explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3009: Number Shortage

2024-11-10T04:06:36Z

172.69.22.243:

I bet there's plenty of 9s left. They obviously didn't get a proper range of digits at Benford's Discount Number Store. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.113|172.69.195.113]] 05:53, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Is this not an error? "15 2s and 12 3s" uses up one 3. So shouldn't it next be 11 3s left, not 10? -- [[Special:Contributions/172.69.144.152|172.69.144.152]] 10:41, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

the consequences of our actions /ref [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 10:45, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

The above mentioned “error” is not an error. When she says there are 13 2s left, that uses up one 3. [[User:PedanticMan|PedanticMan]] ([[User talk:PedanticMan|talk]]) 11:13, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

: There's no pause, no "No wait" after "13 2s". Is she reevaluating numbers instantly realtime midsentence? Did she start the sentence planning to say one thing and instantly altered it partway through? I guess that's what Randall is going for. -- [[Special:Contributions/172.69.144.162|172.69.144.162]] 12:00, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
::That's what I assumed, and I already included it in the explanation. But I'm not sure if the title text is consistent with that interpretation. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 17:35, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

If anyone wants to see self-referentiality of numbers taken even further, here is a series of posts that I wrote on "self-describing numbers": https://atmos.warplight.dev/profile/1p8WCZnqqG6N3ZOsJxBgUTo/p1cNCw1OTsioTQBRk [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 12:09, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

the first stage of grief is denial [[user talk:lettherebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 12:19, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
: So you saw that the Harris banner is still up too, eh? There may be no shortage of absolute numbers, but numbers of things, yeah, there are shortages. Like, chances to act to avert disaster, like weren't taken in 2016, and we got lucky ... [[Special:Contributions/172.68.23.92|172.68.23.92]] 17:37, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure "15" uses up one 3 (3*5) and "12" uses up two 2's and one 3 (2*2*3) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.222.213|172.71.222.213]] 15:09, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
:No, I think the "3s" in the first statement uses one, and the ones place of "13" referring to the number of 2s left in the second statement uses another. [[User:Laneymarie96|Laneymarie96]] ([[User talk:Laneymarie96|talk]]) 03:13, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

"Well? How many numbers do we have left?"
"Oh great! There's one more!"
(Yes, I know this goes against the logic of the original comic)
[[User:Turquoise Hat|Turquoise Hat]] ([[User talk:Turquoise Hat|talk]]) 17:36, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Why don't we try using Roman numerals while we wait for the shortage to get fixed? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.135.53|172.69.135.53]] 04:05, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

== "None" ==

Instead of having to say "I don't know" in the title text, one could just say "none". [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.170|172.70.110.170]] 19:46, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
:It's funnier to imagine that they forgot how to articulate "zero" as a concept. [[User:Psychoticpotato|P?sych??otic?pot??at???o ]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 20:56, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

== Google ==
So, is this comic related to the Google incident? Google seems to be suffering from money '''shortage''' after being fined in large '''number'''s. [[User:CategoryGeneral|CategoryGeneral]] ([[User talk:CategoryGeneral|talk]]) 01:51, 10 November 2024 (UTC)
: ...no? Big leap in logic here. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.243|172.69.22.243]] 04:06, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

3006: Demons

2024-11-01T18:19:17Z

172.69.22.243:

{{comic
| number = 3006
| date = November 1, 2024
| title = Demons
| image = demons_2x.png
| imagesize = 285x458px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Though they do appreciate how much he improved the heating system for the flame pit.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DOOR THAT GOES LESS WAYS THAN MOST, WHICH WAS IN TURN MADE BY A DEMON - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Maxwell's demon}} is a thought experiment devised by {{w|James Clerk Maxwell}} that appears to refute the {{w|second law of thermodynamics}}, which roughly says that heat always flows from hotter regions to colder. In the thought experiment, two chambers, both containing a gas at the same temperature, have a door between them. A being (later called a demon by {{w|Lord Kelvin}}) lets only fast-moving gas molecules move from the first chamber to the second, and only slow-moving ones move from the second chamber to the first. The second chamber's gas gradually warms as the average speed of its molecules increases, and the first chamber's gas likewise cools. This demon behaves very differently from mythological {{w|demons}}, which exist in the afterlife (usually some form of {{w|hell}}) and punish evil humans after death by causing them great suffering, as for example boiling them in oil or casting them into flame pits.

