explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3045: AlphaMove

2025-01-31T23:27:08Z

162.158.90.124:

Ask Tom Murphy VII to get on this [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.103|141.101.99.103]] 22:50, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

I have attempted to run the proposed bot against itself — if I haven't made any errors, here are the resulting games:

Rounding down:
1. e4 e6 2. f3 f5 3. e5 g5 4. d4 d5 5. exd6 g4 6. d7+ Kf7 7. dxc8=N Ke8 8. fxg4 h6 9. gxf5 Kd7 10. g4 h5 11. fxe6+ Ke8 12. g5 Na6 13. h3 Nc5 14. h4 Ne7 15. Kd2 Ne4+ 16. Ke1 Nf5 17. g6 Nf6 18. g7 Ng3 19. gxf8=N Nge4 20. Ke2 Ng4 21. Kf3 Ngf2 22. Ke2 Nh3 23. Ke3 Nhf2 24. Nb6 Nh3 25. Na4 Nhf2 26. Nac3 Nxc3 27. Kxf2 Nxd1+ 28. Kf3 Qc8 29. c4 Ne3 30. Ke4 Nf5 31. Kd3 Ng3 32. e7 Nxh1 33. Kc2 Qb8 34. d5 Kxe7 35. d6+ Kf6 36. dxc7 Nf2 37. c8=R Ng4 38. Kd2 Nh2 39. Ke3 Ng4+ 40. Kd4 Nh2 41. Kd5 Nxf1 42. Nc3 Nh2 43. Nce2 Ng4 44. Nd4 Nh6 45. Nd7+ Kf7 46. Ndf3 Qd6+ 47. Ke4 Qd2 48. Nf8 Qd5+ 49. Ke3 Qd2+ 50. Ke4 Qd5+ 51. Ke3 Qd2+ 52. Ke4

Rounding up:
1. f3 f5 2. e4 f4 3. d4 e6 4. e5 g6 5. g3 fxg3 6. c3 g2 7. d5 gxf1=Q+ 8. Kxf1 exd5 9. Ke2 d6 10. Kd3 g5 11. Kd2 dxe5 12. Ke2 d4 13. Kd3 dxc3+ 14. Ke3 e4 15. Ne2 exf3 16. Ng1 f2 17. Nxc3 fxg1=N 18. Qc2 Kd7 19. Ne2 h6 20. Qa4+ Ke6 21. Qb3+ Ke7 22. Qb4+ Ke8 23. Qb5+ Kf7 24. Qa6 Kg7 25. Qa4 Kg6 26. Qb3 Kg7 27. Qb4 Kh7 28. Qb5 Kg7 29. Qa6 Nc6 30. Nxg1 Na5 31. Qb6 Kh7 32. Qb3 Kg6 33. Qb4 Kg7 34. Qb6 Kh7 35. Qb3 Kg6 36. Qb4 Kg7 37. Qb6

Rounding down code:
const { Chess } = require("chess.js");

const chess = new Chess();
while (!chess.isGameOver()) {
const moves = chess.moves();
moves.sort((a, b) => b.localeCompare(a));
const move = moves[Math.floor(moves.length / 2)];
chess.move(move);
}
console.log(chess.pgn());

To round up, swap the a and b in the sort function.

Both games end in a threefold repetition draw. The game with rounding down does, in fact, have 6 knights in it, so I believe he did code this to see what would happen.

[[User:Ohpointfive|Ohpointfive]] ([[User talk:Ohpointfive|talk]]) 22:52, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

To elaborate on the Tom VII point - this is the YouTube video that possibly inspired the comic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpXy041BIlA

[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.179|141.101.98.179]] 22:55, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

Unfortunately for white, it's mate in 1 with Bb4# [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.124|162.158.90.124]] 23:25, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3045: AlphaMove

2025-01-31T23:25:34Z

162.158.90.124:

Ask Tom Murphy VII to get on this [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.103|141.101.99.103]] 22:50, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

I have attempted to run the proposed bot against itself — if I haven't made any errors, here are the resulting games:

