explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1347: t Distribution

2021-06-19T20:48:33Z

162.158.92.118: switched his/her to their, as his/her is pointless

{{comic
| number = 1347
| date = March 26, 2014
| title = t Distribution
| image = t_distribution.png
| titletext = If data fails the Teacher's t test, you can just force it to take the test again until it passes.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Student's t-distribution}} is a class of {{w|probability distribution}} used in statistics to model small sample sizes. "Student" was the pseudonym of {{w|William Sealy Gosset}}, an employee of Guinness Brewery who discovered it.

A Student's t distribution is similar to a normal symmetric bell curve distribution, but has "fatter tails"; thus, the one shown in the comic is roughly the right shape. A "Teacher's" t-distribution is a joke (pun) made up by Randall.

The comic is a play on the name "Student", the pseudonym of the creator, versus the "Teacher". The idea is that a "teacher's" distribution would be more complex, and that it would be used for fitting data when the student's distribution wasn't sophisticated enough. Of course, in actuality, such a complex distribution as the one shown in the comic would have many parameters, and in practice would probably lead to overfitting and/or bias. Thus, the comic (and the title text) can be seen as making fun of the idea that more complex is always better, or perhaps of the idea that a statistician's job is to use more and more sophisticated tools to force the data to yield a "publishable" result, rather than to use the simplest appropriate tool and let the chips fall where they may.

[[Cueball]] tries to "fit" a distribution to the data on the paper. This is the usual jargon for when a statistician is trying to model their data as coming from some underlying probability distribution, and the comic makes a pun with the physical meaning of "fit". In the second panel, Cueball decides that the Student's T distribution does not fit his data well (the data failed the Student t-test), and decides to pull out the more complex Teachers t-distribution instead (the teachers t-test - which the data is not allowed to continue to fail). Note that "test" is what statisticians do to data to see if it fits some distribution, but it is also another word for "examination."

The Students t distribution relates the average of a small sample to the "true" population average, under the assumptions, unobjectionable in many contexts, that there is such a "true" value, and that the samples are independent and normally distributed with equal variance. As such, unless the data on Cueball's paper contain many small groups which radically violate these assumptions somehow, there is no way Cueball's data could falsify the t distribution. In particular, a single number (for the average of one group) or a small set of numbers (for the averages of several numbers) will never make a nice smooth curve, but an average statistician would see that as normal statistical noise that would even out over time, not as a reason to prefer a complex, spiky curve such as the supposed "teacher's" distribution. But of course, Cueball's access to a secret, cooler-looking distribution makes them more badass than a mere average statistician... or does it?

Ironically, the Teacher's T Distribution shows equal variance, itself proving the appropriateness of the Student's T Distribution.

The title text plays on the word "test". The first part of the sentence refers to a potential "Teacher t-test" which would be used in a statistical context to test for the significance of some observation, as opposed to the real "Student's t-test" which is used to determine if two sets of data differ by a statistically significant amount. On the other hand, the second part of the sentence refers to the possibility for students to take tests (or exams) until they pass - or to teachers who forces students to take the test again and again until they pass. The resulting sentence may refer to statistical fallacy, or the (conscious or unconscious) action of manipulating observations or misconducting experiments to give statistical significance to a false fact.

==Transcript==
:[A physical bell-curve-shaped object labeled "Student's t distribution" is resting on a table. Cueball is working with it and a piece of paper.]
:Cueball: hmm
:[Cueball looks at the piece of paper.]
:Cueball: ...nope.
:[Cueball picks up the object and begins to walk off the panel with it.]
:[Cueball comes back onto the panel, now carrying an object shaped like a much more complex curve, with many symmetric spikes and dips, labeled "Teacher's t distribution".]

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

563: Fermirotica

2018-06-13T09:29:43Z

162.158.92.118: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 563
| date = April 1, 2009
| title = Fermirotica
| image = fermirotica.png
| titletext = I love how Google handles dimensional analysis. Stats are ballpark and vary wildly based on time of day and whether your mom is in town.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Fermi paradox}} describes the contradiction between the high probability of {{w|extraterrestrial life}} and the lack of empirical evidence thereof. Age and size of the universe suggest that intelligent life should have occurred somewhere, and that some alien civilizations should have developed technology for {{w|interstellar travel}}. Therefore, one might expect the universe full of life. However, no evidence for any lifeforms on other planets has yet been found by humans. This inconsistency was first noted by {{w|Enrico Fermi}} in 1950 when he posed the question "Where is everybody?". The phenomenon, often called ''The Great Silence'', was later examined more thoroughly in a paper by {{w|Michael H. Hart}}.

A decade after Fermi's observation, {{w|Frank Drake}} formulated the {{w|Drake equation}}, which aims at estimating the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the {{w|Milky Way}} galaxy. The formula presents itself as the product of several probabilistic factors which would be required for such a civilization to exist. Several parameters are unknown and the equation assumes that all factors are weighed equally, therefore the equation is not useful for computing any actual result.

The comic presents a somewhat related equation which computes the average distance from the observer wherein a couple can be found copulating. (The example parameters given in the comic yield 139 metres.) The implication of the equation is that we are surrounded by sex in our everyday lives. Nevertheless, we rarely encounter couples during the act itself. Borrowing from the Fermi paradox, the ''Fermirotica'' paradox poses the question: "Where is everybody having sex?". Of course, the lack of empirical evidence of couples having sex can easily be explained by the fact that most couples only have intercourse in privacy. A similar approach might also offer an explanation to the original problem: Alien species might conceal themselves from our observations, e.g. in order to {{w|Prime directive|avoid interfering in the development of civilizations}}. This answer to the Fermi Paradox is commonly called {{w|zoo hypothesis}}.

The second panel has [[Cueball]] sexually aroused by the statistical probability of a couple practising intercourse. This fantasy of his is termed ''statistical {{w|voyeurism}}'' by an off-frame speaker, and is evidently upset by it. Possible reasons for being upset are that he considers it an inappropriate use of statistics, or because it accurately predicts an ''actual'' copulation he is aware of and would rather keep private (e.g. the off-frame speaker is actually about to have sex).

The title text refers to the {{w|Goggle search#calculator|Google calculator}} and praises its capabilities of {{w|dimensional analysis}}, and more specifically {{w|unit conversion}}. [[Randall]] assumes that most readers will enter the equation with the example parameters into the {{w|Google}} search engine. The built-in calculator will output the result in the correct {{w| SI unit}} ''metre'', although the population density was given as ''people per square mile''. The second part of the title text states that the examples are nothing more than an educated guess, and that the equation is simplified. In reality, more parameters must be taken into account, e.g. the time of day, since most people will have sex in the evening or night. The insulting suggestion that the probability of sex rises when the reader's (supposedly promiscuous) mother is in town represents a ''{{w|Yo Mama joke}}''.

Note that this comic was released on April 1st without being an April Fools' Day comic. But Randall made another April Fool on his reader, see the [[#Trivia|trivia section]].

==Transcript==
:Pd Regional Population Density (e.g. 18,600/mi²)
:Xf Average Person's Frequency of Sex (e.g. 80/Year)
:Xd Average Duration of Sex (e.g. 30 Minutes)
:r=sqrt(2/(π*Pd*Xf*Xd))
:On average, someone within distance r of you is having sex.
:[Cueball standing at easel.]
:Cueball: Mmm, That probable couple 150 meters away is so hot. Oh yeah, theoretically work it, baby.
:From out of frame: Hey! No statistical voyeurism!

==Trivia==
*This comic was released on April 1 2009.
**The comic itself has no obvious ties to {{w|April Fools' Day}} and is thus not one of [[Randall|Randall's]], [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comics]]!
**But on that day Randall, Jeph Jacques and Ryan North altered their {{w|Domain_Name_System|DNS}} records to point to each others websites. So xkcd.com would show the [http://questionablecontent.net/ Questionable content] website, questionablecontent.net would show the [http://www.qwantz.com/ Dinosaur comics] website and www.qwantz.com would show the [http://www.xkcd.com]] website.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]

1292: Pi vs. Tau

2018-06-13T09:01:44Z

162.158.92.118: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 1292
| date = November 18, 2013
| title = Pi vs. Tau
| image = pi vs tau.png
| titletext = Conveniently approximated as e+2, Pau is commonly known as the Devil's Ratio (because in the octal expansion, '666' appears four times in the first 200 digits while no other run of 3+ digits appears more than once.)
}}

==Explanation==
This is yet another of [[Randall]]'s [[:Category:Compromise|compromise comics]]. A few mathematicians argue as to whether to use pi, which is the ratio between a circle's circumference and its diameter, or tau, which is the ratio between a circle's circumference and its radius.

Some consider pi to be the wrong convention and are in favor of using tau as ''the'' circle constant; see the [http://tauday.com/tau-manifesto Tau Manifesto], which was inspired by the article "[http://www.math.utah.edu/~palais/pi.html Pi is wrong!]" by mathematician Robert Palais. Others consider proponents of tau to be foolish and remain loyal to pi (see the [http://www.thepimanifesto.com Pi Manifesto]). Of course, regardless of which convention is used, the change is merely in notation — the underlying mathematics remains unaltered. Still, the choice of pi vs. tau can affect the clarity of equations, analogies between different equations, and how easy various subjects are to teach.

Most people know π (pi) by the approximation 3.14, but do not know τ (tau) which, by definition, is twice as large as pi. Randall is suggesting using "pau", which is a {{w|portmanteau}} of "pi" and "tau", as a number situated, appropriately enough, halfway between pi and tau, i.e. 1.5 pi or 0.75 tau. But of course his number would be inconvenient, as this value does not naturally turn up when working with circles or other mathematical constructs, so there are no commonly used formulas that would use pau.