In this comic, Randall jokes that, if such a demon were to encounter more stereotypical, mythological ones, he would probably not fit in very well, and would inevitably propose treating humans like the particles of the thought experiment. While a few humans might "get it" and feel offended; for most, the extent of the suffering would be reduced to the anxiety of knowing that, once they cross the door, they are not allowed to return, so (unlike particles which move by simple virtue of having energy) they must ''choose'' when to cross it. This kind of torture is considered tame when compared to being boiled in oil or cast into flame pits.

The title text continues the joke by suggesting that Maxwell's "technique" might have been ineffective at torturing the souls of the damned, but could be used to heat the flame pits better instead.

This comic was published on 01 November, 2024, the day after Halloween, when many comic strips have demonic, supernatural, or other spooky themes.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Three demons standing in hell, surrounded by fire. Each demon has two horns and a tail. The leftmost demon is holding a pitchfork.]
:Leftmost demon: What's our plan for the souls today? Boil them in oil?
:Middle demon: We could cast them into the flame pit.
:Rightmost demon: What if we set up two rooms with a door in between, but– get this– we only let them go through it one way!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Maxwell's Demon had trouble fitting in with the others.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Physics]]

Talk:3004: Wells

2024-10-29T17:12:24Z

172.69.22.243: Thim border

We definitely need some funny explanation for wells and boreholes. Come on, people, you know the drill! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.139|172.70.85.139]] 14:50, 28 October 2024 (UTC)
:insert laugh track here [[User:Psychoticpotato|P?sych??otic?pot??at???o ]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 14:59, 28 October 2024 (UTC)
:Who're you calling a borehole? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:15, 28 October 2024 (UTC)

plot convenience 💔 [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 17:56, 28 October 2024 (UTC)

Fortunately there aren't many Hg wells. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.243|162.158.134.243]] 18:05, 28 October 2024 (UTC)
:The only ones that existed are gone now, although they ''did'' survive an alien attack. [[User:Psychoticpotato|P?sych??otic?pot??at???o ]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 01:46, 29 October 2024 (UTC)

FYI: the "Random" button currently seems to be broken. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.244|162.158.154.244]] 18:08, 28 October 2024 (UTC)
:Aaaaaaaaaand it's back again. huh. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.5|162.158.159.5]] 18:15, 28 October 2024 (UTC)

The similarity with C&H is a bit superficial. Baby humans instinctively drink from their mother's breast, baby calves go to cow udders, and the similarity between the two fluids is pretty obvious. So it's not as random as drinking whatever clear liquid you find underground. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:15, 28 October 2024 (UTC)
:While your logic does make sense on the surface, once you actally aply it.... the similarity between animals mating and humans is pretty obvious.... We stop drinking milk from our mothers as a child and drinking it again is considered very strange, so it would be even more strange to start drinking a different "mothers" milk. {{unsigned|Apollo11|22:39, 28 October 2024 (UTC))}}
:It's the same with the joke about eggs, if predators eat them, it's not far-fetched to think we might be able to as well [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.104|141.101.98.104]]

Seriously though, how did people discover wells? Some internet says from animals that dig for water, but it's still impressive [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.104|141.101.98.104]]

Maybe we need a category for "stuff that seems like it should not work"? I can recall [[2540: TTSLTSWBD]], [[2775: Siphon]], [[2115: Plutonium]]. Anything else? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.22|172.70.86.22]] 10:21, 29 October 2024 (UTC)
: I agree, theres been a few comics with simaliar punchlines, "the siphon glitch" for example [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 15:57, 29 October 2024 (UTC)

The current explanation seems to have an awful lot of preamble on things that aren't about the comic before you get to the stuff that is about it (in the third paragraph. Feels like that could be significantly cut down, if not simply removed/moved to trivia.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.2|172.70.162.2]] 16:50, 29 October 2024 (UTC)

Anyone noticed how the comic's frame appears thinner than usual on the top and the sides? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.243|172.69.22.243]] 17:12, 29 October 2024 (UTC)

2878: Supernova

2024-01-09T21:59:59Z

172.69.22.243: Removed errant phrase about time across space.

{{comic
| number = 2878
| date = January 8, 2024
| title = Supernova
| image = supernova_2x.png
| imagesize = 348x227px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = They're a little cagey about exactly where the crossover point lies relative to the likelihood of devastating effects on the planet.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A CAGEY MOSTLY HAPPY ASTRONOMER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A {{w|supernova}} occurs when a heavy star can no longer produce enough energy to fight its own gravity, e.g. because its fuel runs out (type II) or because it has accreted too much mass from a binary companion (type Ia). The collapsing mass leads to a violent explosion, one of the most interesting events for astronomers to observe and one that can be used to glean information about the universe.