Rounding down:
1. e4 e6 2. f3 f5 3. e5 g5 4. d4 d5 5. exd6 g4 6. d7+ Kf7 7. dxc8=N Ke8 8. fxg4 h6 9. gxf5 Kd7 10. g4 h5 11. fxe6+ Ke8 12. g5 Na6 13. h3 Nc5 14. h4 Ne7 15. Kd2 Ne4+ 16. Ke1 Nf5 17. g6 Nf6 18. g7 Ng3 19. gxf8=N Nge4 20. Ke2 Ng4 21. Kf3 Ngf2 22. Ke2 Nh3 23. Ke3 Nhf2 24. Nb6 Nh3 25. Na4 Nhf2 26. Nac3 Nxc3 27. Kxf2 Nxd1+ 28. Kf3 Qc8 29. c4 Ne3 30. Ke4 Nf5 31. Kd3 Ng3 32. e7 Nxh1 33. Kc2 Qb8 34. d5 Kxe7 35. d6+ Kf6 36. dxc7 Nf2 37. c8=R Ng4 38. Kd2 Nh2 39. Ke3 Ng4+ 40. Kd4 Nh2 41. Kd5 Nxf1 42. Nc3 Nh2 43. Nce2 Ng4 44. Nd4 Nh6 45. Nd7+ Kf7 46. Ndf3 Qd6+ 47. Ke4 Qd2 48. Nf8 Qd5+ 49. Ke3 Qd2+ 50. Ke4 Qd5+ 51. Ke3 Qd2+ 52. Ke4

Rounding up:
1. f3 f5 2. e4 f4 3. d4 e6 4. e5 g6 5. g3 fxg3 6. c3 g2 7. d5 gxf1=Q+ 8. Kxf1 exd5 9. Ke2 d6 10. Kd3 g5 11. Kd2 dxe5 12. Ke2 d4 13. Kd3 dxc3+ 14. Ke3 e4 15. Ne2 exf3 16. Ng1 f2 17. Nxc3 fxg1=N 18. Qc2 Kd7 19. Ne2 h6 20. Qa4+ Ke6 21. Qb3+ Ke7 22. Qb4+ Ke8 23. Qb5+ Kf7 24. Qa6 Kg7 25. Qa4 Kg6 26. Qb3 Kg7 27. Qb4 Kh7 28. Qb5 Kg7 29. Qa6 Nc6 30. Nxg1 Na5 31. Qb6 Kh7 32. Qb3 Kg6 33. Qb4 Kg7 34. Qb6 Kh7 35. Qb3 Kg6 36. Qb4 Kg7 37. Qb6

Rounding down code:
const { Chess } = require("chess.js");

const chess = new Chess();
while (!chess.isGameOver()) {
const moves = chess.moves();
moves.sort((a, b) => b.localeCompare(a));
const move = moves[Math.floor(moves.length / 2)];
chess.move(move);
}
console.log(chess.pgn());

To round up, swap the a and b in the sort function.

Both games end in a threefold repetition draw. The game with rounding down does, in fact, have 6 knights in it, so I believe he did code this to see what would happen.

[[User:Ohpointfive|Ohpointfive]] ([[User talk:Ohpointfive|talk]]) 22:52, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

To elaborate on the Tom VII point - this is the YouTube video that possibly inspired the comic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpXy041BIlA

[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.179|141.101.98.179]] 22:55, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

Unfortunately for white, it's mate in 1 with Bd4# [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.124|162.158.90.124]] 23:25, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

3036: Chess Zoo

2025-01-10T20:49:43Z

162.158.90.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3036
| date = January 10, 2025
| title = Chess Zoo
| image = chess_zoo_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x1221px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The zoo takes special care to keep kings separated from opposite-color pieces as part of their conservation program to prevent mating in captivity.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a PAWN PROMOTED TO A BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A zoological garden, or {{w|zoo}} for short, is a large encampment where various animals are helped to live in small enclosures. Zoos generally serve dual purpose as both a public exhibition and a safe breeding ground for conservation efforts.

Randall has here created a zoo for giant chess pieces, as if they were animals.