The title text claims that pau can be approximated by e+2, as both values are roughly 4.71 — a similarity that holds little since it requires another irrational constant, {{w|E (mathematical constant)|e}}. It also attributes the nickname "Devil's Ratio" to pau, due to the sequence {{w|Number of the Beast|666}} supposedly appearing four times in the first 200 digits of pau when expressed in the {{w|octal}} base. However, this is not the case, and was likely due to an error in the computer system used by WolframAlpha; for more details see below.

==Transcript==
:[On the left is a "forbidden"-style slashed circle with the π symbol, captioned "Pi". On the right is a "forbidden"-style slashed circle with 2π, captioned "Tau". Between these is 1.5π, captioned "Pau".]
:A compromise solution to the Pi/Tau dispute

==Math details==
Possibly, [[Randall]] used [http://www.wolframalpha.com/ Wolfram|Alpha] to calculate the result (he uses it a lot, for example [http://what-if.xkcd.com/70/ What-if 70: The Constant Groundskeeper] or [http://what-if.xkcd.com/62/ What-if 62: Falling With Helium]).
However, when the comic was published, there was a bug in Wolfram|Alpha so that, when getting 200 octal digits from "pau", it just calculates the decimal value rounded to 15 significant digits (this is 4.71238898038469) and expands that as octal digits as far as needed.

This gives a periodically repeating number. In the first 200 digits of the octal expansion, the sequences 666 and 6666 do occur, twice and once, respectively. There are 4 occurrences, however, in the first three hundred and ten (310 in base 8 equals 200 in base 10) digits:
<pre>
4.554574376314416445676661714336617116240444076666510533533077631151350452060436452476274022621206136310000177621674175071262255702044274154476005744176002676623042402346036604733130522524127534777714554305412763636566643022106616734723661726160312772574551366370203115523402704104015532221722772357666</pre>
Expansion that long indeed does contain 666 (the {{w|Number of the beast|number of the beast}}) four times (with one instance as 6666). It also contains 0000, 222, 444, and 7777, but they only appear once in a run.

In the first 500 digits of the actual octal expansion of pau, we also find that 6666 occurs once, and 666 occurs two other times:
<pre>
4.55457437631441644323623451447505012242547157301565031476335452700304316771261165505467475703133125234035147165764643331727311243102010764472707236245737216402204376521550655442201431161557425156344621363625174410110777026111560241174471252241762037163367420573533032164702576626667446275343255043345060027305171025475041452166612112500275317166412767657355633417212140135534536541060452450664011414377406267077573054507036064406511117752700327100355213521015136220621644573043264505244325316526666260</pre>
(Note that this contains 500 digits after the decimal point.) No other run of 3 or more repeated digits (e.g. 111) occurs as many times, although 1111 occurs once, 111 occurs once elsewhere, and 333 and 777 also occur once each. 9 other strings of 3 digits occur 4 times, namely 164, 362, 521, 644, 432, 730, 43, 216, and 450, and only 573 occurs more often, as it occurs 6 times. Therefore, if 6666 is counted as two occurrences of 666, it is actually the joint second most common string of three numbers in the first 500 digits.

{{w|Mathematical coincidence|Coincidentally}}, e+2 is also very similar to 1.5 pi, although only to a few digits.
<pre>
1.5π = 4.71238898038...
e+2 = 4.71828182845...
</pre>

==Trivia==
*For Pi the sequence '666' occurs for the first time at position 2440. Many more occurrences can be found here: [http://www.angio.net/pi/ The Pi-Search Page].
*Note that pau is Catalan for peace, which is a good solution for the pi/tau dispute.
*Also, note that "pau" is the portuguese word for "stick", as well as, in brazilian portuguese, a very common slang for "penis". This may add to the humour (although childishly) for portuguese-speaking readers, though it is fair to presume that it was not Randall's intention to do so.
*In the discussion it has been theorized that Randall used [[356: Nerd Sniping|Nerd Sniping]]. In which case he was aware of the mistake in Wolfram!
*For an entertaining introduction to the concept of tau, see this [https://www.khanacademy.org/math/recreational-math/vi-hart/pi-tau/v/pi-is--still--wrong Vi Hart video].
*In March 2018 the video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcPTiiiYDs8 How pi was almost 6.283185...] was released on why Pi could just as well have been Tau (6.28), since {{w|Leonhard Euler|Euler}}, who used the letter Pi in his books, used it for both what we call Pi and Tau today... This very comic is also briefly shown in a segment regarding the controversy about these two versions of "Pi".

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Compromise]]

Talk:1992: SafetySat

2018-05-28T08:30:26Z

162.158.92.118:

I was excited that I might be the first to give an explanation (because the comic was so late in being posted), but when it finally arrived, I had no way to interpret it. It was just a gigantic Γ shape (though with a rounded corner). Now that the real comic{{Citation needed}} has been posted, I find that I'm ''still'' not very qualified to explain it. (I can guess at some of the references, but not the important ones.) I guess my only constructive comment here is encouragement to have a section (trivia?) talking about the initial failed comic image. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.104|172.69.22.104]] 19:38, 11 May 2018 (UTC)
:There was a broken image a xkcd and uploaded by the BOT. It's now fixed at xkcd and here too. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:48, 11 May 2018 (UTC)

Someone should point out how much damage the "extends spikes in all directions" safety measure could do. And I note SpaceX scrubbed a satellite launch with 1 minute to go yesterday because of some anomaly. Maybe the impetus for this cartoon? [[User:Yngvadottir|Yngvadottir]] ([[User talk:Yngvadottir|talk]]) 20:23, 11 May 2018 (UTC)

I figured today's comic was in reference to this picosat launch from India, which was denied launch in the US for being below minimum size ("too hard to track if they go offline") & thus in violation of the requisite cubesat specs:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/aerospace/satellites/fcc-accuses-stealthy-startup-of-launching-rogue-satellites
Personally I'm in favor of these sub-cubesat launches; My concern is with liability, not safety, per-se.
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:47, 11 May 2018 (UTC)

:I would be concerned with safety as well, if not for the radar reflector ... seriously, this looks more like FCC wanting to destroy the company for being innovative than trying to ensure the visibility. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:01, 11 May 2018 (UTC)

::Agreed, I feel like it's less about the satellites themselves & more about vilifying anyone who doesn't adhere to an industry specification that is being given the weight of law. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 08:06, 14 May 2018 (UTC)

Considering that it says the solar panel was "found", I think that implies that perhaps it was stolen? Or just literally found on the side of the road. Either way, it seems kinda shady. [[User:Carrera|Carrera]] ([[User talk:Carrera|talk]]) 22:20, 11 May 2018 (UTC)
:"shady"! I see what you did there... [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 08:05, 14 May 2018 (UTC)

Are there any rules regarding solar panels on spacecraft? Seeing that Randall "found" it, I'm wondering if this would be a violation of any rules. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 23:41, 11 May 2018 (UTC)

What would happen to wet sand if put in a cubesat and then released? Water released into space boils and then desublimates into a cloud of ice crystals. But what would the temperature and pressure be as the cubesat was launched? Starting from wet sand at one atmosphere and whatever ambient temperature, would it cool down fast enough for the water to freeze before it was dispensed? (Release a gritty snowball.) If the dispenser is not kept at atmospheric pressure, would the water boil as the satellite was ascending to orbit? I wish Randall was still doing what-if. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.22|162.158.255.22]] 01:22, 12 May 2018 (UTC)
:I have no idea, but would imagine that water in sand would freeze the sand together into small clumps that could penetrate other satellites, rather than just evaporate. We must try this soon... (Kessler...) ;) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:40, 13 May 2018 (UTC)
::In our solar system the {{w|Frost line (astrophysics)|ice line}} is inside the asteroid belt beyond Mars. This means water in Earths orbit exposed to the vacuum and the sun will evaporate. And the heat from the Sun is even high enough to trigger this very fast. More far away - e.g. at Jupiter - that wet sand would freeze to a dirty snowball. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:32, 13 May 2018 (UTC)

> quality of the solar panel and the power it produces 
Quality of the power ? Isn't all solar power clean and green quality ? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebob]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 04:28, 12 May 2018 (UTC)
:Well a solar panel's efficiency depends on how well it's made, and what materials have been used to make it. Considering that it was just "found", it may not be efficient enough to actually run the satellite, or even work in a vacuum. Then again, it's not like the satellite does much other than point lasers and explode. [[User:Carrera|Carrera]] ([[User talk:Carrera|talk]]) 05:21, 12 May 2018 (UTC)

I am totally surprised that nobody either commented on or included a mention in the explanation of the obvious misnomer of the title of the comic! Doesn't anyone else think this cubesat is the opposite of a SafetySat in every way possible, which I think is the main joke of the comic? I would update the explanation accordingly, but I'm not sure where exactly this point should be made. Anyone else want to take a crack at it? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 21:59, 13 May 2018 (UTC)

:Well, it could be very useful in satellite design classes. "Here is how *NOT* to do it." Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.220|108.162.216.220]] 04:08, 14 May 2018 (UTC)

Shouldn't a link be made to comic http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1337:_Hack, about hacking satellites? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.154|162.158.134.154]] 11:38, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
:At the comic page scroll to the bottom and you will find this: [[:Category:Space probes]]. Shall we mention them all? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:03, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

Oh, again the good old americium. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 08:30, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

Talk:26: Fourier

2017-10-13T11:44:53Z

162.158.92.118:

Isn't the cat also imaginary because its Fourier transform isn't symmetric?

I feel like there's another joke in that his cat is "imaginary" or has complex components.

