explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2849: Under the Stars

2023-11-01T19:03:35Z

172.69.194.194:

Reminds me a lot of many of Randall's first few dozen XKCD's that weren't trying to be funny but just kind of sweet and observational. [[User:Laser813|Laser813]] ([[User talk:Laser813|talk]]) 15:32, 1 November 2023 (UTC)
: "Mostly void, partially stars..." [[Special:Contributions/172.71.151.161|172.71.151.161]] 18:07, 1 November 2023 (UTC)

Is the title text trying to relate the black hole to the Star of Bethlehem? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:49, 1 November 2023 (UTC)
: No, he's just trying to make you freak out that a black hole is RIGHT ABOVE YOUR HEAD!!! ;) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 16:31, 1 November 2023 (UTC)
:: Good thing I don't live in Los Angeles :) [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 16:54, 1 November 2023 (UTC)
::: On the other hand, I live pretty damn near {{w|Atlanta}}, so it's pretty damn close to coming over my head every day... Edit: Just checked the zoomable map... it goes right over my head every day [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 17:44, 1 November 2023 (UTC)
:::: Well, I'm 20ish° away from that track (and have never actually been anywhere near that latitude, despite occasional intercontinental travel). Looks like I'm not going to be in danger of hitting a black hole.... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.220|172.70.90.220]] 18:48, 1 November 2023 (UTC)

I think we need a category for "comics in full color" since there are 519 with color, but most of those aren't full color [[User:Laser813|Laser813]] ([[User talk:Laser813|talk]]) 18:25, 1 November 2023 (UTC)
: [[Technically]], it's not in full color, because Cueball and Megan's heads are white, not skin tone [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 18:48, 1 November 2023 (UTC)
:: As I was thinking. But I was trying to think of a good word (like "photorealistic", though it isn't quite that) to describe significant arty/colourwashed scenic elements. There are a handful of comics (I think, without trawling through the candidates I have in mind, or look for others) that are so coloured. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.194|172.69.194.194]] 19:03, 1 November 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2321: Low-Background Metal

2023-11-01T14:55:09Z

172.69.194.194:

Spoiler Alert for Avengers Endgame next comment [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.60|162.158.75.60]] 20:36, 18 June 2020 (UTC)
:I can't help but notice that the basic premise of this comic is very much like the reason for going back to 1970 in ''Avengers: Endgame'', when they needed more Pym particles for time travel. I wonder if Randall re-watched it again recently? — [[User:KarMann|KarMann]] ([[User talk:KarMann|talk]]) 17:10, 17 June 2020 (UTC)
:: Whoa! Spoiler alert! Disney Plus won't have Infinity War until next week. I'm not watching them out of order! [[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 12:16, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

Oh, that's new to me, that they use roman ships to get to higher quantities of lead. For Steel they use German ships. after world war I, the german high seas fleet was captured and put under arrest in scottish waters. To not allow the enemy to utilize the ships, they all sank themselfes. {{w|Scuttling_of_the_German_fleet_at_Scapa_Flow|wikisource}} --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 05:46, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

Is there any evidence of Roman ships using lead for ballast? I know it was used as a structural metal and utility metal (sheathing, seam sealing, anchors, tools). It was also carried as cargo. But it seems likely that Roman lead was too expensive to be used as ballast, particularly compared to, say, rocks or concrete. (Note that loading cargo low in the hull is not ballast, cargo is there because you want to move it, ballast is there only to keep the boat upright.)[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.187|173.245.54.187]] 18:08, 19 June 2020 (UTC)
:The Romans used lead as a sweetener, I think they had plenty. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.178|162.158.106.178]] 08:06, 20 June 2020 (UTC)
::The references I found to modern use of Roman lead referred to ingots from Roman cargo. [https://phys.org/news/2013-11-controversy-roman-ingots-dark-neutrinos.html Controversy over the use of Roman ingots to investigate dark matter and neutrinos][https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1095-9270.2007.00145.x Lead Use on Roman Ships and its Environmental Effects] [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.106|162.158.106.106]] 21:04, 20 June 2020 (UTC)

== Drawing ==

There's one leg of the time-machine missing from the 3rd panel. (or is it the side of a base?) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.126|162.158.155.126]] 19:57, 17 June 2020 (UTC)

== Mined lead ==

Pb-210 (half-life 20.4 years) is a decay product of radon, and thus accumulates everywhere that is exposed to the atmosphere or where radon seeps from the ground. I suspect it could be a contaminant in lead from some lead mines, but wasn't able to find any references [[User:ShadwellNH|ShadwellNH]] ([[User talk:ShadwellNH|talk]]) 20:00, 17 June 2020 (UTC) Paul
:Pb-210 is mentioned in [https://phys.org/news/2013-11-controversy-roman-ingots-dark-neutrinos.html Controversy over the use of Roman ingots to investigate dark matter and neutrinos]. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.106|162.158.106.106]] 21:04, 20 June 2020 (UTC)

== One use only? ==

The way I understand it, the time machine is one-use unless you find other Low-Background Metal. If you find it, you can make more trips. It would appear that the trip is successful.
--[[Special:Contributions/188.114.103.129|188.114.103.129]] 01:31, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

So you'd say a car is also one-use, unless you find a gas station? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.167|162.158.158.167]] 08:51, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

::::(out of chrono... I am 162.158.158.167): No, I'd say that this is not a one-use time machine, so it's wrong to compare it to one-use time machines. Luckily, someone else changed the text already. --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.102.22|188.114.102.22]] 13:39, 19 June 2020 (UTC)

:::::"I am 162.158.158.167" no you're not.

: No, but if the parts it was made of had to be replaced after every trip, I definitely would. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.117|172.69.70.117]] 16:59, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

:: Sure, but the ability to rebuild the car with completely new material doesn't turn it into a multi-use car. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.130|141.101.98.130]] 04:11, 19 June 2020 (UTC)

== Real life use of this lead? ==

Does anyone know whether there is any truth whatsoever to scientists using lead from sunken ships to shield delicate equipment? Obviously not time machines, but there are some pieces of equipment that might be sensitive to radiation.

Also, would lead that was in the ocean actually be safer from nuclear fallout than lead that was underground and mined after the nuclear testing ended? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.172|108.162.216.172]] 03:31, 18 June 2020 (UTC)
: Yes. At least it is done with steel. [https://hackaday.com/2017/03/27/low-background-steel-so-hot-right-now/][https://www.good.is/articles/the-search-for-low-background-steel][https://www.stainless-steel-world.net/mobile/webarticles/joanne-mcintyre/disappearing-warships-scavengers-raid-war-graves-for-low-background-steel.html] [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.129|172.69.33.129]] 04:50, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

:Yes the water is a better insulator than air. Also the fallout would be partially absorbed by plants/animals before reaching the ocean bottom. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.123.155|162.158.123.155]] 16:51, 19 June 2020 (UTC)

: Low Background Lead is also used, mentioned in the Good article. The equipment that need this stuff is mostly radiation sensors, very precise ones that can detect even smallest amounts of radiation. And for the last Question, you can't find pure natural lead, its mostly contaminated with radioactive elements (most lead in the universe results from decay chains). And common lead is made through recycling. Ancient lead from roman ships had enough time for the radioactive elements to decay into stable lead. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.114|141.101.105.114]] 06:12, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