There are many subtle "jokes" in the images that plays on how chess pieces moves. For example, the bishops don't need to be fully enclosed, and a narrow corridor with one white and one black square suffices to prevent them from leaving. The knight 'enclosure' is also structured in a way that almost allows it to escape across into various other pieces' enclosures (since it can jump), but prevent it from straying even further afield by carefully placing some strategic fence in exactly the right place (they are also handily restricted by the 'corridor' trick). Each side in a chess game starts with two bishops, one on each color square, and bishops can move only to squares of the same color as the one they started on. Opposing bishops on opposite color squares can never capture one another, and can therefore be kept safely in the same enclosure in the hypothetical zoo, so long as each counterpart (opposite side ''and'' opposite tile-type) are similarly kept in another such enclosure. The pawn enclosures will keep them inside even after they promote into any piece.

"Pawns promoting" refers to moving a pawn to the final rank (the opponent's back rank), which allows it to be exchanged for a queen, rook, knight, or bishop.

The phrase "mating in captivity" in the title text is typically used to refer to animals in zoos copulating, hopefully producing offspring. A reputable zoo will probably take care not to have too many unplanned cases of reproducing, for reasons of managability and ensuring a properly thought out genetic diversity (including arranging selected animals, or a supply of gametes, being strategically exchanged with other zoos). In this case, however, "mating" is used in the chess context, meaning delivering an attack from which the opponent's king cannot escape. To prevent this from occurring, kings are not kept in the same enclosure as any piece of an opposing color. In fact, only opposing bishops on opposite colors are shown together in this zoo.

Notably, every visitor of the zoo is depicted as centered on a single square occupied only by themselves, just like a chess piece. This could perhaps imply an entire chess board "world", where humans and chess pieces coexist as separate species, both aligned to the grid.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

3025: Phase Change

2024-12-16T20:25:23Z

162.158.90.124: /* Transcript */ whoops

{{comic
| number = 3025
| date = December 16, 2024
| title = Phase Change
| image = phase_change_2x.png
| imagesize = 296x354px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Even when you try to make nice, smooth ice cubes in a freezer, sometimes one of them will shoot out a random ice spike, which physicists ascribe to kiki conservation.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOTBA - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a reference to the {{w|bouba/kiki effect}} (the [[2611: Cutest-Sounding Scientific Effects|cutest-sounding scientific effect]]), where people associate different shapes with different nonsense words.
Because the word bouba is pronounced with long and soft sounds, it is often associated with soft and round objects. Kiki, on the other hand, uses fast, higher pitched, and "cracking" sounds so it is associated with sharp and hard objects. Some real life examples are the antonyms rigid and flowing. This is partly due to humans' needs to {{w|Cognitive categorization|categorize things}}.

The comic intentionally conflates this with the {{w|Phase transition|phase transition}} that water undergoes around 0 degrees Celsius. Water in its liquid state can be described as soft and round, as can the sound of the word "water" itself. In contrast, ice is hard and can form sharp objects like icicles, and the word "ice" also contains a sharp hissing sound.

The title text refers to {{w|ice spike|ice spikes}}, which are caused by the uneven freezing of ice in a freezer. The title text expands on the joke by claiming that ice cubes wish to maintain the pointiness of objects characterized as "kiki."

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A vertical graph is shown, indicating temperature in degrees Celsius, with a horizontal dotted line at zero degrees. The area above the dotted line is filled with several illustrations of liquid water in various forms--dripping, splashing, pouring, etc. This area is labeled "Bouba". The area below the dotted line is filled with illustrations of ice in various forms--icicles, ice cubes, snowflakes, etc. This area is labeled "Kiki".]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:When water temperature falls below 0°C, it undergoes a phase transition from bouba to kiki.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: Charts]]
[[Category: Language]]
[[Category: Science]]

1155: Kolmogorov Directions

2024-03-02T23:02:55Z

162.158.90.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1155
| date = January 2, 2013
| title = Kolmogorov Directions
| image = kolmogorov directions.png
| titletext = People get really grumpy when they realize you're giving them directions for how to go to the store and buy a GPS.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Andrey Kolmogorov}} was a mathematician who worked, among other things, on defining computational complexity. Roughly speaking, the {{w|Kolmogorov complexity}} of a string (of bits, words, symbols, etc.) is the shortest description that allows an accurate reconstruction — or, in some variants, the length of the smallest program which will output the original string.