[[User:Shdwdrgn|Shdwdrgn]] ([[User talk:Shdwdrgn|talk]]) 06:33, 8 October 2014 (UTC)shdwdrgn

Might this also be a Garfield joke? Garfield's veterinarian is named Liz. Although Garfield, being roughly a three-dimensional ovoid, would probably end up with a much different looking Fourier transform than what is depicted here.

--[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.246|199.27.130.246]] 21:26, 9 October 2014 (UTC)

I think the transform may be of the movements of various parts of the cat. Cats tend to move their ears and heads a lot, and other parts, less so. What tipped me off is the spike at the tip of the tail. Cats typically twitch the very tip of their tail in a rhythmic fashion. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.192|108.162.216.192]] 21:52, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

Coincidentially, the Fourier transform of a cat was used in a 2003 paper on the so-called phase problem in protein crystallography (figure 3) to illustrate the relevance of phase and amplitude information. See http://journals.iucr.org/d/issues/2003/11/00/ba5050/index.html
and http://journals.iucr.org/d/issues/2003/11/00/ba5050/ba5050fig3.html

Talk:1847: Dubious Study

2017-06-13T08:18:34Z

162.158.92.118:

The name of the organisation is suggestive of legitimacy but rather vague. That would be a red flag for me. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.166|108.162.245.166]] 06:01, 7 June 2017 (UTC)

"downloaded bi-annually" is misleadingly close to "released bi-annually" --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 07:03, 7 June 2017 (UTC)
:but I would understand it as if the Journal was only downloaded twice within a year, i.e. only two people have downloaded (and maybe read) the Journal so far. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 08:24, 7 June 2017 (UTC)

The National Academy of Proceedings sounds more like a legal document collection than a scientific journal to me. [[User:Gjgfuj|TheSandromatic]] ([[User talk:Gjgfuj|talk]]) 07:21, 7 June 2017 (UTC)

Although biannual conventionally means twice a year, its conflation with biennial (once every two years) is quite common. It would not be unthinkable that this confusion was intentional. ~~108.162.246.71, 15:56, 7 June 2017 (UTC)
:I would only think the confusion was intentional if it was the other way around. If Randall had used "biennially", I could believe the idea was to let people think it was "biannual" - twice a year - but it's even more pathetic, only every two years. To fit in with the rest (letting people read "peer-viewed" as "peer-reviewed" for example) :) - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.64|108.162.219.64]] 03:23, 9 June 2017 (UTC) I finally signed up! This comment is mine. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:34, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

What size should the references be? 6 pixels is far too small. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.150|141.101.107.150]] 11:08, 8 June 2017 (UTC)
:When I saw it yesterday I could ALMOST read it, but I did end up having to zoom in. It's definitely bigger now, I say it's good now. It's bordering on too big for the gag. :) - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.64|108.162.219.64]] 03:23, 9 June 2017 (UTC) Also my comment! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:40, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1848: Glacial Erratic

2017-06-13T07:34:36Z

162.158.92.118:

Can 'Fuck glaciers' be a comment on the US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement?
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.106|162.158.222.106]] 06:57, 9 June 2017 (UTC)
Agreed!

Nooooooo, just some of US. The rest of us are trying to figure out how to withdraw from the US...Maybe a peaceful annexation by Canada for northern tier states
--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.40|108.162.216.40]] 14:58, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

I think Megan just hates the glacier for littering, not for abandoning a child. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.155|141.101.104.155]] 08:42, 9 June 2017 (UTC)
:Agree and removed the abandoning explanation. It makes no sense, as it is not a child of the glacier. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:25, 9 June 2017 (UTC)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Lane Louis Lane] was still alive and conducting when Superman: The Movie came out in 1978. That should probably be fixed.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.250|108.162.216.250]] 12:29, 9 June 2017 (UTC)

The fault-sealing scene is before Louis "dies" and thus before Superman turns back time. In the scene, he flies in the fault, pushing up the land to fill the crevice created by the splitting of the land.[[User:Hax|Hax]] ([[User talk:Hax|talk]]) 00:27, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

Assuming rock is 2000 kg per cubic meter and the one drawn is one meter high, then that boulder weighs 1000 kg, and we can see it moves, which goes to show that stick people are VERY strong! [[User:Rotan|Rotan]] ([[User talk:Rotan|talk]]) 09:35, 10 June 2017 (UTC)
:Like stick people, the rock is two-dimensional. Since mass only increases with the square of the linear dimension in 2D, the rock might still be movable by a single person. That said, the force generated by what must clearly be one-dimensional muscles is harder to predict. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.22|162.158.214.22]] 12:05, 12 June 2017 (UTC)
::"Give me a place to stand and with a lever (or stick figure, whatever) I will move the whole world!" - Randall Munroe, ca. 2017 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 07:33, 13 June 2017 (UTC)
In addition to Paris agreement, glaciars are also quite topical because a crack in the Larsen C ice shelf is weeks away from breaking off a huge piece of Antarctica. See: Patel, Jugal K. ''A Crack in an Antarctic Ice Shelf Is 8 Miles From Creating an Iceberg the Size of Delaware''. The New York Times. [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/09/climate/antarctica-rift-update.html nyti.ms/2s5jZ5V]. June 9, 2017. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 05:23, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Who cares if this is the first comic since xyz including swear words? If such a thing is considered trivia then it would be equally important to note that this is first comic since abc having 5 pictures. I removed that part. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:19, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1848: Glacial Erratic

2017-06-13T07:33:32Z

162.158.92.118:

Can 'Fuck glaciers' be a comment on the US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement?
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.106|162.158.222.106]] 06:57, 9 June 2017 (UTC)
Agreed!

Nooooooo, just some of US. The rest of us are trying to figure out how to withdraw from the US...Maybe a peaceful annexation by Canada for northern tier states
--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.40|108.162.216.40]] 14:58, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

I think Megan just hates the glacier for littering, not for abandoning a child. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.155|141.101.104.155]] 08:42, 9 June 2017 (UTC)
:Agree and removed the abandoning explanation. It makes no sense, as it is not a child of the glacier. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:25, 9 June 2017 (UTC)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Lane Louis Lane] was still alive and conducting when Superman: The Movie came out in 1978. That should probably be fixed.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.250|108.162.216.250]] 12:29, 9 June 2017 (UTC)

The fault-sealing scene is before Louis "dies" and thus before Superman turns back time. In the scene, he flies in the fault, pushing up the land to fill the crevice created by the splitting of the land.[[User:Hax|Hax]] ([[User talk:Hax|talk]]) 00:27, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

Assuming rock is 2000 kg per cubic meter and the one drawn is one meter high, then that boulder weighs 1000 kg, and we can see it moves, which goes to show that stick people are VERY strong! [[User:Rotan|Rotan]] ([[User talk:Rotan|talk]]) 09:35, 10 June 2017 (UTC)
:Like stick people, the rock is two-dimensional. Since mass only increases with the square of the linear dimension in 2D, the rock might still be movable by a single person. That said, the force generated by what must clearly be one-dimensional muscles is harder to predict. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.22|162.158.214.22]] 12:05, 12 June 2017 (UTC)
::"Give me a place to stand and with a lever (or stick figure, whatever) I will move the whole world!" - Randall Munrue, ca. 2017 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 07:33, 13 June 2017 (UTC)
In addition to Paris agreement, glaciars are also quite topical because a crack in the Larsen C ice shelf is weeks away from breaking off a huge piece of Antarctica. See: Patel, Jugal K. ''A Crack in an Antarctic Ice Shelf Is 8 Miles From Creating an Iceberg the Size of Delaware''. The New York Times. [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/09/climate/antarctica-rift-update.html nyti.ms/2s5jZ5V]. June 9, 2017. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 05:23, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Who cares if this is the first comic since xyz including swear words? If such a thing is considered trivia then it would be equally important to note that this is first comic since abc having 5 pictures. I removed that part. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:19, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1849: Decades

2017-06-13T07:28:06Z

162.158.92.118:

There seems to be a slightly tongue-in-cheek move to call the 2000's "the noughties" with the obvious implication of 'naughty'. Personally though I'm still waiting for everyone to stop saying "2000 and something, it very annoying! [[User:RoyT|RoyT]] ([[User talk:RoyT|talk]]) 14:38, 12 June 2017 (UTC)
:Some people I know use the term "double-o's" for the period 2001-2009. Perhaps inspired by 007. --[[User:Nialpxe|Nialpxe]], 2017. [[User_talk:Nialpxe|(Arguments welcome)]] 02:30, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Where would the descriptor "millennial" (adj) fit on this? I suggest that 00's fads be designated "millennial" and 10's fads be... forgotten.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.171|173.245.48.171]] 14:57, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Just a quick note to highlight the double "and" in the text: "(...) is ambiguous and and "aughts" (...)"
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.6.52|162.158.6.52]] 14:43, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Good eyes on the double 'and'. Perhaps the explanation needs a sections about other terms not mentioned here "teensies" "noughties" "tenies" etc. (and perhaps the Aughts aren't used due to cultural differences between Brits and Americans, the former more likely to call them the "Noughts"). Also I assume the title text refers to Randal's local variety radio. [[User:WamSam|WamSam]] ([[User talk:WamSam|talk]]) 15:07, 12 June 2017 (UTC)
: It's no phenomenom of English language. In Germany "80er, 90er und heute" is used quite frequently by several radio stations. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 06:48, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

I listen to a radio station that says "90s, 2K, and today." It's not the only time I've seen "2K" used for the first decade of the 2000s {{unsigned ip|162.158.62.75}}

2K might end up being the accepted form. It might morph into "the 2-10s," "the 2-20s," "the 2-30s," and so on. It differentiates the seperate centuries and is short enough to survive the endless grinding of popular culture. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.40|108.162.216.40]] 23:49, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