== May be complicated ==

The 1968 Story [https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/109243/modern-military-jet-goes-back-to-world-war-i Hawk among Sparrows] discusses the problems modern war hardware may have when used against old tech. -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.82|141.101.76.82]] 07:39, 18 June 2020 (UTC)
: This was also part of the premise of the 1980 movie "Final Countdown", when the aircraft carrier Nimitz shows up in the Pacific Ocean on December 6, 1941. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 13:38, 18 June 2020 (UTC)
: {{w|Biggles_(film)|Biggles: The Movie}} had a WW1 flying ace ''take'' a 1980s helicopter (ostensibly unarmed, except fortuitously/inevitably against the Big Bad Weapon) back to his era, thanks to a Time-Twin plotline. Thus, IIRC it only did well to defend against era-local aicraft by the mythical skill of the eponymous pilot, and was handily lost once the temporal-trickery job was finally accomplished. If you enjoy that era of kitcsh then I'd suggest you not pass up a viewing, even if not actually seek it out. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.130|141.101.98.130]] 17:11, 18 June 2020 (UTC)
* I am also mildly disappointed that the helicopter is not Airwolf. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 03:11, 19 June 2020 (UTC)

== Safer alternative? ==

They could just send a cache of modern lead back in time and wait till it cools down. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.82|141.101.76.82]] 06:30, 19 June 2020 (UTC)
Naah, that would totally violate causality. Not to mention that you'd now have the exact same atoms existing in two spatial places at the same time. That could quite easily lead to the Earth being engulfed in a giant wormhole. [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 10:05, 19 June 2020 (UTC)

== Add Topic ==

Can we Add Topic with impunity now?
WOOOPEEEE![[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.216|108.162.216.216]] 10:45, 19 June 2020 (UTC)[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.216|108.162.216.216]] 10:48, 19 June 2020 (UTC)

== Links tutorial ==
In case the IP editor who came by recently (to try to resolve the issue with the link <code><nowiki>[[wikia:w:c:transcripts:Back to the Future|this transcript]]</nowiki></code>, which currently fails due to excessive redirects), the following is a quick(ish) guide to the basic types of link-markup, here, that some might find interesting:
* For a plain URL, you could just leave it. You wanted to replace the unmanagable wikia link with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future_(film) and, without any additional markup, it appears as its own literal text that links. (Generally considered untidy, of course, but there are times when it would be Ok.)
* If you surround a URL with single []s, e.g. <code><nowiki>something like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future_(film)] <-this</nowiki></code> then it looks something like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future_(film)] <-this, which is usable but often still a bit dialogue breaking.
** The replacement text version puts a space between URL and the text. <code><nowiki>something like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future_(film) this]</nowiki></code> will appear something like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future_(film) this], and is the best way to represent most external URLs.
* For something internal/cross-wiki you can use double[[]]s <code><nowiki>something like [[2320: Millennium Problems]] <-a link to the prior explanation</nowiki></code> which is thus something like [[2320: Millennium Problems]] <-a link to the prior explanation.
** If I'd have linked to [[2321: Low-Background Metal]] then, when seen from that page, e.g. via the Page Discussion section embedded within it, then it'll 'intelligently' not link, just highlight... can be very confusing. But [[2321]] and [[Low-Background Metal]] (because they are separate pages that ''redirect'' back again) will work, if that's what you want.
** It is good practice to use the "Number: Title" page and text, when it is a clear link to another comic page (or similar) but if you want to use alternate text, use the pipe, e.g. <code><nowiki>something like [[2320: Millennium Problems|a link to the prior page]]</nowiki></code> produces something like [[2320: Millennium Problems|a link to the prior page]], thus.
** I've been making sure the URL 'replacement' characters, above, are unreplaced. e.g. spaces instead of the underline. But you can retain the underlines (or other ASCII replacement codes, if any). It might look funny to see [[2320:_Millennium_Problems]], but it will work. And if it's overriden by replacement text then it matters much less!
** Technically, the <code><nowiki>[[wikia:w:c:...]]</nowiki></code> notation should work, but in this case it has broken (possibly well after originally being written).
* However, for wikipedia links (and some other common external places) you have another option. The {{template|w}} template can be written as <code><nowiki>something like {{w|Back_to_the_Future_(film)}} or {{w|Back to the_Future (film)}}</nowiki></code>, to appear as something like {{w|Back_to_the_Future_(film)}} or {{w|Back to the Future (film)}} (note the preferable latter version, insofar as not displaying any URL-friendly character replacement).
** And add "<pipe><replacement text>", of course, so that <code><nowiki>something like {{w|Back_to_the_Future_(film)|first link}} or {{w|Back to the Future (film)|second link}}</nowiki></code> will show up as something like {{w|Back_to_the_Future_(film)|first link}} or {{w|Back to the Future (film)|second link}}, looking nicer (generally) in both editor and rendered page.
** For 'media' under the wiki you can use a number of formats <code><nowiki>[[File:Back to the Future.jpg|this version]] and {{w|File:Back to the Future.jpg|this version}}</nowiki></code> will give {{w|File:Back to the Future.jpg|this version}}. Unfortunately (or not, if that's what you intend,) in this case <code><nowiki>[[File:Back to the Future.jpg]]</nowiki></code> finds the local ''comic'' image with this name and embeds it as an image. Which is why I would suggest using {{template|w}}, when appropriate, rather than relying upon a seemless interwiki behaviour for anything other than articles. But you start to get into much more advanced mediawiki notation at this point.
Hope this helps someone. Even if not the editor who passed by earlier and had so much trouble! [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.194|172.69.194.194]] 14:55, 1 November 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2848: Breaker Box

2023-10-31T11:27:54Z

172.69.194.194:

added transcript and got to change the name of the thing that created the explanation incomplete tag WOHOOOOoO [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 02:25, 31 October 2023 (UTC)
: can't help but notice the [[1590]] reference [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 02:43, 31 October 2023 (UTC)
Added explanation! Simple, but it'll do. How do I sign? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.159|172.69.34.159]] 03:42, 31 October 2023 (UTC)
: four tildes (<code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>) [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 03:08, 31 October 2023 (UTC)
:: Thanks. I thought that I had tried it earlier and it hadn't worked, but I guess I was wrong. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.160|172.69.34.160]] 03:46, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

Just added headers, but not good enough with this stuff to add descriptions. go nuts [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 02:52, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

Got a good laugh out of this one. Does anyone have a guess as to whether the "bugs" at the bottom of the second column refers to computer bugs or insects? Also, some self-referential humor going on at the end there. I guess the breaker box which contains all breakers would indeed contain itself. [[User:Jrfarah|Jrfarah]] ([[User talk:Jrfarah|talk]]) 04:31, 31 October 2023 (UTC)
: I thought it was some sort of reference to [[2753]] [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 04:58, 31 October 2023 (UTC)
: It turns off the bunny. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.194|172.69.194.194]] 11:27, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

So... discussion about "Hot Water Heater" vs. "Regular Water Heater"... I was assuming this was a joke regarding the redundancy of the term "Hot Water Heater" since "Water Heater" is already making the water hot, so why would you need to heat water that's already hot? Similar to RAS Syndrome, I thought Randall was making fun of that, but the explanation has a different idea... which... kind of makes sense? But... I've never seen anything like what is being described. [[User:AdmiralMemo|Admiral Memo]] ([[User talk:AdmiralMemo|talk]]) 05:22, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