At first glance, this graph appears to show the typical '''light curve''' of a {{w|type Ia supernova}}, constructed by plotting the '''brightness''' of the supernova as a function of '''time''', with negative values indicating a logarithmic luminosity scale (below zero means a linear luminosity of less than the unit amount). In the event of a supernova an unremarkable star becomes notably bright over a short period of time before trailing off again to leave a stellar remnant and expanding cloud of ejecta. Around the time of this comic's release new constraints on the expansion of the universe from the observation of type Ia supernovae were [https://news.fnal.gov/2024/01/final-supernova-results-from-dark-energy-survey-offer-unique-insights-into-the-expansion-of-the-universe/ published], which used the regular shape of their light curves to establish a distance scale.

However, upon closer inspection this comic suggests that a distance scale of the universe can also be established by studying astronomers' happiness. It reimagines the light curve graph shape to display how '''happy astronomers''' are when they discover a new supernova based on how '''far away''' it is from Earth. There is a steep rise to a maximum in astronomer happiness. The further away the supernova occurs, the less detail can be learned from it, so the graph beyond the maximum happiness distance appears to show an asymptotic approach to less and less astronomer happiness. On the other hand, a {{w|near-earth supernova}} close enough to flood the Earth with a lethal amount of gamma and X-ray radiation might be considered ''too'' close. Its radiation could destroy life on Earth, or at least significantly harm the biosphere. Astronomers (and many others) would be really unhappy if that happened{{cn}}, shown as a sharp drop in happiness towards smaller distances and negative happiness values for a supernova that is too close. In fact, if a supernova were to instantly destroy Earth, or kill off all life on it, astronomers may no longer be able to be happy or unhappy (depending on your theological/spiritual feelings), so distance values close to zero have undefined astronomer happiness values.

Many astronomers watch and study the stars in the night sky, even those that don't change appreciably over human timescales, but observing and recording such a huge event would be interesting for many reasons. Humans can observe some supernovae with the naked eye, especially if they occur within {{w|Milky Way|our own galaxy}} and are clearly visible from Earth. A potential supernova in the news lately is {{w|Betelgeuse}}, a {{w|red giant}} star that is the left shoulder in the constellation Orion. About 430 light years from the Sun, it has been pulsating, dimming and brightening over exceedingly short time scales compared to the tens of millions of years such a big star is expected to burn. Betelgeuse should be far enough away from Earth that the inevitable explosion would be safe enough for life on Earth (although [https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/earth-danger-betelgeuse-supernova some assessments] are not so sure), but it ''will'' outshine all other stars in the night sky, possibly competing with the Moon, and could even be visible during daytime. This would be a dream come true for many astronomers and something obvious to others interested in the night sky. In the first [[:Category:Stargazing | Stargazing]] comic, [[1644: Stargazing | 1644]], the wish that it goes supernova (in [[Randall|Randall's]] lifetime) is clearly expressed.

Since this ''should'' be safe for us, and since it would be a spectacle not seen for hundreds of years here on Earth, this would make astronomers very happy, not just from all they could learn, but also from all the increased interest in gazing at the sky with the 'new' star (and then seeing what happens to it next).
There are thought to be about three supernovae occurring per century within our own galaxy (most stars of which are much further away than Betelgeuse), and many other galaxies within which a supernova explosion can be detected. These remain useful to see, and are often studied as intensively as possible, but have decreasing amounts of thrill to them and are harder to notice/record in the early stages of the explosion (or immediately before, to add even more understanding).

The title text expands upon the point of "too close" supernovae, pointing out that astronomers are not quite clear or perhaps unwilling to admit how close they would like a supernova to be. If it were {{what if|73|close enough}} to severely impact the quality of human life, they would presumably not be happy, but the title text suggests that they might actually be willing to accept some trouble on Earth if they get to the see a supernova comparatively close by{{cn}}.

This is the second comic in a row that mentions exploding stars, after [[2877: Fever]], which like this comic is also a [[:Category:Charts|Charts comic]].

==Transcript==
:[A graph is shown where the axes are labeled and arrows are pointing upward above the Y axis label and to the right above the X axis label. There is a single line on the graph that peaks close to the Y axis, where it reaches close to the top of the drawn part of the Y axis. Then the line approaches the X axis asymptotically towards the far right. But closer to the Y axis, the peak line goes almost vertically down, and continues far below the "bottom of the chart", outside of the boundary of the graph that was only supposed to be above the X axis.]
:Y axis: How happy astronomers are
:X axis: How far away the new supernova is

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]