My local variety station has been says "80s, 90s and today" since the mid-90s, which was really odd for the 5 years or so that it was redundant. {{unsigned ip|172.68.78.28}}

Around here "the zeroes" is commonly used. {{unsigned ip|141.101.76.46}}

;Next Comic
<pre>
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS:
|< <PREV RANDOM NEXT> >|
|---------------------------| |----------------------------| |----------------------------| |----------------------------|
| Normal Company | | Stingy Company | | Bored Economist | | *crash* |
| | | | | | | |
| Is it worth it Let's | | Is cost- Let's do | | I built a Did you | | |
| to spend that do cost- | | Benefit Cost-Benefit | | machine to do do cost- | | No, why? YOU FOOL! |
| much on benefit | | analysis analysis to | | cost-benefit benefit | | YOU'VE |
| development? analysis | | worth it? see | | analysis analysis? | | DOOMED US ALL!!|
| / / | | / / | | / / | | / / |
| O 0 | | O 0 | | O 0 | | O 0 |
| /|\ /|\ | | /|\ /|\ | | /|\ /|\ | | /|\ /|\ |
| / \ / \ | | / \ / \ | | / \ / \ | | / \ / \ |
| | | | | | | *rumble* |
|---------------------------| |----------------------------| |----------------------------| |----------------------------|
</pre>
{{unsigned ip|173.245.50.102}}

:@173.245.50.102 Wait, what? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.163|162.158.154.163]] 06:23, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

What does Randall usually do when there is typo/grammatical error in a comic? Will he correct it and re-upload it, or just leave it?
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.149|172.68.58.149]] 23:02, 12 June 2017 (UTC)
:He'll often notice errors and upload corrected versions, though as of this comment he hasn't yet (nearly 3AM Eastern). Then that fact ends up as trivia here. For example, a few comics ago, the map of America with a word in each state, a paragraph saying how you can make maps like this show whatever you want, he had missed the line separating New Hampshire and Maine, and later the line was there. Same with text errors, a month or two ago was a comic saying "defeatest", then later "defeatist". [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:52, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Wouldn't we run into the same issue in 2020? Since contemporary radio stations are always naming the previous two decades (this formula seems to apply worldwide, it at least does in germany) we wouldn't be able to name them in 2020. "The best hits of the last two decades!"? "You're tuning in to DCKX 102.5! Where we play music - sometimes, duh!"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 07:28, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1847: Dubious Study

2017-06-07T08:24:56Z

162.158.92.118:

Talk:1830: ISS Solar Transit 2

2017-04-28T07:23:02Z

162.158.92.118:

Gees Randal, that's actually really dark.

Attempted explaining. It is not real, ... I hope {{[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.250|108.162.229.250]] 05:03, 28 April 2017 (UTC)}}

costs would be astronomical. I see what you did there and I approve. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 07:23, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones

2017-02-15T13:24:47Z

162.158.92.118: /* Table of countries and their timezones */

{{comic
| number = 1799
| date = February 15, 2017
| title = Bad Map Projection: Time Zones
| image = bad_map_projection_time_zones.png
| titletext = This is probably the first projection in cartographic history that can be criticized for its disproportionate focus on Finland, Mongolia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
}}
*A [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png double sized version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.
*Recent comics always have a larger (often the original) drawing using ''_2x'' added to the file name to indicate a different size. Modern browsers decide which resolution is shown. But at this comic the larger version is also clickable on the image. See much more details on this under the expanded explanation for the [[:Category:Large drawings|large drawings category]].

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|[[#Table of countries and their timezones|Table]] needs to be filled out for each country, both named and unnamed that are shown in the map with explanation of its timezone and why it looks as it does on the map. (Especially Russia, China and Greenland as well as those from title text needs explanation like that). Some of the info already given in the explanation could be moved to the table. Finally all labeled countries should be listed in the transcript as well.}}

This is the second comic in the series of [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]]. The first was released just over a month before this one and was called [[1784: Bad Map Projection: Liquid Resize]].

Notably, "Liquid Resize" was #107, while this comic features #79, so either [[Randall]] has put them in a new arbitrary order or he is counting down from least to most terrible.

Conceptually, the series is a comment on the fact that there is no perfect way to draw a map of the world on a flat piece of paper. Each one will introduce a different type of distortion, and the best projection for a given situation is sometimes very disputed. Randall previously explored 12 different projections in [[977: Map Projections]], and expressed his disdain for some types he sees as less efficient but whose users feel superior. None of them are really good as any 2D map projection will always distort in a way the spherical reality, and a map projection that is useful for one aspect (like navigation, geographical shapes and masses visualization, etc.) will not be so for all the others. Local maps of smaller areas can be quite accurate, but the idea of both these map projection comics is to map the entire globe on a flat surface.

Randall, being Randall, runs with the idea. Has made yet another map projection that is not only inaccurate, but utterly unusable, though less so than the previous one.

This comic shows a {{w|Map projection|map projection}} in which countries are placed according to the {{w|Time zone|time zones}} that they fall under. Based on the way the Sun shines on the Earth, these time zones, which are based on the sun's position in the sky, would best be divided by roughly longitudinal (North-to-South Pole) lines.

However, this is not the case in practice, as the defined time zones tend to have very jagged boundaries. Since [[Randall]] knows he cannot fix the boundaries of the time zones, he instead "fixes" the world by making a map appear to match up with the time zone system. This results in bizarre distortions such as the large, gum-like strands of Greenland and enormous gulfs in parts of northern Russia.

The effect of this map is "punish" large countries with a single time zone - for instance, China, which uses UTC+8 across the whole country - and countries that share large time zones - for instance, almost all of Europe is packed into the Central European UTC+1 zone - by shrinking these down. Conversely, countries that span multiple time zones are stretched out - for example, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as pointed out in the alt-text - as are those that belong to very small time zones - Finland and the Baltic states look huge because they are the only countries using the UTC+2 Eastern Europe time.

Other map projections distort countries this way as well, but based on their actual physical location as opposed to their position on imaginary time zones. The {{w|Mercator projection}} is infamous for distorting Greenland in this way, to the point that it appears to be larger than Africa despite being nowhere near the same size.

The title text lampoons the fact that the same phenomenon occurs on Randall's bad map projection, but for countries that do not tend to experience this on typical projections. Several smaller countries such as Finland, Mongolia, and the DRC, appear much larger than their actual size due to being stretched across time zone boundaries.

See the [[#Table of countries and their timezones|table]] below for lots more information on the comic, but here are some further details.

Some countries look especially odd. Greenland gets some jutting out points - these are the towns of {{w|Danmarkshavn}} (UTC) and {{w|Ittoqqortoormiit}} (UTC-1), which use different time zones to the rest of the island - while Russia gets big holes in it in places where there is a 2 hour time zone difference between states. For instance, in reality {{w|Komi}} and {{w|Khanty-Mansi}} touch each other. However, Komi uses Moscow time (UTC+3) and Khanty-Mansi uses Yekaterinburg Time (UTC+5). There is no state between them using UTC+4, so Randall draws a big gap in northern Russia here.

The map is imperfect since it doesn't allow for half-hour time zones (India, for instance, is on UTC+5.5). Instead, countries that use fractional time zones are shifted so they straddle the two time zones, and are then marked with an asterisk (*). There's also no mention of daylight savings - all countries shown are given the base winter time. Depending on the time of year, countries will shift around - around June, many northern hemisphere countries will move east, while some southern hemisphere countries will move east around December. Randall attempts to preserve adjacencies where possible - for instance, Chad and Sudan are neighbors even though Chad uses West Africa Time (UTC+1) and Sudan uses East Africa Time (UTC+3). Randall draws an extremely thin strand connecting the countries though Central/South Africa Time (UTC+2), even though no part of Chad or Sudan uses this time. Similarly, a thin strand of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan is shown projecting into the UTC+4 time zone in order to separate Russia and Iran, which do not really share a border.

Australia has most of these peculiar timezone as there is a section in the center of Australia with half hour time zone, so it's marked with the *, but it is not the entire country, so the * is not behind the name as it is for instance with India. also the only extra detail mentioned in the map is for Australia. It is the {{w|UTC%2B08:45|UTC+8:45}} time zone that are listed. It is used only by 5 roadhouses in South Australia and Western Australia covering a population of only a few hundred people.

There are several labeling errors in the map. See [[#Errors|below]].

==Table of countries and their timezones==
*This table should include all countries not just those labeled.
**Also continents should be mentioned as they are also more or less distorted not necessarily depending on the distortion of the countries within.
*The labels used should be noted first, and the full country name (with wiki link) should be mentioned if abbreviations has been used in a bracket after.
*Timezone(s) for the country should be listed.
*Clear distortion shown in the image should be described
*Explanation for that based on timezone as well as other interesting details can be noted.

{| class="wikitable"
! Country/Continent
! Timezone(s)
! Distortions
! Explanation
|-
| Add more - just several examples made so far: || || ||
|-
| BEL ({{w|Belarus}}) || UTC+3 || || Belarus lies entirely in the UTC+3 timezone yet the map depicts a small strip of land in the UTC+2 zone. This is most likely to allow for Belarus to have a common border with Poland even though the countries do not have two consecutive timezones (Poland uses UTC+1)
|-
| {{w|Europe}} (not labeled) || UTC+0 – UTC+3 || Compressed with the countries of central and western Europe pressed closer in east-west direction while eastern countries are stretched in all directions. ||
Portugal is the only country in mainland Europe which uses UTC+0 – that's why it sticks out a bit towards the British Isles which use UTC+0 as well. Iceland is here, too.

Most of Europe uses UTC+1 but these countries in reality spread over a much larger area than just one zone. This is why central and western countries are so compressed.