Regarding the "one surprise mystery outlet", I don't think it's necessary to assume it was wired that way by mistake. When extending the wiring in an existing house, it's not always easy to wire up an extra breaker, or use the most logically labelled one, and there may not be a compelling safety reason to do so. For instance, in my parents house, the original sockets are all wired from the floor, and when an extra one was needed for a boiler control, it was easier to run a conduit ''down'' from the floor above; so that particular socket is on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_circuit ring] marked "Upstairs Sockets" on the consumer unit. - [[User:IMSoP|IMSoP]] ([[User talk:IMSoP|talk]]) 09:18, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

I read the "state/federal law" switches as ''required'' by said laws. i.e. respective building codes require a "foo switch" always to be installed, whether or not a foo is required, reasonable or even practicable. The switches may be left unlinked to anything that is serviced, or run to the household outlet/power-switch with the label plastered over it saying "don't use for anything but the quarter-inch hoojamaflip grinder" (or whatever it is, in the same sort of manner as "Refrigerator, do ''not'' unplug/turn off!" in a communal kitchen.... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.166|141.101.99.166]] 10:09, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

...in a separate comment, I have a fuse/switch labelled "Do not turn on!" in my house. It was turned on when I moved in, and (barring actually any reason to mess with anything/’get a man in' for any other purpose) I've ''left'' it on. Ditto, for these last six or seven years I've remained ignorant of the purpose of various wall switches (floor-height, one in living room, one at top of stairs, another in a bedroom) that are unlabelled and off (though I ''have'' switched them on... no obvious difference to lighting, alarm system, any other system I can imagine they're wired up into and left it pending some future time when I actually have to do something like strip plaster back and discover which (if any?) run of cable leads from/to them. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.166|141.101.99.166]] 10:11, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

2847: Dendrochronology

2023-10-31T11:04:09Z

172.69.194.194: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2847
| date = October 27, 2023
| title = Dendrochronology
| image = dendrochronology_2x.png
| imagesize = 332x444px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = These anomalies are known as Miyake events, named for the pioneering scientist who discovered them and was tragically devoured by a carnivorous tree.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by TOM BOMBADIL'S ARCH NEMESIS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Dendrochronology}} is a scientific method of using tree rings to tell the age of a tree and learn about historical climate from features found in each ring. It's based on the fact that trees add a new ring each year, so counting the rings will tell a tree's age in years. Additionally, climate and ecology affect the size and composition of each year's ring, so scientists can use rings to estimate what conditions were like each year. They can cross-compare tree-ring samples from overlapping date ranges, of comparable trees grown and felled at different times, to build up and confirm a useful ring history well beyond that of a single tree.

In some cases, tree rings contain remnants of specific events, such as forest fires, large volcano eruptions, atomic tests or droughts. Extremely disparate years can often be seen represented by a clear visual change in the usual subtle variation of ring-growth. The comic posits that, in 1635, trees somehow became {{w|carnivorous}}. The ring for that year contains indications of the bones of the creatures that they ate. This was just a temporary condition, since the rings after this have no bones, but clearly was a coordinated event among different trees to have caused this to be a comparable marker. Events such as this may have reoccurred at other times, just not again/before within the lifetime of the particular tree illustrated.

The title text says that anomalous years like this are called 'Miyake events', after a scientist named Miyake who discovered them (and was subsequently eaten by the trees, similar to the origin of {{w|Thagomizer}}). In actual fact, a {{w|Miyake event}} is a period when a larger-than-normal quantity of certain isotopes are created by cosmic rays, possibly due to [https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11063 extreme solar flares]. Evidence of these events can often be found in ancient tree rings, as physicist Fusa Miyake discovered when investigating tree rings from years 774-775. However, she wasn't then devoured by the trees – certainly not in 1635, which is centuries prior to her 2012-13 publications.

A surprising number of [https://www.google.com/search?q=things+found+in+trees things can be actually found within the 'flesh' of trees], though mostly inorganic items (e.g., metal tools) that are placed and abandoned there long enough for the tree to expand its bark and woody trunk around them. Skeletal remains are more often found [https://www.google.com/search?q=human+bones+in+trees in the roots of fallen trees]. They are mostly{{Actual citation needed}} from bodies that were there before the tree started to germinate, or perhaps even were buried and then a tree deliberately planted to either mark or obscure the burial site. It is even possible that the young tree significantly benefits from nutrients derived from the presence of the cadaver, as certain actual {{w|carnivorous plant}}s have evolved to do, allowing it to thrive more than other saplings. But, in this case, it would not be through the plant itself pursuing a 'deliberately' carnivorous behaviour.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A cross section of a tree in beige, with a brown bark around the cross section and black rings throughout, except one layer around the middle where white bones are shown between two exceptionally separated ring boundaries.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Dendrochronologists can date wood samples by identifying growth ring anomalies that correspond to specific events. For example, it's often possible to spot the horrible summer of 1635 when trees turned carnivorous.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2842: Inspiraling Roundabout

2023-10-31T08:51:12Z

172.69.194.194: /* Trivia */ I thought I had already edited this to be the wikilink template, earlier on in the contribution's existence.

{{comic
| number = 2842
| date = October 16, 2023
| title = Inspiraling Roundabout
| image = inspiraling_roundabout.png
| titletext = Look, I just think we need to stop coddling those hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours, wasting valuable capacity.
}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by RUNAROUND SUE}}

This is the second consecutive comic that deals with confusing directions given to road users.

A {{w|roundabout}}, a form of traffic circle or rotary, is a traffic control device that serves as an alternative to stop signs, instead allowing for mere yields, as all traffic flows in the same counterclockwise direction around a central point (clockwise in left-hand traffic countries). Roundabouts improve safety and the flow of traffic, since they eliminate turns against traffic and full stops are only needed during high-traffic periods. One downside is that they take up more space than a traditional signaled intersection.

Various roundabout designs have been proposed and used throughout the world. Some use "out-spiraling" designs in which a driver wishing to access one of the furthest exits is initially directed into a lane towards the center, which then spirals outwards, guiding them out until they reach the intended exit. Randall, in contrast, proposes an "Inspiraling Roundabout" which spirals each entrance lane inward, eventually leading all three roads to meet in the center and become the exit lanes.

The caption states that it's "[[Technically|technically]] navigable", but that the Highway Department has vetoed it, presumably because of its deliberate complexity, impracticality, and the high risk of head-on collisions.

The system is fairly simple to use. Assuming {{w|Left- and right-hand traffic|left-hand driving / right-hand traffic}}, one could get to the next exit without entering the spiral. Getting to the subsequent exit would simply require making a lane change toward the right.

However, Randall is likely assuming drivers who don't change lanes, in which case his design would force drivers to travel ever deeper into the spiral, reach the center, and choose one of the other two lanes to attempt to exit the roundabout.

If vehicles don't change lanes, head-on collisions would be likely in a few scenarios, such as two vehicles reaching the center at the same time, or two vehicles trying to use the same lane going in different directions, one outspiraling from the center and one inspiraling from the entrance, eventually meeting each other head-on. (In this design, each inspiraling entrance lane can also be used as an outspiraling exit lane.)

The joke is that such a deliberately challenging and dangerous design would be unlikely to be approved.

The '''title text''' justifies this creative design by manufacturing an amusing problem of "coddling hedonistic roundabout hogs who get into the inner lane and circle for hours". Of course, it's unlikely (but [https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/hamilton-county/carmel/2019/09/22/hamilton-county-bicyclist-sets-carmel-indiana-roundabout-record/2411449001/ not unheard of]) that anyone would deliberately spend more time than necessary (let alone hours) circling a roundabout, so this design proposes to solve a non-issue. In reality, if someone finds themselves deeper into or longer in a roundabout that they need to be, it's more likely to be a misunderstanding of how roundabouts work and confusion about how to get out of them rather than a hedonistic "doing it for the thrill" rush.