[[Cueball]]'s method of giving directions is very reminiscent of Kolmogorov's method of determining complexity. However, it is unlikely they know all the presidents, nor can calculate prime numbers in their heads, and so will have trouble with certain parts. These directions may have minimal Kolmogorov complexity, but they are non-intuitive and are likely not the shortest or quickest way to get there, considering that they consist mostly of left turns.

This is [[783: I Don't Want Directions|not the first time]] Cueball has had difficulties with directions, and here we see he hates giving directions as much as he hates receiving them.

The joke in the title text is that Cueball just sent his friend to a store to buy a GPS device to give him the correct directions. (By the time this comic was published, GPS-enabled smartphones had already largely displaced dedicated GPS devices,<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/technology/15iht-navigate.html</ref> but Cueball could be talking to a person who does not wish to own a smartphone.)

The superfluousness of giving directions as opposed to using a GPS is the subject of [[783: I Don't Want Directions]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball on the phone.]
:Phone: How do I get to your place from Lexington?
:Cueball: Hmm...
:Cueball: Ok, starting from your driveway, take every left turn that doesn't put you on a prime-numbered highway or street named for a president.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:When people ask for step-by-step directions, I worry that there will be too many steps to remember, so I try to put them in minimal form.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Number theory]]

783: I Don't Want Directions

2024-03-02T23:02:46Z

162.158.90.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 783
| date = August 23, 2010
| title = I Don't Want Directions
| image = i_dont_want_directions.png
| titletext = Yes, I understand that the turn is half a mile past the big field, but my GPS knows that, too. This would be easier if you weren't about to ask me to repeat it all back to you.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] wants to use his {{w|GPS navigation device|GPS device}} to find an individual's house, and therefore needs the house's address. The person on the phone is giving him directions, something that is useless because by giving Cueball the address, the GPS can give directions to the address, possibly better than the ones he is getting over the phone. Cueball then decides to tell the person that he would like to mail something to their house, hoping they will give him the address, because you must have the address to mail something.{{Citation needed}}

The title text is a continuation of the comic's joke. By the end of the comic, Cueball has got the information he needs, and has just ignored the directions he did not want. However, if the person on the phone insists on checking Cueball has remembered the directions correctly, Cueball has to be able to learn the useless information he did not want in the first place, and has been mostly ignoring, at least well enough to repeat it once.

Judging by the roads mentioned in the comic (Highland Rd and presumably {{w|Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)|I-495}} and {{w|Massachusetts Route 18|MA-18}}), the person on the phone lives somewhere around [http://goo.gl/maps/tXFbF southern Lakeville, Massachusetts], and Cueball is starting from the Boston area.

The superfluousness of giving directions as opposed to using a GPS is also mentioned in [[1155: Kolmogorov Directions]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball on phone.]
:Cueball: Looking forward to seeing your new place! What's the address?
:Cueball: Mm hmm. Yes, I'm taking 495, but I have a GPS, so I really just need the street address.

:[Close up.]
:Cueball: ...then south on 18, okay, but I have a GPS, so if you just want to skip to the street address, I can...

:[Full body shot, facing other direction.]
:Cueball: Thanks, I'm glad to know Highland Road comes a mile after the big intersection, but I keep saying I ''have a GPS'', can you tell me the street address?
:Cueball: ...
:Cueball: Technically that's just more information on how to get to your place, not the address itself. If you could-

:[Close up again, Cueball writing on pad.]
:Cueball: ...I appreciate that you want to help, but I'm ''ignoring'' you and just waiting for the...
:Cueball: Listen, I just remembered I need to mail you a letter. What's your address?
:Cueball: Mhm... okay...
:Cueball: Great, thanks! I'll see you in an hour!

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

783: I Don't Want Directions

2024-03-02T23:01:09Z

162.158.90.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 783
| date = August 23, 2010
| title = I Don't Want Directions
| image = i_dont_want_directions.png
| titletext = Yes, I understand that the turn is half a mile past the big field, but my GPS knows that, too. This would be easier if you weren't about to ask me to repeat it all back to you.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] wants to use his {{w|GPS navigation device|GPS device}} to find an individual's house, and therefore needs the house's address. The person on the phone is giving him directions, something that is useless because by giving Cueball the address, the GPS can give directions to the address, possibly better than the ones he is getting over the phone. Cueball then decides to tell the person that he would like to mail something to their house, hoping they will give him the address, because you must have the address to mail something.{{Citation needed}}

The title text is a continuation of the comic's joke. By the end of the comic, Cueball has got the information he needs, and has just ignored the directions he did not want. However, if the person on the phone insists on checking Cueball has remembered the directions correctly, Cueball has to be able to learn the useless information he did not want in the first place, and has been mostly ignoring, at least well enough to repeat it once.