The eastern countries (except Belarus and the European part of Russia but not the Kaliningrad exclave) use UTC+2. These are: Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece. In reality, they occupy a smaller area on the map, but on Randall's map they are stretched to fill the UTC+2 zone strip.

Belarus, most of the European part of Russia and Crimea use UTC+3. See below for peculiarities regarding Russia and Ukraine.

Finland looks specifically distorted, partly because in reality it borders with Norway on the north, and Norway uses UTC+1. On Randall's map Norway is compressed into UTC+1 strip and Finland suddenly got some coast on Barents Sea. Poland (abbreviated ''POL.'' on the map) and Belarus (''BEL'') have common border but differ by two time zones, Poland uses UTC+1 but Belarus uses UTC+3 (Moscow time). Therefore on the map they have protruding 'tongues', touching one another, squeezed between Lithuania and Latvia on the north and Ukraine on the south.

Randall got Turkey a bit wrong, however: its European part is stretched into UTC+2 zone, but in reality Turkey uses UTC+3 on its whole territory.
|-
| {{w|Greenland}}|| UTC-4 – UTC+0 || Two landmasses strechted from the rest of the country || Greenland stretches from UTC-4 to UTC+0 with most of the country being UTC-3. UTC-4 is only applicable to Thule Air Base in the southern part of the Hayes-Peninsula, UTC-1 and UTC+0 is used in smaller areas on the east coast of Greenland. Even though UTC-2 is not used in Greenland at all, the country is depicted as a single landmass with two small strips of land connecting the UTC-1 and UTC+0 landmasses. These two strips should be considered infinitesimally thin but depicted to clarify the two areas are not separate islands but connected with the rest of Greenland.
|-
| {{w|Iceland}} || UTC+0 || No shape distortions, but different location. || Iceland, even if it geographically lies mostly within the UTC-1 tome zone, uses UTC+0. It is therefore moved east on Randall's map.
|-
| {{w|Russia}} || UTC+2 – UTC+12 || Three deep troughs almost cutting Russia into pieces, but not quite, also eastern parts stick out of proportion relative to Eastern Asian countries. ||
Russia has {{w|Time_in_Russia|a peculiar}} usage of time zones, therefore it is the most distorted country on Randall's map. It covers eleven time zones but uses them very unevenly. Each of {{w|Federal subjects of Russia|constituent entities of Russia}} uses a specific time zone throughout its territory, but the assignments are somewhat arbitrary.

* UTC+2 is used by {{w|Kaliningrad Oblast}} only, an {{w|exclave}} on Baltic see between {{w|Poland}} and {{w|Lithuania}}. On Randall's map it can be seen as a small green patch north-east of Poland.
* UTC+3 is used throughout most of the European part of Russia .
* UTC+4 is used in {{w|Udmurtia}}, {{w|Astrakhan Oblast}}, {{w|Samara Oblast}}, {{w|Saratov Oblast}} and {{w|Ulyanovsk Oblast}}
* UTC+5
* UTC+6

A thing of note is that Russian railways use Moscow time (UTC+3) exclusively, all timetables are expressed in this way.

|-
| UK ({{w|United Kingdom}}) || UTC+0 || None || The country is fully within the single time zone used for the country. UK defined the timezones so their time zone is by definition the one with UTC+0 (or GMT).
|-
| {{w|Ukraine}} || UTC+2 (UTC+3 in disputed regions) || Crimea stretched from the rest of the country || Since the {{w|annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation}}, the peninsula has used Moscow time (UTC+3). The sovereignty of Crimea is disputed, but it is currently ''de facto'' controlled by Russia, and Randall colors it like Russia. Two breakaway provinces in the east, Donetsk and Luhansk, also use Moscow time. These are not shown.
|-
| Copy this line and the line above and set in directly under another entry || || ||
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|All the names on the countries}}
:[This transcript will note everything readable from the 2x zoom version found by clicking the comic on xkcd.]

:[Caption at the top of the panel:]
:Bad map projection #79:
:<big>Time Zones</big>
:Where each country '''''should''''' be, based on its time zone(s)

:[Below the caption there is a map of the world divided and colored by political boundaries, with outlines around each continent in black and around each country in dark gray. Antarctica is not included. Bodies of water are white, and countries in pale shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The map is clearly distorted, with Europa and Africa in the center, but not all continents or countries looks wrong. Africa, Australia and North America seems least distorted. But the bottom part of of South America is very slim, Greenland has two chewing gum like blobs stretched away from it to the right, Iceland is over the UK, and most of Europe has been compressed. Finland though is too large. In Africa especially Dem. Rep. the Congo has been enlarged. The worst distortion is in Asia, where especially Russia looks weird with three deep troughs down the length of the country and the end to the right seems to be much longer than usually. But also China is completely wrong as it has been compressed, Mongolia taking up most of its usual position.]

:[Most countries over a certain size have their name listed in a gray font. Small countries like Ireland and Haiti has their name listed because it can be noted in the oceans around them. Most other countries have the name inside the country, but if there is not enough room abbreviation are used like Germany which has Ger. noted. There are though several small countries in the middle of Europa which has no name, as there are simply not enough space for even an abbreviation. This is countries like Belgium, The Netherlands and Denmark a long the coast towards England (with not enough Ocean space either for the name) and the small central countries like Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg. There are also a few specialties mentioned when time zones are not divided in full hours, for instance a foot note regarding half hour time zones. Below all the mentioned countries will be listed starting from the left, going through each (political) continent from top left and down, and the same for each country in the continent:]

:[North America:]
:Canada
:United States
:Mexico
:Cuba
:Haiti
:Jam.
:D.R

:[Central America:]
:Gua.
:Hon.
:Nic.
:CR.
:Pan.

:[South America:]
:Columbia
:...
:
:Argentina

:[Europa:]
:Greenland
:Iceland
:Ireland
:UK
:Norway
:...
:
:
:Bulgaria

:[Africa:]
:W.S.
:Algeria
:Tunis
:...
:
:
:
:South Africa
:Madagascar

:[Asia:]
:Russia
:
:
:...
:Iran*
:Afghanistan*
:...
:
:...
:Russia
:...
:
:...
:India*
:Nepal*
:...
:Bur*
:...
:
:
:...
:China
:N.K*
:S.K.
:Japan

:[Oceania:]
:Malaysia
:Indonesia
:Philippines
:Papua New Guinea

:[Australia. In the country there is a star * in the middle of it above the name:]
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>
:Australia
:New Zealand

:[Below Australia there is an arrow pointing to a pointing the south cost and below that a foot note for the stars * used above:]
:UTC +8:45
:(One small area)
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>=Half-hour offset

===Errors===
* Randall mixes up Morocco and Western Sahara (a disputed territory)
* {{w|East Thrace}}, the European portion of Turkey, is shown in Eastern European time (UTC+2). Actually, like the rest of Turkey, it uses UTC+3
* Suriname and French Guiana also have switched labels.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]

1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones

2017-02-15T13:24:15Z

162.158.92.118: /* Table of countries and their timezones */

{{comic
| number = 1799
| date = February 15, 2017
| title = Bad Map Projection: Time Zones
| image = bad_map_projection_time_zones.png
| titletext = This is probably the first projection in cartographic history that can be criticized for its disproportionate focus on Finland, Mongolia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
}}
*A [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png double sized version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.
*Recent comics always have a larger (often the original) drawing using ''_2x'' added to the file name to indicate a different size. Modern browsers decide which resolution is shown. But at this comic the larger version is also clickable on the image. See much more details on this under the expanded explanation for the [[:Category:Large drawings|large drawings category]].

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|[[#Table of countries and their timezones|Table]] needs to be filled out for each country, both named and unnamed that are shown in the map with explanation of its timezone and why it looks as it does on the map. (Especially Russia, China and Greenland as well as those from title text needs explanation like that). Some of the info already given in the explanation could be moved to the table. Finally all labeled countries should be listed in the transcript as well.}}

This is the second comic in the series of [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]]. The first was released just over a month before this one and was called [[1784: Bad Map Projection: Liquid Resize]].

Notably, "Liquid Resize" was #107, while this comic features #79, so either [[Randall]] has put them in a new arbitrary order or he is counting down from least to most terrible.

Conceptually, the series is a comment on the fact that there is no perfect way to draw a map of the world on a flat piece of paper. Each one will introduce a different type of distortion, and the best projection for a given situation is sometimes very disputed. Randall previously explored 12 different projections in [[977: Map Projections]], and expressed his disdain for some types he sees as less efficient but whose users feel superior. None of them are really good as any 2D map projection will always distort in a way the spherical reality, and a map projection that is useful for one aspect (like navigation, geographical shapes and masses visualization, etc.) will not be so for all the others. Local maps of smaller areas can be quite accurate, but the idea of both these map projection comics is to map the entire globe on a flat surface.

Randall, being Randall, runs with the idea. Has made yet another map projection that is not only inaccurate, but utterly unusable, though less so than the previous one.

This comic shows a {{w|Map projection|map projection}} in which countries are placed according to the {{w|Time zone|time zones}} that they fall under. Based on the way the Sun shines on the Earth, these time zones, which are based on the sun's position in the sky, would best be divided by roughly longitudinal (North-to-South Pole) lines.

However, this is not the case in practice, as the defined time zones tend to have very jagged boundaries. Since [[Randall]] knows he cannot fix the boundaries of the time zones, he instead "fixes" the world by making a map appear to match up with the time zone system. This results in bizarre distortions such as the large, gum-like strands of Greenland and enormous gulfs in parts of northern Russia.