* In street racing culture, doing "donuts" -- circling a single spot at high speed to leave circular tread marks on the pavement -- is a popular pastime, but these drivers circle for a few rotations, not several hours.
* The complaint of "coddling" some group was popularized by the title of the 2018 book, "The Coddling of the American Mind," a criticism of modern higher education.

==Similar XKCD comics==
* [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]] also has a rotary that intentionally collides cars.
* [[2728: Lane Change Highway]] has a similar theme of changing lanes because the road is poorly designed -- and it was the first time Randall complained about his ideas getting rejected by traffic engineers.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[A large roundabout with three entrances of two lanes, three exits, and three spirals (as is CLEARLY evidenced by the three inner termini and three separate starts) of dotted lines starting from the medians between entry lanes and exit lanes of the same road which terminate in the center leaving a lane-sized median of plain asphalt.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Even though it '''''was''''' technically navigable, the highway department vetoed my inspiraling roundabout design.

==Trivia==
* Unlike inspiraling roundabouts, outspiraling roundabouts are a real thing, common across western Europe. They are known as "{{w|Roundabout#Turbo roundabouts|turbo roundabouts}}", though the design usually features at least 4 entrances/exits.

{{comic discussion}}

2846: Daylight Saving Choice

2023-10-25T22:03:01Z

172.69.194.194: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2846
| date = October 25, 2023
| title = Daylight Saving Choice
| image = daylight_saving_choice_2x.png
| imagesize = 231x386px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I average out the spring and fall changes and just set my clocks 39 minutes ahead year-round.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by TWO CLOCKS SET ONE HOUR APART - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|Daylight saving time}} is a practice involving changing the clock one hour ahead for approximately half the year, typically during winter or spring. Most countries no longer follow this practice, however it is still used in North America, Europe, and parts of South America and Australia.

Within countries that still follow the practice, there are frequent arguments (mostly 2-3 days surrounding the clock change) over the pros and cons. Black Hat is suggesting that everyone should observe or ignore daylight savings time based on their personal opinion. While it might put an end to the arguments (although this itself is debatable) it would clearly cause disharmonious time. For example, during daylight savings time, an observer would claim it's 9:00 when a non-observer would claim it's 8:00.

The joke here is that, while most options in life can be left to individual choice, clock time is only fully useful if everyone involved agrees on what it means.

There are known incidents in which an actual application of Black Hat's proposal
[https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/the-conversation/sdut-daylight-saving-time-sunday-2015mar07-htmlstory.html rendered a terrorist plot void]. One of them is the [https://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1999-38.html 1999 Darwin Award Winner]

This comic was posted 11 days before the end of 2023's Daylight saving time in the United States. If the proposal is actually instituted at this time, those who do not like the fuss of changing their clocks would ''remain'' on DST (as {{w|Sunshine Protection Act|has been actually proposed}}), yet those who are happy with it will fall back to non-DST, over the winter months. Presumably, unless anyone changes their minds over the 'winter' period, everyone would actually be back in synch for future 'summer's.

The title text suggests splitting the difference by using a constant offset which is the average of the daylight savings offset across days of the year. We do not know if in this system Randall would change his clock for leap year.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is speaking at a lectern, flanked by Ponytail and Hairy.]
:Black Hat: From now on, everyone who likes daylight saving time should change their clocks, and everyone who doesn't, shouldn't.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The government finally decides to put an end to all the arguments.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Daylight saving time]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]

Talk:2841: Sign Combo

2023-10-17T15:41:34Z

172.69.194.194:

I was a driver in the Boston area (where Randall lives) for nearly a quarter of a century and this sign combo would not be that unusual to come across. I remember one three way intersection of streets in downtown Boston where all three streets were one-way _out_ of the intersection; there had been a fourth street by which you once could have entered the intersection, but it got closed off by the construction of a new building. There was another intersection in nearby Somerville where as you approached (on a one-way street four lanes wide) you saw three traffic lights spread out on the far side of the intersection, which displayed at one point in the cycle three red lights over three different green arrows, one pointing each way; so the red lights weren't stopping you from doing anything, you were allowed to go in any direction according to the green arrows, so why were there stop lights on? [[User:MAP|MAP]] ([[User talk:MAP|talk]]) 04:11, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

Theoretically you can get around this limitation by turning off the road before the sign and doing whatever maneuvers you need to out in the wide open area to the right or left of the road. It's not a U-turn if you're not on the road, and you didn't enter a restricted part of a road either, and didn't stop on the road. After which you calmly make a turn onto the road when traffic is clear. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.207|108.162.245.207]] 02:34, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
:I'm pretty sure swerving off of a road is also illegal. [[User:SteveTheNoob|SteveTheNoob]] ([[User talk:SteveTheNoob|talk]]) 04:41, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
:: You can always just pull over - if a cop asks, just tell him you were lost or tired or had to take a phone call. And then take the opportunity to ask about the bloody sign! Anonymous 07:30, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
So does making a three point turn count as a u-turn? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.66|172.69.58.66]] 02:40, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
Wouldn't putting it in reverse stop you briefly as you switched from forward acceleration to reverse?
:Yes, this is also an example of Rolle's theorem as seen in [[2042]]. [[User:SteveTheNoob|SteveTheNoob]] ([[User talk:SteveTheNoob|talk]]) 04:56, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immelmann_turn Immelmann!] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stall_turn Hammerhead!] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_eight Half Cuban Eight!] [[User:Jordan Brown|Jordan Brown]] ([[User talk:Jordan Brown|talk]]) 03:21, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
:After clicking on your comment, I watched the gif on the right before reading the article. I was expecting some advanced driving technique or something. Imagine my surprise! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.102.143|172.71.102.143]] 11:15, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

You could obey the title text if it was 45 miles per hour and 65 meters per hour, respectively. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.96|162.158.90.96]] 04:04, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

: Perhaps so, but anyone deliberately occupying a travel lane while going 0.06 kph (0.04 mph = 200 feet per hour) in a 45 mph zone would [ahem] rapidly attract attention for other reasons. If it were 65 *kilometers* per hour (40 mph), you'd have a narrow window of legality (I do drive on a road that has a max 45 / min 30 speed limit). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.43|172.70.214.43]] 18:15, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

Take notice of the road markings too. At least here in Europe double white lines are not to be crossed. And they go past the point of the sign.--[[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]]) 07:06, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

: Aye - doesn't that combination of dashed and solid lines imply that there will be opposing traffic? Ie, the markings on the road expect traffic to enter past the sign, despite what the signs are saying, which adds another layer of absurd (Ignore the pole signs and use the lane on the right, otherwise the lane on the right can never be used?)

I can't be the only one that sees a Gaza strip evacuation subttext to this.