Judging by the roads mentioned in the comic (Highland Rd and presumably {{w|Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)|I-495}} and {{w|Massachusetts Route 18|MA-18}}), the person on the phone lives somewhere around [http://goo.gl/maps/tXFbF southern Lakeville, Massachusetts], and Cueball is starting from the Boston area.

The superfluousness of giving directions as opposed to using a GPS is also mentioned in [[1155: Kolmogorov Directions]]

==Transcript==
:[Cueball on phone.]
:Cueball: Looking forward to seeing your new place! What's the address?
:Cueball: Mm hmm. Yes, I'm taking 495, but I have a GPS, so I really just need the street address.

:[Close up.]
:Cueball: ...then south on 18, okay, but I have a GPS, so if you just want to skip to the street address, I can...

:[Full body shot, facing other direction.]
:Cueball: Thanks, I'm glad to know Highland Road comes a mile after the big intersection, but I keep saying I ''have a GPS'', can you tell me the street address?
:Cueball: ...
:Cueball: Technically that's just more information on how to get to your place, not the address itself. If you could-

:[Close up again, Cueball writing on pad.]
:Cueball: ...I appreciate that you want to help, but I'm ''ignoring'' you and just waiting for the...
:Cueball: Listen, I just remembered I need to mail you a letter. What's your address?
:Cueball: Mhm... okay...
:Cueball: Great, thanks! I'll see you in an hour!

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

783: I Don't Want Directions

2024-03-02T22:59:52Z

162.158.90.124: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 783
| date = August 23, 2010
| title = I Don't Want Directions
| image = i_dont_want_directions.png
| titletext = Yes, I understand that the turn is half a mile past the big field, but my GPS knows that, too. This would be easier if you weren't about to ask me to repeat it all back to you.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] wants to use his {{w|GPS navigation device|GPS device}} to find an individual's house, and therefore needs the house's address. The person on the phone is giving him directions, something that is useless because by giving Cueball the address, the GPS can give directions to the address, possibly better than the ones he is getting over the phone. Cueball then decides to tell the person that he would like to mail something to their house, hoping they will give him the address, because you must have the address to mail something.{{Citation needed}}

The title text is a continuation of the comic's joke. By the end of the comic, Cueball has got the information he needs, and has just ignored the directions he did not want. However, if the person on the phone insists on checking Cueball has remembered the directions correctly, Cueball has to be able to learn the useless information he did not want in the first place, and has been mostly ignoring, at least well enough to repeat it once.

Judging by the roads mentioned in the comic (Highland Rd and presumably {{w|Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)|I-495}} and {{w|Massachusetts Route 18|MA-18}}), the person on the phone lives somewhere around [http://goo.gl/maps/tXFbF southern Lakeville, Massachusetts], and Cueball is starting from the Boston area.

The superfluousness of giving directions as opposed to using a GPS is also the subject of [[1155: Kolmogorov Directions]]

==Transcript==
:[Cueball on phone.]
:Cueball: Looking forward to seeing your new place! What's the address?
:Cueball: Mm hmm. Yes, I'm taking 495, but I have a GPS, so I really just need the street address.

:[Close up.]
:Cueball: ...then south on 18, okay, but I have a GPS, so if you just want to skip to the street address, I can...

:[Full body shot, facing other direction.]
:Cueball: Thanks, I'm glad to know Highland Road comes a mile after the big intersection, but I keep saying I ''have a GPS'', can you tell me the street address?
:Cueball: ...
:Cueball: Technically that's just more information on how to get to your place, not the address itself. If you could-

:[Close up again, Cueball writing on pad.]
:Cueball: ...I appreciate that you want to help, but I'm ''ignoring'' you and just waiting for the...
:Cueball: Listen, I just remembered I need to mail you a letter. What's your address?
:Cueball: Mhm... okay...
:Cueball: Great, thanks! I'll see you in an hour!

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