The effect of this map is "punish" large countries with a single time zone - for instance, China, which uses UTC+8 across the whole country - and countries that share large time zones - for instance, almost all of Europe is packed into the Central European UTC+1 zone - by shrinking these down. Conversely, countries that span multiple time zones are stretched out - for example, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as pointed out in the alt-text - as are those that belong to very small time zones - Finland and the Baltic states look huge because they are the only countries using the UTC+2 Eastern Europe time.

Other map projections distort countries this way as well, but based on their actual physical location as opposed to their position on imaginary time zones. The {{w|Mercator projection}} is infamous for distorting Greenland in this way, to the point that it appears to be larger than Africa despite being nowhere near the same size.

The title text lampoons the fact that the same phenomenon occurs on Randall's bad map projection, but for countries that do not tend to experience this on typical projections. Several smaller countries such as Finland, Mongolia, and the DRC, appear much larger than their actual size due to being stretched across time zone boundaries.

See the [[#Table of countries and their timezones|table]] below for lots more information on the comic, but here are some further details.

Some countries look especially odd. Greenland gets some jutting out points - these are the towns of {{w|Danmarkshavn}} (UTC) and {{w|Ittoqqortoormiit}} (UTC-1), which use different time zones to the rest of the island - while Russia gets big holes in it in places where there is a 2 hour time zone difference between states. For instance, in reality {{w|Komi}} and {{w|Khanty-Mansi}} touch each other. However, Komi uses Moscow time (UTC+3) and Khanty-Mansi uses Yekaterinburg Time (UTC+5). There is no state between them using UTC+4, so Randall draws a big gap in northern Russia here.

The map is imperfect since it doesn't allow for half-hour time zones (India, for instance, is on UTC+5.5). Instead, countries that use fractional time zones are shifted so they straddle the two time zones, and are then marked with an asterisk (*). There's also no mention of daylight savings - all countries shown are given the base winter time. Depending on the time of year, countries will shift around - around June, many northern hemisphere countries will move east, while some southern hemisphere countries will move east around December. Randall attempts to preserve adjacencies where possible - for instance, Chad and Sudan are neighbors even though Chad uses West Africa Time (UTC+1) and Sudan uses East Africa Time (UTC+3). Randall draws an extremely thin strand connecting the countries though Central/South Africa Time (UTC+2), even though no part of Chad or Sudan uses this time. Similarly, a thin strand of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan is shown projecting into the UTC+4 time zone in order to separate Russia and Iran, which do not really share a border.

Australia has most of these peculiar timezone as there is a section in the center of Australia with half hour time zone, so it's marked with the *, but it is not the entire country, so the * is not behind the name as it is for instance with India. also the only extra detail mentioned in the map is for Australia. It is the {{w|UTC%2B08:45|UTC+8:45}} time zone that are listed. It is used only by 5 roadhouses in South Australia and Western Australia covering a population of only a few hundred people.

There are several labeling errors in the map. See [[#Errors|below]].

==Table of countries and their timezones==
*This table should include all countries not just those labeled.
**Also continents should be mentioned as they are also more or less distorted not necessarily depending on the distortion of the countries within.
*The labels used should be noted first, and the full country name (with wiki link) should be mentioned if abbreviations has been used in a bracket after.
*Timezone(s) for the country should be listed.
*Clear distortion shown in the image should be described
*Explanation for that based on timezone as well as other interesting details can be noted.

{| class="wikitable"
! Country/Continent
! Timezone(s)
! Distortions
! Explanation
|-
| Add more - just several examples made so far: || || ||
|-
| BEL ({{w|Belarus}} || UTC+3 || || Belarus lies entirely in the UTC+3 timezone yet the map depicts a small strip of land in the UTC+2 zone. This is most likely to allow for Belarus to have a common border with Poland even though the countries do not have two consecutive timezones (Poland uses UTC+1)
|-
| {{w|Europe}} (not labeled) || UTC+0 – UTC+3 || Compressed with the countries of central and western Europe pressed closer in east-west direction while eastern countries are stretched in all directions. ||
Portugal is the only country in mainland Europe which uses UTC+0 – that's why it sticks out a bit towards the British Isles which use UTC+0 as well. Iceland is here, too.

Most of Europe uses UTC+1 but these countries in reality spread over a much larger area than just one zone. This is why central and western countries are so compressed.

The eastern countries (except Belarus and the European part of Russia but not the Kaliningrad exclave) use UTC+2. These are: Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece. In reality, they occupy a smaller area on the map, but on Randall's map they are stretched to fill the UTC+2 zone strip.

Belarus, most of the European part of Russia and Crimea use UTC+3. See below for peculiarities regarding Russia and Ukraine.

Finland looks specifically distorted, partly because in reality it borders with Norway on the north, and Norway uses UTC+1. On Randall's map Norway is compressed into UTC+1 strip and Finland suddenly got some coast on Barents Sea. Poland (abbreviated ''POL.'' on the map) and Belarus (''BEL'') have common border but differ by two time zones, Poland uses UTC+1 but Belarus uses UTC+3 (Moscow time). Therefore on the map they have protruding 'tongues', touching one another, squeezed between Lithuania and Latvia on the north and Ukraine on the south.

Randall got Turkey a bit wrong, however: its European part is stretched into UTC+2 zone, but in reality Turkey uses UTC+3 on its whole territory.
|-
| {{w|Greenland}}|| UTC-4 – UTC+0 || Two landmasses strechted from the rest of the country || Greenland stretches from UTC-4 to UTC+0 with most of the country being UTC-3. UTC-4 is only applicable to Thule Air Base in the southern part of the Hayes-Peninsula, UTC-1 and UTC+0 is used in smaller areas on the east coast of Greenland. Even though UTC-2 is not used in Greenland at all, the country is depicted as a single landmass with two small strips of land connecting the UTC-1 and UTC+0 landmasses. These two strips should be considered infinitesimally thin but depicted to clarify the two areas are not separate islands but connected with the rest of Greenland.
|-
| {{w|Iceland}} || UTC+0 || No shape distortions, but different location. || Iceland, even if it geographically lies mostly within the UTC-1 tome zone, uses UTC+0. It is therefore moved east on Randall's map.
|-
| {{w|Russia}} || UTC+2 – UTC+12 || Three deep troughs almost cutting Russia into pieces, but not quite, also eastern parts stick out of proportion relative to Eastern Asian countries. ||
Russia has {{w|Time_in_Russia|a peculiar}} usage of time zones, therefore it is the most distorted country on Randall's map. It covers eleven time zones but uses them very unevenly. Each of {{w|Federal subjects of Russia|constituent entities of Russia}} uses a specific time zone throughout its territory, but the assignments are somewhat arbitrary.

* UTC+2 is used by {{w|Kaliningrad Oblast}} only, an {{w|exclave}} on Baltic see between {{w|Poland}} and {{w|Lithuania}}. On Randall's map it can be seen as a small green patch north-east of Poland.
* UTC+3 is used throughout most of the European part of Russia .
* UTC+4 is used in {{w|Udmurtia}}, {{w|Astrakhan Oblast}}, {{w|Samara Oblast}}, {{w|Saratov Oblast}} and {{w|Ulyanovsk Oblast}}
* UTC+5
* UTC+6

A thing of note is that Russian railways use Moscow time (UTC+3) exclusively, all timetables are expressed in this way.

|-
| UK ({{w|United Kingdom}}) || UTC+0 || None || The country is fully within the single time zone used for the country. UK defined the timezones so their time zone is by definition the one with UTC+0 (or GMT).
|-
| {{w|Ukraine}} || UTC+2 (UTC+3 in disputed regions) || Crimea stretched from the rest of the country || Since the {{w|annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation}}, the peninsula has used Moscow time (UTC+3). The sovereignty of Crimea is disputed, but it is currently ''de facto'' controlled by Russia, and Randall colors it like Russia. Two breakaway provinces in the east, Donetsk and Luhansk, also use Moscow time. These are not shown.
|-
| Copy this line and the line above and set in directly under another entry || || ||
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|All the names on the countries}}
:[This transcript will note everything readable from the 2x zoom version found by clicking the comic on xkcd.]

:[Caption at the top of the panel:]
:Bad map projection #79:
:<big>Time Zones</big>
:Where each country '''''should''''' be, based on its time zone(s)

:[Below the caption there is a map of the world divided and colored by political boundaries, with outlines around each continent in black and around each country in dark gray. Antarctica is not included. Bodies of water are white, and countries in pale shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The map is clearly distorted, with Europa and Africa in the center, but not all continents or countries looks wrong. Africa, Australia and North America seems least distorted. But the bottom part of of South America is very slim, Greenland has two chewing gum like blobs stretched away from it to the right, Iceland is over the UK, and most of Europe has been compressed. Finland though is too large. In Africa especially Dem. Rep. the Congo has been enlarged. The worst distortion is in Asia, where especially Russia looks weird with three deep troughs down the length of the country and the end to the right seems to be much longer than usually. But also China is completely wrong as it has been compressed, Mongolia taking up most of its usual position.]

:[Most countries over a certain size have their name listed in a gray font. Small countries like Ireland and Haiti has their name listed because it can be noted in the oceans around them. Most other countries have the name inside the country, but if there is not enough room abbreviation are used like Germany which has Ger. noted. There are though several small countries in the middle of Europa which has no name, as there are simply not enough space for even an abbreviation. This is countries like Belgium, The Netherlands and Denmark a long the coast towards England (with not enough Ocean space either for the name) and the small central countries like Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg. There are also a few specialties mentioned when time zones are not divided in full hours, for instance a foot note regarding half hour time zones. Below all the mentioned countries will be listed starting from the left, going through each (political) continent from top left and down, and the same for each country in the continent:]

:[North America:]
:Canada
:United States
:Mexico
:Cuba
:Haiti
:Jam.
:D.R

:[Central America:]
:Gua.
:Hon.
:Nic.
:CR.
:Pan.