:Double lines are also "do not cross" in America. And I think in this case it's supposed to be yellow, the dashed-and-solid combo indicates a one-sided passing zone into a lane with on-coming traffic, and double lines in general are only use to separate anti-parallel lanes of traffic, both of which use yellow. "Solid double white lines" do exist, but are only used in very specific cases. Near me, there's a very congested exit, and the solid double whites are used to indicate "no really, you should have switched lanes ages ago, it's too late now!", but since it isn't a Jersey barrier or a line of rods or even a full on median, nobody actually follows the rule. Anonymous 07:30, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

:: BTW in Europe, yellow lines are reserved for temporary use, and then take precedence over any existing white lines. Makes lots of sense, because there are so many construction sites here. (And the yellow lines are actually just adhesive tape.) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.87.102|162.158.87.102]] 08:28, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

::: Back when elephants had fur, road markings in the USA were white. Starting in the 1950s, road crews throughout the USA began using yellow rather than white paint. From memory, it took about a decade for the transition to be completed, with more rural roads the last to go yellow. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.161|162.158.90.161]] 18:18, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
::: Not in Ireland - standard road markings are yellow. (And, as far as I understand it, Ireland is in Europe.)[[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.195|172.69.194.195]] 15:32, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

Speaking of lines ... in the USA, "Do Not Enter" signs on open roadways usually signal that the road ahead is one-way traffic coming at you. A driver is thereby warned (for example) not to enter the "exit" ramp of a freeway. However, the road striping indicates that passing is permitted for drivers proceeding forward past the sign ... which is nonsensical if the only legal traffic is coming at the viewpoint driver. I am reminded of the ancient comedy routine, "Somebody went to the Army-Navy store, got himself a sign, looked out his living room window, 'Look, Martha, we caught somebody!'" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.118|162.158.186.118]] 19:19, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

And I completely forgot why I was posting in the first place: I think there's good reason to create a full "traffic signs" or "road signs" tag, not just "traffic lights". I know there's a page with a very complicated "this is what the road ahead looks like" sign that just says "good luck", and of course there's "Next Five Miles" and "Ahead Stop". Thoughts? Anonymous 07:58, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
:I would support that. I wanted to put this comic into a category but I couldn't find an appropriate one. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.3|172.69.58.3]] 23:11, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
:"Click on all the comics that contain traffic lights" [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.119|172.70.90.119]] 15:34, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

More thoughts: if you must not make a U-turn to the left, you should do it to the right.
And then return on the same lane, because of the double line.
And finally, the sign itself may be valid and not contradicting itself; it is your fault if you got on this road. ;) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.87.102|162.158.87.102]] 08:28, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

In the Netherlands, the message on signs are only valid behind the sign (with the exception of the "precedence way" (voorrangsweg), where outside of built-up areas, the signs are after a junction (though technically... way before the ''next'' junction) , so a driver stopping /u-turning here wouldn't be violating anything except the double white lines.
Also, stopping out of necessity (e.g. the car in front is also stopped) is ''never'' illegal. [[User:IIVQ|IIVQ]] ([[User talk:IIVQ|talk]]) 09:06, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

:Stopping on a road with double white lines to your left may count as obstructing the road, which I can imagine to be illegal in many places? [[User:Gpvos|Gpvos]] ([[User talk:Gpvos|talk]]) 10:02, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
:I believe in the UK the location of the signs doesn't determine the scope of their applicability at all - that's defined by the related traffic order. So it's possible that you might be legally allowed to turn, etc. past where the sign is, but equally you may be committing an offence by doing so before it, and you've no actual way of telling.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.27|172.70.85.27]] 15:39, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

If I had to comply with these instructions, I would just put the car into reverse and argue that I was never "stopped". If I actually saw this in real life, I think I'd just slow down, put on my hazard lights, and make a u-turn when appropriate.[[User:Jsnider3|Jsnider3]] ([[User talk:Jsnider3|talk]]) 10:52, 14 October 2023 (UTC
:To go from forward movement to rearward movement, you would have to, at some point, even if only for a fraction of a second, to have stopped.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.194|172.69.194.194]] 15:41, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

UK equivalents: [[File:UK_traffic_sign_616.svg|50px]][[File:UK_traffic_sign_614.svg|50px]][[File:UK_traffic_sign_642.svg|25px]]
(Mounted vertically, obviously, and the Clearway would have to be the small version as a repeater/reminder, already being active). ...and Title Text would require suitable numeric alterations on: [[File:UK_traffic_sign_670V20.svg|50px]][[File:UK_traffic_sign_672.svg|50px]] [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.23|162.158.74.23]] 11:51, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

"''Depending on the jurisdiction, signs may only apply to the road after them''" - uh, in which jurisdictions is that not the case? How could you adhere to the signage before you see them? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.196|172.68.110.196]] 15:01, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
: I don't know US signage, but there are times over here in my locale when there's repeater/reminder signage, the situation (such as not being allowed to stop) already being in effect past a prior point. Or even "this is information you, as a driver, should already be able to infer from the rules of the road, but some of you are idiots and need A BIG HINT about something that you clearly have forgotten since the time you had to pass your driving test..." erected by the authorities. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.6|141.101.99.6]] 19:49, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

Since the lanes are separated by white lines instead of yellow, that means that the two lanes of traffic are going in the same direction. There isn't any roadway visible onto which one could make a U-turn even if it were permitted. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.59.204|172.69.59.204]] 23:07, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
: That sort of thing varies by jurisdiction. White and yellow are common because they work well and are cheap. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.58|162.158.74.58]] 07:30, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

Don't minimum speeds require the vehicle to ''be able'' to go that fast, but not actually ''drive'' this fast at all times? --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 07:42, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

Am I the only one who sees a Gaza Strip evacuation subtext in this? --[[User:GregXKCD|GregXKCD]] ([[User talk:GregXKCD|talk]]) 15:33, 15 October 2023 (UTC)
:Possibly. There was a similar comment above, but that was also posted by you. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.91|172.70.178.91]] 20:06, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

:ha! thought it failed to post first time, wasn't really trying to belabor the point. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.178|172.71.150.178]] 21:32, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

This is pretty much the plot of every Irish saga, except with geasa instead of road signs. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.94.158|172.71.94.158]] 17:13, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

Not even that uncommon. I find no U-turn signs get placed places where a lot of people do u-turn, often because they NEED to make a u-turn due to another previous sign issue. So having to do u-turns where no u-turn signs are, is like the f'ing default.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.95.187|162.158.95.187]] 08:41, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

Now, I don't have my driving license, but I'm pretty sure the law of the principle of explosion allows you to ignore all rules in this scenario. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.98.94|172.71.98.94]] 11:26, 16 October 2023 (UTC)
:[[File:UK_traffic_sign_622.8.svg|50px]] No vehicles carrying explosives allowed... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.197|141.101.99.197]] 18:15, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

== "No stopping at any time" and max/min speed contradiction ==

The "No stopping at any time" never applies if it is not possible to continue. If there's a traffic jam, nobody expects you to continue going and hitting a preceding vehicle. I'm pretty sure this meaning is the same in USA as it is in Europe.

In Europe, speed limit takes absolute precedence over minimum speed, and for clarification, minimum speed only means that vehicles that cannot sustain minimum speed are not permitted on the road. It also signifies that if the road is clear and weather permitting, it is safe to drive at that speed.
But, if you're not confident in your driving ability, or in inclement weather, or if there is traffic, or for any other reason, you're not expected to continue driving at that speed.
Motorways and expressways in Europe have an implied minimum speed of about 60 km/h, but if there are roadworks which have a posted 50 km/h or 40 km/h speed limit, you're not expected to drive 60 km/h and you'll be violating the law if you do.

