol acetate, not
**Dihydrocodeine enol acetate.
*It is a {{w|semisynthetic|''semisynthetic''}} opioid not a synthetic opioid.
*The pronunciation is /ˈθiːbəkɒn/
**THEE-buh-kon, not
**THEH-buh-kon.
***This title text "error" may be intentional though, as he also write ''I assume'' after it, and there may be a joke/pun in the mistake.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat is holding out a hand towards Cueball while telling him about his job situation. The space between the and bacon is very small.]
:White Hat: I'm out of work, but I'm not stressed about it because my wife is a pharmacist and she brings home the bacon.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Only later did I learn that "Thebacon" is the common name for dihydrocodeine enol acetate, a synthetic opioid similar to Vicodin.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Food]]

1452: Jurassic World

2016-05-18T22:58:41Z

108.162.237.133: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1452
| date = November 26, 2014
| title = Jurassic World
| image = jurassic_world.png
| titletext = Hey guys! What's eating you? Ha ha ha it's me! Oh, what fun we have.
}}

==Explanation==
This strip refers to ''{{w|Jurassic World}}'', the new ''{{w|Jurassic Park}}'' movie. [[White Hat]] explains that the movie's plot involves genetically engineering a better {{w|Tyrannosaurus Rex}}. [[Megan]] doesn't feel that the historic Tyrannosaurus can be improved upon, but White Hat insists they've created an even more terrifying, smarter T. Rex for this new movie.

White Hat refers to T.rex as "two decades old", indicating that he has switched topics from the movie's plot line to the animation techniques that created the {{w|Jurassic Park (film)|T. rex on-screen}} in 1993 versus today. Clearly, in the computer animation world, we should be able to create something more convincing with modern technology.

In the final panel, White Hat introduces the 'new T. rex', who is immediately recognizable as the green T. rex from {{w|Ryan North|Ryan North's}} ''{{w|Dinosaur Comics}}''; specifically, from the last panel of said webcomic - which in turn is from [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/interview-with-ryan-north-creator-of-dinosaur-comics-15523444/ clip art]. Anyone who has read so much as a handful of ''Dinosaur Comics'' will know that its T. rex character "T-Rex" is about as far from smart and scary as it is possible for a T. rex to be.

The title text is an example of what T-Rex (the character) would say to a couple of humans. Despite his goofy mannerisms, he is still a carnivore who attacks humans.

Characters from ''Dinosaur Comics'' have also appeared in [[145: Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics]] and [[1350: Lorenz]] (see under [[1350:_Lorenz#Dinosaur|Dinosaur]]).

==Transcript==
:[White Hat and Megan are walking together.]
:White Hat: In ''Jurassic World'', we've used genetic engineering to create a ''better'' dinosaur.
:Megan: Tyrannosaurus is the most charismatic animal that ever lived, and you think you'll ''upstage'' it?

:[White Hat and Megan walk on.]
:White Hat: ''Tyrannosaurus'' was cool, but it's two decades old!
:Megan: I think it's a ''little'' older than that.

:[White Hat points up.]
:White Hat: We took Tyrannosaurus and we ''improved'' it. Made it scarier, deadlier, smarter.
:White Hat: Look – there it is!

:[White Hat and Megan stare up at a facsimile of the green T.rex from ''Dinosaur Comics''.]

==Trivia==
*In the fourth panel [[Randall]] appears to have forgotten to draw White Hat's hat. It is most likely still White Hat and not [[Cueball]], as Megan is still there.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Jurassic Park]]