:[South America:]
:Columbia
:...
:
:Argentina

:[Europa:]
:Greenland
:Iceland
:Ireland
:UK
:Norway
:...
:
:
:Bulgaria

:[Africa:]
:W.S.
:Algeria
:Tunis
:...
:
:
:
:South Africa
:Madagascar

:[Asia:]
:Russia
:
:
:...
:Iran*
:Afghanistan*
:...
:
:...
:Russia
:...
:
:...
:India*
:Nepal*
:...
:Bur*
:...
:
:
:...
:China
:N.K*
:S.K.
:Japan

:[Oceania:]
:Malaysia
:Indonesia
:Philippines
:Papua New Guinea

:[Australia. In the country there is a star * in the middle of it above the name:]
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>
:Australia
:New Zealand

:[Below Australia there is an arrow pointing to a pointing the south cost and below that a foot note for the stars * used above:]
:UTC +8:45
:(One small area)
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>=Half-hour offset

===Errors===
* Randall mixes up Morocco and Western Sahara (a disputed territory)
* {{w|East Thrace}}, the European portion of Turkey, is shown in Eastern European time (UTC+2). Actually, like the rest of Turkey, it uses UTC+3
* Suriname and French Guiana also have switched labels.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]

Talk:1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones

2017-02-15T12:42:28Z

162.158.92.118:

"Screw Hawaii and the rest of the Pacific!" [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 04:56, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

It is actually way less distorting than I expected [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.239|141.101.104.239]] 06:38, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Aahhhh, why are Suriname and French Guiana switched? They have the same timezone ... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.22|162.158.150.22]] 06:52, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Can anyone explain why Russia has all the hills and valleys? East-west distortion I understand, but what is the reason for the north-south distortion? [[User:Nonnal|Nonnal]] ([[User talk:Nonnal|talk]]) 07:06, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

:I actually know this one - Russia has 11 timezones, but some of these form "islands" in the South of the country. From West to East, the North has: (+2 Kaliningrad), +3, +5, +7,+9, +10, +11, +12. Going West to East through the South adds back in +4 (Samara), +6 (Omsk), and +8 (Irkutsk), each corresponding to one of the "dips" in the projection. [[User:Atmarsden95|Atmarsden95]] ([[User talk:Atmarsden95|talk]]) 07:15, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Why is Morocco labeled as U.S. and the Sahrawi Republic as Morocco? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.88|141.101.88.88]] 07:24, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:That actually says "W.S", for Western Sahara, but either way I can't see a good reason for the inversion. Both are on UTC+0, and Morocco is on UTC+1 in summer, while WS doesn't use DST, apparently... So even if that was being taken into account, the countries are STILL the wrong way around. Possibly, this is related to the French Guiana/Suriname inversion. [[User:Atmarsden95|Atmarsden95]] ([[User talk:Atmarsden95|talk]]) 07:55, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

:And Western Sahara is the name used for the disputed area south of Marocco by the United Nations. The Sahrawi Republic have only limited recognition and does not control all of the disputed area. [[User:Pmakholm|Pmakholm]] ([[User talk:Pmakholm|talk]]) 07:59, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::The switch is just a mistake, maybe caused by a map not depicting Western Sahara.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 09:06, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

It would be cool to see countries moving in and out of Daylight saving time. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.69|141.101.69.69]] 07:56, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: I'd like that, too. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:42, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Why did he use 6 colors? And do the colors code for something? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.58|162.158.202.58]] 08:06, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: I think it's just for easier depiction without any further meaning. It's like in 850, I think... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:42, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Should we replace the comic image with a bigger version? I've already uploaded the image: http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png [[User:SirKitKat|sirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 09:02, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Should we compile a table of oddities in the map?--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 09:07, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: I think yes. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 09:12, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

So am I getting this correct? The map is made to be divided into timezones with perfect vertical borders and the countries are then distorted to fit perfectly within their timezones? Shouldn't Greenland then be "split" since it spreads from UTC-3 to UTC but is not actually using UTC-2? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 10:41, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: Yes. But actually there should be connections since these parrts of Greenland are no separate landmasses. But the connections should be infinitesimally thin (but not of thickness 0) to be accurate. However the style these connection are made imply that they're just connection and no actual landmasses, I think... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:59, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:: I have added Greenland to the table, please feel free to provide a more coherent wording if necessary, english is not my native language :) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 12:42, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Only for understanding to the image sizes: The image tag uses the ''srcset'' feature and the browser decides if ''bad_map_projection_time_zones.png'' or ''bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png'' is shown. At this comic there is also a link to the large version. But the ''srcset'' feature is not new at this comic. Look at the source:
<pre>
<a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png">
<img src="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones.png"
title="This is probably the first projection in cartographic history that can be criticized for its disproportionate focus on Finland, Mongolia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo."
alt="Bad Map Projection: Time Zones"
srcset="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png 2x"/>
</a>
</pre>
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:21, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

== Transcript TLDR; ==

I have started a discussion on this topic here: [[User_talk:Kynde#Transcript_TLDR.3B]]. I think I'm not the only one who wants the transcript to be short and only describing the essentials. Maybe we can define a Transcript-Guide.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:55, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones

2017-02-15T12:18:24Z

162.158.92.118: /* Table of countries and their timezones */

{{comic
| number = 1799
| date = February 15, 2017
| title = Bad Map Projection: Time Zones
| image = bad_map_projection_time_zones.png
| titletext = This is probably the first projection in cartographic history that can be criticized for its disproportionate focus on Finland, Mongolia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
}}
*A [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png double sized version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.
*Recent comics always have a larger (often the original) drawing using ''_2x'' added to the file name to indicate a different size. Modern browsers decide witch resolution is shown. But at this comic the larger version is also clickable on the image. See much more details on this under the expanded explanation for the [[:Category:Large drawings|large drawings category]].

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|[[#Table of countries and their timezones|Table]] needs to be filled out for each country, both named and unnamed that are shown in the map with explanation of its timezone and why it looks as it does on the map. (Especially Russia, China and Greenland as well as those from title text needs explanation like that). Some of the info already given in the explanation could be moved to the table. Finally all labeled countries should be listed in the transcript as well.}}

This is the second comic in the series of [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]]. The first was released just over a month before this one and was called [[1784: Bad Map Projection: Liquid Resize]].

Notably, "Liquid Resize" was #107, while this comic features #79, so either [[Randall]] has put them in a new arbitrary order or he is counting down from least to most terrible.

Conceptually, the series is a comment on the fact that there is no perfect way to draw a map of the world on a flat piece of paper. Each one will introduce a different type of distortion, and the best projection for a given situation is sometimes very disputed. Randall previously explored 12 different projections in [[977: Map Projections]], and expressed his disdain for some types he sees as less efficient but whose users feel superior. None of them are really good as any 2D map projection will always distort in a way the spherical reality, and a map projection that is useful for one aspect (like navigation, geographical shapes and masses visualization, etc.) will not be so for all the others. Local maps of smaller areas can be quite accurate, but the idea of both these map projection comics is to map the entire globe on a flat surface.

Randall, being Randall, runs with the idea. Has made yet another map projection that is not only inaccurate, but utterly unusable, though less so than the previous one.

This comic shows a {{w|Map projection|map projection}} in which countries are placed according to the {{w|Time zone|time zones}} that they fall under. Based on the way the Sun shines on the Earth, these time zones, which are based on the sun's position in the sky, would best be divided by roughly longitudinal (North-to-South Pole) lines.

However, this is not the case in practice, as the defined time zones tend to have very jagged boundaries. Since [[Randall]] knows he cannot fix the boundaries of the time zones, he instead "fixes" the world by making a map appear to match up with the time zone system. This results in bizarre distortions such as the large, gum-like strands of Greenland and enormous gulfs in parts of northern Russia.

The effect of this map is "punish" large countries with a single time zone - for instance, China, which uses UTC+8 across the whole country - and countries that share large time zones - for instance, almost all of Europe is packed into the Central European UTC+1 zone - by shrinking these down. Conversely, countries that span multiple time zones are stretched out - for example, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as pointed out in the alt-text - as are those that belong to very small time zones - Finland and the Baltic states look huge because they are the only countries using the UTC+2 Eastern Europe time.

Other map projections distort countries this way as well, but based on their actual physical location as opposed to their position on imaginary time zones. The {{w|Mercator projection}} is infamous for distorting Greenland in this way, to the point that it appears to be larger than Africa despite being nowhere near the same size.

The title text lampoons the fact that the same phenomenon occurs on Randall's bad map projection, but for countries that do not tend to experience this on typical projections. Several smaller countries such as Finland, Mongolia, and the DRC, appear much larger than their actual size due to being stretched across time zone boundaries.

See the [[#Table of countries and their timezones|table]] below for lots more information on the comic, but here are some further details.

Some countries look especially odd. Greenland gets some jutting out points - these are the towns of {{w|Danmarkshavn}} (UTC) and {{w|Ittoqqortoormiit}} (UTC-1), which use different time zones to the rest of the island - while Russia gets big holes in it in places where there is a 2 hour time zone difference between states. For instance, in reality {{w|Komi}} and {{w|Khanty-Mansi}} touch each other. However, Komi uses Moscow time (UTC+3) and Khanty-Mansi uses Yekaterinburg Time (UTC+5). There is no state between them using UTC+4, so Randall draws a big gap in northern Russia here.