To Obey the signs you need to "Drive like Xeno", approach the signs at ever decreasing speed without actually come to rest, or passing the no entry sign. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.30|108.162.249.30]] 00:52, 17 October 2023 (UTC)
: Self-driving test car running overtrained metamodels approaches the signs. Time itself begins to slow down in proportion to nearness. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.143|172.70.126.143]] 01:06, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

2251: Alignment Chart Alignment Chart

2023-10-12T07:31:23Z

172.69.194.194: /* Transcript */ General basic transcript edits, plenty more to go if someone has time and inclination.

{{comic
| number = 2251
| date = January 6, 2020
| title = Alignment Chart Alignment Chart
| image = alignment_chart_alignment_chart.png
| titletext = I would describe my personal alignment as "lawful heterozygous silty liquid."
}}

==Explanation==
"Alignment" and "alignment charts" come from tabletop roleplaying games, most prominently ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons}}''. Every character has an {{w|Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)|alignment}}, which very roughly identifies their tendencies. The most widely used alignment system was introduced in the ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set}}'' in 1977 and has been reused in many (but not all) subsequent editions of the game. This system uses two perpendicular axes, each divided into three levels (for a total of nine categories). The two axes are:
* Lawful/neutral/chaotic: this axis says whether a character is strongly devoted to, indifferent about, or categorically opposed to following established rules.
* Good/neutral/evil: this axis says whether a character is generally inclined to commit good deeds or evil deeds.

In this system, the "lawful" attribute is independent from the "good" attribute. Lawful alignment means that a character is committed to a set of rules, which can refer to actual established laws, or to something like a rigid personal code, a set of traditions, or a chain of command, while a chaotic alignment means that a character has no interest in those, and may actively oppose them. The good vs evil scale is generally based on a character's concern for the lives and well-being of others; a good character will actively seek to help others and prevent harm, while an evil character will have no such concern and may actively harm others. Being 'good' is assumed to be independent of being 'lawful'. For example, a character who actively breaks laws to help those who are unjustly imprisoned or oppressed would be considered to be "chaotic good". In both cases, a neutral alignment can indicate a character's indifference to a concept, or that their commitment is conditional, or that they consciously seek to balance both sides. A character with the "neutral neutral" alignment is called a true neutral.

An alignment chart is a grid that divides the alignments, usually for the purpose of putting descriptions or particular characters on it. Alignment charts are frequently used as a [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mcdonalds-alignment-chart meme template], where humorous or absurdist things are organized into different alignments. In addition to the "classic" Dungeons and Dragons alignment chart, there are a number of variant alignment charts in use as meme templates. Many keep the three-by-three grid structure but replace the lawful-neutral-chaotic and good-neutral-evil axes with descriptions.

This comic claims to be a meta-alignment chart, where nine "alignment charts" are themselves sorted into the nine Dungeons and Dragons alignments, following the use of alignment charts to humorously classify abstract concepts. However, these "alignment charts" are mostly diagrams used in academic classifications, which are being treated as if they were blank meme templates. There are two levels of absurdity here: first, the idea of using these diagrams to classify things they were never intended for, and second, the conflation of chaos as a physics concept and an assigned moral weight as it applies to each of these classification systems.

The title text describes Randall's alignment as "lawful heterozygous silty liquid" which references the true neutral, neutral good, lawful good, and lawful neutral charts in the Alignment Chart Alignment Chart. Lawful is the left side of an alignment chart, heterozygous is the top right or bottom left of a Punnet Square, silty is the bottom right of a soil chart, and liquid is the top right of a phase diagram. As such, the title text describes Randall's alignment as between Lawful Neutral and Neutral Good on this chart.

{| class="wikitable"
!Alignment
!Chart
!Explanation
|-
|Lawful Good
|{{w|Soil texture|Soil chart}}
|This chart shows the USDA classification of soil types by their relative proportions of sand, clay and silt. The chart is a ternary diagram (very common in geology), so soils with more clay plot towards the upper corner, soils with more sand to the bottom left, and soils with more silt to the bottom right. This chart has been used humorously as an alignment chart ([https://www.reddit.com/r/PrequelMemes/comments/8wakd4/anakin_soil_reference_chart/ for example]) and may have been the inspiration for Randall to use scientific diagrams as alignment charts. In addition to being Lawful Good, this grid cell is also the upper left cell of the chart and will be read first, making it a good place to put this chart as a "jumping off point". [https://what-if.xkcd.com/83/ What If 83 "Star Sand"] cites Randall as "...very satisfied with this chart, it's like the erosion geology edition of the electromagnetic spectrum chart..."
|-
|Neutral Good
|{{w|Punnett square}}
| Punnet squares are a visual method of determining what traits an organism might have based on the traits of the organism's parents. It relies on the principle that a trait is either dominant (indicated with capital letters) or recessive (indicated with lowercase letters). The exact combination of dominant or recessive genes that a child organism receives from their parents determines their traits. Heterozygous and homozygous refers to the pairs of alleles in an organism’s genotype, indicating mixed or same alleles, respectively. Randall later uses "heterozygous" in the title text. Note that it is possible for a phenotype to be expressed the same between some heterozygotes and homozygotes, e.g., persons with genotypes heterozygous "Aa" and homozygous "AA" will both express blood type A.
Therefore, the Punnett Square is a good chart because it is both a simple and true geometric predictor of inheritance, but it tends to be neutral because of complicating factors such as polygenic inheritance; these and other factors will cause genotypic frequency to deviate from expected 1:2:1 patterns.
|-
|Chaotic Good
|{{w|IPA vowel chart with audio|IPA vowel chart }}
|This chart shows the relationship between different vowels according to the {{w|International Phonetic Alphabet}}. The position of the vowel on the chart serves roughly as an indicator of the position of the tongue in the mouth of the speaker. As different vowel sounds are created by changes in different parts of the mouth, including lip roundness which is expressed in the chart implicitly as an invisible third dimension, vowel identification is qualitative and often up to interpretation, and vowel expression can change dramatically from region to region or even person to person within the same language, the categories described by the chart might be considered chaotic. The chart is missing the near-open central vowel [ɐ] and the open central vowel [ä] (often written as /a/).
|-
|Lawful Neutral
|{{w|Phase diagram}}
|A phase diagram shows the equilibrium phases of matter present for a particular temperature, pressure, and composition. The diagram included is a unary phase diagram of a typical material that has a solid, liquid, and gas phase depending on the temperature and pressure for a fixed composition. Phase diagrams are useful for understanding how a material may change as its conditions change. For example, the air pressure of Mars is such that there is no temperature at which liquid water can exist in equilibrium on its surface. Water exists as ice until the temperature reaches a point where it sublimates directly into steam.

This phase diagram does not specify what material is depicted, but it is certainly ''not'' the phase diagram of water. On this diagram, compressing the liquid phase will transform the material into a solid, which is how most materials behave, but the solid/liquid phase line for water tilts the opposite direction. This is why water ice floats on liquid water, for example.

Phase diagrams follow the laws of thermodynamics and concern themselves with the order in which things ''should'' be, so they are inherently lawful.
|-
|True Neutral
|Alignment chart
|All alignment charts are neutral unless humans contaminate them. The chart in this cell has the same overall shape as the Alignment Chart Alignment Chart in the comic. It's important to note that this is called the Alignment Chart Alignment Chart alignment chart. However, that may be [https://xkcd.com/745/ doing 'doing "doing it wrong" wrong' wrong].
|-
|Chaotic Neutral
|CIE chromaticity diagram
|The {{w|chromaticity}} diagram is a chart of colors. Visible colors form a shape like a triangle with two bulging sides in the diagram. The curved line within the diagram shows the chromaticities of {{w|Black body|black bodies}} over a range of color temperatures. The chromaticity diagram shows colors independent of luminance.
The chart is not a simple geometric shape, so it is labeled as chaotic. Points on the diagram can be specified as combinations of three underlying illuminants (the colors of which may not all be visible). It can also be described in polar form with angle and radial distance from some central point, where the maximum radial distance depends on the angle.
The fact that the colors may not show properly on a screen, making the diagram incorrect, may also contribute to its chaotic aspect, as well as the fact that the official standard is behind a paywall.
|-
|Lawful Evil
|Political compass
|[https://www.politicalcompass.org/ Political Compass] separates ideas about governance into economic and social political thought. For example, Gandhi and Stalin supposedly both had similar economic perspectives (collectivist) but radically different social perspectives (libertarian vs authoritarian).

As politics is how laws are made, this is inherently lawful. Representing all politics in terms of two very general axes is not only a gross oversimplification, it is often used to put one's favored ideology as far away from Hitler or Stalin. This common use of a fallacy similar to the straw man makes this chart evil.

Like the USDA soil chart, the political compass has actually been [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/political-compass used as an alignment chart], largely to mock the original political compass chart.
|-
|Neutral Evil
|{{w|QAPF diagram|QAPF rock diagram}}
|This diagram is used to classify coarse-grained felsic (low magnesium and iron) igneous rocks by the relative volumes of the minerals quartz, alkali feldspars, plagioclase feldspars, and feldspathoids in the rock. It consists of two ternary diagrams - quartz and feldspathoid minerals cannot coexist (they will react to form feldspars) so only three of these components will be in any given rock. Rocks in the upper triangle of the diagram contain quartz, with rocks with more quartz plotting closer to the top, while rocks in the lower triangle contain feldspathoids, with rocks with more feldspathoids plotting lower. Rocks closer to the left corner of the diagram contain more alkali feldspar and rocks closer to the right corner contain more plagioclase feldspar. The field on the diagram for granite is labeled in the comic, but each area outlined on the diagram has its own rock name (monzonite, syenite, granodiorite, etc.). All the rocks that the QAPF diagram is used to classify look superficially like granite, but their chemistry, mineralogy, and origin differ.
The QAPF diagram and the names of the more obscure rock types on it can be somewhat arcane, which may be why it is considered evil here.
|-
|Chaotic Evil
|Omnispace classifier
|The other eight diagrams shown in this comic, squished together into one, with the shapes of the diagrams corresponding to those of the originals. The diagram is labeled chaotic, since it does not have a simple geometrical shape. Probably self-referential humor, in that the diagram created for this comic is considered to be chaotically evil.
|}

An alignment chart was also featured in [[2408: Egg Strategies]], which was published exactly one year later.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.|There's several Transcript-friendly chart descriptions still need putting in... And probably changes to the existing transcriptisation where it isn't in line with typical Transcript standards.}}

:[A 3×3 grid of squares. Each square contains a label at the top and a drawing of a chart, and each square has a caption below it. From left to right, a row at a time:]

:----

:Soil Chart

:[describe this chart here]

:* Clay
:* Silty Clay
:* […]

:Lawful Good

----

:Punnett Square

:[A 2x2 grid with a capital or lowercase R at either the left or top of each row and column, and each square containing the two letters of its row and column.]

:Neutral Good

:----

:IPA Vowel Chart

:[describe this chart here]

:Chaotic Good

:----

:Phase Diagram

:[describe this chart here]

:Lawful Neutral

:----

:Alignment Chart

:[A 3×3 grid of nine empty squares, each with an unreadable label below it.]

:True Neutral

:----

:CIE Chromaticity Diagram

:[describe this chart here]

:* Green
:* Yellow
:* …

:Chaotic Neutral

:----

:Political Compass

:[describe this chart here]

:Lawful Evil

:----

:QAPF Rock Diagram

:[The diagram is a rhombus with each corner labeled: ‘Q’ at the top, ‘A’ at the left, ‘P’ at the right, and ‘F’ at the bottom. The diagram is divided into trapezoids and triangles, each with labels. The writing in most subdivisions are unreadable. The readable subdivisions:]
:* Granite [around the top left]
:* Basalt [just below the right corner]
:* Foidolite [at the bottom]

:Neutral Evil

:----

:Omnispace Classifier

:[describe this chart here]

:Chaotic Evil

{{comic discussion}}



[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Recursion]]

2835: Factorial Numbers

2023-10-11T18:53:38Z

172.69.194.194: So... what's *your* definition of "simple explanation"..? But, mostly, the tone of the prior Edit Summary invalidates the reason/validity of it.

{{comic
| number = 2835
| date = September 29, 2023
| title = Factorial Numbers
| image = factorial_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 628x481px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = So what do we do when we get to base 10? Do we use A, B, C, etc? No: Numbers larger than about 3.6 million are simply illegal.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a VARIABLE-BASED BOT BEING ESCORTED OUT OF THE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT BY SECURITY - There is no explanation of the comic. There is a complex dive into the mathematics with no simplified explanation created to help understand the comic or its joke. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is based on the {{w|factorial number system}}, which is a way of writing integers or real numbers using {{w|factorial|factorials}} instead of powers.

Cueball proposes this number system with his key point being that small value numbers are described only with the small value digits (1, 2, or 3) and saving the larger digits (8 and 9) for larger value numbers. His proposed solution is a complicated number system that some (probably including at least one person able to summon security personnel) might consider unnecessarily clunky to be actually useful.

A factorial is a product of positive integers. For instance, four factorial, written '4!', means 4×3×2×1 = 24. These can be used to write numbers in a strange way.

Normally, numbers are represented in a positional system with a constant base, especially base ten. This means that each digit in a number has a place value based on its position, and that value is a power of ten. For instance, the number 137 usually means 1×102 + 3×101 + 7×100, i.e. one hundred, three tens, and seven units. We say that the 1 is in the hundreds place, the 3 in the tens place, and the 7 in the ones place (or units). The same number could be written in base sixteen as 89, meaning 8×161 + 9×160, i.e. eight sixteens and nine units. The 8 is in the sixteens place, and the 9 is in the ones place.

In a "factorial base," instead of each place value being an escalating power of some constant base, each place value is an escalating factorial. The amount to multiply each place value by to get the next place value increases by 1 each time. So that same number (137 in base 10) could be written 10221, meaning 1×5! + 0×4! + 2×3! + 2×2! + 1×1!. We could say there is a 1 in the 120s place, a 0 in the 24s place, a 2 in the 6s place, another 2 in the 2s place, and a 1 in the ones place.

True factorial numbers also include a 0s place, representing the 0 factorial of 0! Continuing our example of 137 in base 10, the values 1×5! + 0×4! + 2×3! + 2×2! + 1×1! + 0x0! would write out to 102210, but [[Randall]]'s version truncates this rightmost 0 factorial since it is always a value of 0.

In normal base-n notation, n digits are used, running from 0 to n–1. For instance, in base ten, we use the ten digits {0,...,9}. In base sixteen, we need sixteen digits, so we use {0,...,9,A,...,F}. Any of these digits can be used in any position. But in factorial base, each position needs an increasing number of different digits to express all n-digit numbers. The comic labels each position with the equivalent base that would allow the same digits, e.g. the place value 3! is "base 4" because it uses the digits 0 to 3.