The map is imperfect since it doesn't allow for half-hour time zones (India, for instance, is on UTC+5.5). Instead, countries that use fractional time zones are shifted so they straddle the two time zones, and are then marked with an asterisk (*). There's also no mention of daylight savings - all countries shown are given the base winter time. Depending on the time of year, countries will shift around - around June, many northern hemisphere countries will move east, while some southern hemisphere countries will move east around December. Randall attempts to preserve adjacencies where possible - for instance, Chad and Sudan are neighbors even though Chad uses West Africa Time (UTC+1) and Sudan uses East Africa Time (UTC+3). Randall draws an extremely thin strand connecting the countries though Central/South Africa Time (UTC+2), even though no part of Chad or Sudan uses this time. Similarly, a thin strand of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan is shown projecting into the UTC+4 time zone in order to separate Russia and Iran, which do not really share a border.

Australia has most of these peculiar timezone as there is a section in the center of Australia with half hour time zone, so it's marked with the *, but it is not the entire country, so the * is not behind the name as it is for instance with India. also the only extra detail mentioned in the map is for Australia. It is the {{w|UTC%2B08:45|UTC+8:45}} time zone that are listed. It is used only by 5 roadhouses in South Australia and Western Australia covering a population of only a few hundred people.

There are several labeling errors in the map. See [[#Errors|below]].

==Table of countries and their timezones==
*This table should include all countries not just those labeled.
**Also continents should be mentioned as they are also more or less distorted not necessarily depending on the distortion of the countries within.
*The labels used should be noted first, and the full country name (with wiki link) should be mentioned if abbreviations has been used in a bracket after.
*Timezone(s) for the country should be listed.
*Clear distortion shown in the image should be described
*Explanation for that based on timezone as well as other interesting details can be noted.

{| class="wikitable"
! Country/Continent
! Timezone(s)
! Distortions
! Explanation
|-
| Add more - just several examples made so far: || || ||
|-
| {{w|Europe}} (not labeled) || UTC+0 – UTC+2 (?) || Compressed with the countries of mainland Europe pressed closer from both sides || Most of Europe uses UTC+1 but these countries in reality spread over a much larger area than just one zone. This is why central and western states are so compressed. Portugal is the only country in mainland Europe which uses UTC+0 - that's why it sticks out a bit towards the British Isles strip. The eastern countries (except Belarus and the European part of Russia but not the Kaliningrad enclave) use UTC+2. These are: Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Greece. In reality, they occupy a smaller area on the map, but on Randall's map they are stretched to fill the UTC+2 zone strip. Finland looks specifically distorted, partly because in reality it borders with Norway on the north, and Norway uses UTC+1. On Randall's map Norway is compressed into UTC+1 strip and Finland suddenly got some coast on Barents Sea. Poland (abbreviated ''POL.'' on the map) and Belarus (''BEL'') have common border but differ by two time zones, Poland using UTC+1 and Belarus UTC+3 (Moscow time). Therefore on the map they have protruding 'tongues', touching one another, squeezed between Lithuania and Latvia on the north and Ukraine on the south.

Randall got Turkey a bit wrong, however: it's European part is stretched into UTC+2 zone, but in reality Turkey uses UTC+3 on its whole territory.
|-
| UK ({{w|United Kingdom}}) || UTC+0 || None || The country is fully within the single time zone used for the country. UK defined the timezones so their time zone is by definition the one with UTC+0 (or GMT).
|-
| {{w|Russia}} || UTC+2 – UTC+12 || Three deep troughs almost cutting Russia in pieces, but not quite, also much longer at the normal|| Russia covers several timezones but also uses several, and should thus stay as large as normal. However, there are regions where it is only the southern parts of Russia that used a specific time zone, and two other regions above have a border whit two hours difference. This seems to occur three times explaining the troughs. (More on this and the length to the east needed)
|-
| {{w|Ukraine}} || UTC+2 (UTC+3 in disputed regions) || Crimea stretched from the rest of the country || Since the {{w|annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation}}, the peninsula has used Moscow time (UTC+3). The sovereignty of Crimea is disputed, but it is currently ''de facto'' controlled by Russia, and Randall colors it like Russia. Two breakaway provinces in the east, Donetsk and Luhansk, also use Moscow time. These are not shown.
|-
| {{w|Greenland}}|| UTC-4 – UTC+0 || Two landmasses strechted from the rest of the country || Greenland stretches from UTC-4 to UTC+0 with most of the country being UTC-3. UTC-4 is only applicable to Thule Air Base in the southern part of the Hayes-Peninsula, UTC-1 and UTC+0 is used in smaller areas on the east coast of Greenland. Even though UTC-2 is not used in Greenland at all, the country is depicted as a single landmass with two small strips of land connecting the UTC-1 and UTC+0 landmasses. These two strips should be considered infinitesimally thin but depicted to clarify the two areas are not separate islands but connected with the rest of Greenland.
|-
| Copy this line and the line above and set in directly under another entry || || ||
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|All the names on the countries}}
:[This transcript will note everything readable from the 2x zoom version found by clicking the comic on xkcd.]

:[Caption at the top of the panel:]
:Bad map projection #79:
:<big>Time Zones</big>
:Where each country '''''should''''' be, based on its time zone(s)

:[Below the caption there is a map of the world divided and colored by political boundaries, with outlines around each continent in black and around each country in dark gray. Antarctica is not included. Bodies of water are white, and countries in pale shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The map is clearly distorted, with Europa and Africa in the center, but not all continents or countries looks wrong. Africa, Australia and North America seems least distorted. But the bottom part of of South America is very slim, Greenland has two chewing gum like blobs stretched away from it to the right, Iceland is over the UK, and most of Europe has been compressed. Finland though is too large. In Africa especially Dem. Rep. the Congo has been enlarged. The worst distortion is in Asia, where especially Russia looks weird with three deep troughs down the length of the country and the end to the right seems to be much longer than usually. But also China is completely wrong as it has been compressed, Mongolia taking up most of its usual position.]

:[Most countries over a certain size have their name listed in a gray font. Small countries like Ireland and Haiti has their name listed because it can be noted in the oceans around them. Most other countries have the name inside the country, but if there is not enough room abbreviation are used like Germany which has Ger. noted. There are though several small countries in the middle of Europa which has no name, as there are simply not enough space for even an abbreviation. This is countries like Belgium, The Netherlands and Denmark a long the coast towards England (with not enough Ocean space either for the name) and the small central countries like Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg. There are also a few specialties mentioned when time zones are not divided in full hours, for instance a foot note regarding half hour time zones. Below all the mentioned countries will be listed starting from the left, going through each (political) continent from top left and down, and the same for each country in the continent:]

:[North America:]
:Canada
:United States
:Mexico
:Cuba
:Haiti
:Jam.
:D.R

:[Central America:]
:Gua.
:Hon.
:Nic.
:CR.
:Pan.

:[South America:]
:Columbia
:...
:
:Argentina

:[Europa:]
:Greenland
:Iceland
:Ireland
:UK
:Norway
:...
:
:
:Bulgaria

:[Africa:]
:W.S.
:Algeria
:Tunis
:...
:
:
:
:South Africa
:Madagascar

:[Asia:]
:Russia
:
:
:...
:Iran*
:Afghanistan*
:...
:
:...
:Russia
:...
:
:...
:India*
:Nepal*
:...
:Bur*
:...
:
:
:...
:China
:N.K*
:S.K.
:Japan

:[Oceania:]
:Malaysia
:Indonesia
:Philippines
:Papua New Guinea

:[Australia. In the country there is a star * in the middle of it above the name:]
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>
:Australia
:New Zealand

:[Below Australia there is an arrow pointing to a pointing the south cost and below that a foot note for the stars * used above:]
:UTC +8:45
:(One small area)
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>=Half-hour offset

===Errors===
* Randall mixes up Morocco and Western Sahara (a disputed territory)
* {{w|East Thrace}}, the European portion of Turkey, is shown in Eastern European time (UTC+2). Actually, like the rest of Turkey, it uses UTC+3

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]

Talk:1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones

2017-02-15T10:41:35Z

162.158.92.118:

Talk:1606: Five-Day Forecast

2015-11-21T13:09:26Z

162.158.92.118:

As far as I can figure out, -452 F is something like 4 K, which seems a bit too warm (above OTL microwave background). It probably should be -456 in the next-to-last row and -458 in the last row (-459 for the last column). --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.81.76|141.101.81.76]] 12:58, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for the conversions to degrees C as being a 58 year old Brit I have never understood degrees F (I know what they are just I have no idea whether 60F is cold, cool or comfortable). I have always used 5, 10 and 21, Winter, Spring and Summer sun - well works for Middle Brittan) [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:09, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

There will be ambient starlight in addition to the 2.7K background which should raise the temperature slightly. However, the 2.7K background will also redshift to a lower temperature as time goes on: T propto 1/a where a is the scale factor of the Universe. Would be a good assignment for a cosmology class. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.48|173.245.54.48]] 13:07, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

Aha, what will last longer than stars etc is the silly Fahrenheits.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.165|162.158.91.165]] 17:49, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

There are five columns. Either the first column is "today" and one should not speak of predictions after five (m/b/trillion) years (as is currently the case a couple of times), or the first column is "tomorrow (etc.)" and then the prediction of "A bright yellow sun; 38°F" for one trillion years would be very strange. [[User:Jkrstrt|Jkrstrt]] ([[User talk:Jkrstrt|talk]]) 18:39, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

Randall lives in a cold climate! [[Special:Contributions/188.114.97.127|188.114.97.127]] 21:37, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

If the "red giant" temperature measures the sun's core, how do you explain the last panels showing decidedly non-white-dwarf temperatures? --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.234|199.27.130.234]] 03:48, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

Regarding the 5-year-predicion: It seems to me that the temperature is in average rising a bit across the year, maybe a reference to the slow process of global warming? This would not be the first time, there are even whole comics just about global warming, especially about the noticeable speed and the "in average"-importance (e.g. 1379, 1321)