For instance, with just two digits, we can express some numbers with the digits 0, 1, and 2, like 21 = five. But we can't express 30 = six. As a result, Randall jokes that since we only have ten digits {0,...,9}, we can only express numbers with up to nine digits, making larger numbers "illegal." Randall believes that would make the largest "legal" factorial base number 987654321 = 9×9!+8×8!+7×7!+6×6!+5×5!+4×4!+3×3!+2×2!+1×1!, which in base ten is 3,628,799 (which he calls "about 3.6 million"). In fact, adding one to this number gives 1000000000, which still doesn't require any digits larger than 9, but he maybe wishes to stay away from the mere possibility of representing the digit that ''ought'' to use another symbol. The first number that actually cannot be represented with our usual ten symbols {0,...,9} comes right after 9987654321, which in decimal equals 36,287,999.

In the comic, the top example represents 3×720 + 5×120 + 3×24 + 0×6 + 1×2 + 1×1, after calculating each factorial accordingly, which gives the decimal value of 2835, [[2835|this comic's number]].

For completion of the examples shown in the panel, the numbers up to 200 in this variable base are:

1=1
2=10
3=11
4=20
5=21
6=100
7=101
8=110
9=111
10=120
11=121
12=200
13=201
14=210
15=211
16=220
17=221
18=300
19=301
20=310
21=311
22=320
23=321
24=1000
25=1001
26=1010
27=1011
28=1020
29=1021
30=1100
31=1101
32=1110
33=1111
34=1120
35=1121
36=1200
37=1201
38=1210
39=1211
40=1220
41=1221
42=1300
43=1301
44=1310
45=1311
46=1320
47=1321
48=2000
49=2001
50=2010
51=2011
52=2020
53=2021
54=2100
55=2101
56=2110
57=2111
58=2120
59=2121
60=2200
61=2201
62=2210
63=2211
64=2220
65=2221
66=2300
67=2301
68=2310
69=2311
70=2320
71=2321
72=3000
73=3001
74=3010
75=3011
76=3020
77=3021
78=3100
79=3101
80=3110
81=3111
82=3120
83=3121
84=3200
85=3201
86=3210
87=3211
88=3220
89=3221
90=3300
91=3301
92=3310
93=3311
94=3320
95=3321
96=4000
97=4001
98=4010
99=4011
100=4020
101=4021
102=4100
103=4101
104=4110
105=4111
106=4120
107=4121
108=4200
109=4201
110=4210
111=4211
112=4220
113=4221
114=4300
115=4301
116=4310
117=4311
118=4320
119=4321
120=10000
121=10001
122=10010
123=10011
124=10020
125=10021
126=10100
127=10101
128=10110
129=10111
130=10120
131=10121
132=10200
133=10201
134=10210
135=10211
136=10220
137=10221
138=10300
139=10301
140=10310
141=10311
142=10320
143=10321
144=11000
145=11001
146=11010
147=11011
148=11020
149=11021
150=11100
151=11101
152=11110
153=11111
154=11120
155=11121
156=11200
157=11201
158=11210
159=11211
160=11220
161=11221
162=11300
163=11301
164=11310
165=11311
166=11320
167=11321
168=12000
169=12001
170=12010
171=12011
172=12020
173=12021
174=12100
175=12101
176=12110
177=12111
178=12120
179=12121
180=12200
181=12201
182=12210
183=12211
184=12220
185=12221
186=12300
187=12301
188=12310
189=12311
190=12320
191=12321
192=13000
193=13001
194=13010
195=13011
196=13020
197=13021
198=13100
199=13101
200=13110

Note the apparent gap at 24 (4!) and 120 (5!) - apparent for those of us who are used to decimal numbers.

Factoradic™ numbers are actually less efficient than any other base. "Efficiency" for a base is normally defined by the radix economy. The actual definition is the size of the base (i.e. the number of possible digits) times the number of digits in a number, although it can be compared to {{w|binary-coded decimal|binary-coded decimals}}. Instead of using actual binary, a binary-coded decimal stores each decimal digit as a binary number. For example, 42 becomes (0100)(0010). This uses 8 bits, which is less efficient than the actual binary value of 101010, which is only 6 bits. It can vary which base is more efficient, like how from 9 to 15, quaternary is more efficient (base 4 * 2 digits = radix economy 8) than ternary (base 3 * 3 digits = radix economy 9). But as the number being represented goes up to infinity, the further you get from a hypothetical base e, the less efficient you become. As a quick example to demonstrate why large bases are less efficient, consider the number 3600. In base 60, it's only three digits, 1;0;0, but because each of those digits can have 60 possible values, its radix economy is 3*60=180. But even though the decimal representation uses a 4th digit, since there are only 10 possible values for each digit, the radix economy is only 4*10=40.

For a k-digit factoradic™ number, the 1st digit can have 2 values, the 2nd can have 3, the 3rd can have 4, up to the k-th digit having k+1 possible values, so the radix economy is effectively (k+1)(k+2)/2 - 1. Unfortunately, this is substantially more difficult to calculate, because it involved the inverse gamma function. But if you use ln n / ln ln n as an approximation of the asymptotic behavior of the inverse of Stirling's approximation, you can set up the limit ln n / ln^2 ln n, which diverges as n approaches infinity. Therefore, at least if you let factoradic™ numbers use other symbols for digits and increase past 10!, then no matter how large and inefficient of a base you're comparing it to, factoradic™ numbers will eventually be less efficient. Meanwhile, if you do stop at 10!-1, it's 9 digits, so its radix economy is 54. And if you solve 54 = b*floor(1+ln(10!-1)/ln(b)) for b, you find that b is approximately 6.75. So factoradic™ is more efficient than base 7 and up, but less efficient than binary, ternary, quaternary, quinary, and senary.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon. - Still needs a lot of deconstruction/reconstruction work on the [Poster:] to make it properly Transcripted (no tables, ideally!), but have improved the surrounding markup/descriptions}}
:[Cueball is standing in front of a large poster. There are two uniformed officers (a Ponytail and a further Cueball, wearing badged hats) approaching Cueball.]
:[Poster:]

:Variable-base Factoradic™ numbers
:{|
|Base 7||Base 6||Base 5||Base 4||Base 3||Base 2
|-
|3||5||3||0||1||1
|}

:Left side

:{| class="wikitable"
|Base 10||Factoradic
|-
|1||1
|-
|2||10
|-
|3||11
|-
|4||20
|-
|5||21
|-
|6||100
|-
|7||101
|-
|
|-
|21||311
|-
|22||320
|-
|23||321
|}

:Right side

:{| class="wikitable"
|Base 10||Factoradic
|-
|24||1,000
|-
|25||1,001
|-
|
|-
|5,038||654,320
|-
|5,039||654,321
|-
|5,040||1,000,000
|-
|
|-
|999,998||266,251,210
|-
|999,999||266,251,211
|-
|1,000,000||266,251,220
|-
|1,000,001||266,251,221
|}

:Cueball: Small numbers like seven or nineteen shouldn't use big numerals like "7" or "9".
:Cueball: I mean, "9" is the biggest numeral we have! It should be reserved for '''''big''''' numbers.
:Cueball: Small numbers should be written with small numerals like "1" or "2".
:Cueball: That's why my variable-base system uses...Hey! No, listen!
:[Caption under the comic:] Factorial numbers are the number system that sounds most like a prank by someone who's about to be escorted out of the math department by security.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with hats]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Self-reference]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]