explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3071: Decay Chain

2025-04-10T12:24:45Z

172.71.114.123:

... should have gone down to the 5S. That was really rock bottom... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.36|172.70.114.36]] 01:53, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
: My old SE was a real workhorse. Small enough to comfortably use in one hand, power button on the top so I don't have to worry about turning it off when gripping it, headphone jack, black background on the reboot screen, and twice as much storage as my current iphone 7. It kept working until the screen cracked and glass was peeling out of the screen, and several months beyond that, when the screen just went blank and refused to turn on. [[User:Firestar233|guess who]] ([[User talk:Firestar233|if you desire conversing]] | [[Special:Contributions/Firestar233|what i have done]]) 05:10, 3 April 2025 (UTC)

No april fools' comic? Sad. [[User:Onestay|Onestay]] ([[User talk:Onestay|talk]]) 01:58, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
:Takes some time. Might still be one.--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 02:18, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
::Yeah, escape speed was late for 18 days, maybe the new interactive comic will be the same [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!|Aprilfoolsupdate!]] ([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 05:06, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
:::Yes we could still hope for a treat. However, last time the election did not go as he wished he did not make any [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comics]] as he was quite [[Sad]] at the time, it was in 2017 see this [[1818:_Rayleigh_Scattering#No_April_Fools.27_Day_comic_in_2017|trivia]]... It might be even worse this time. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
::::As anyone with liberal political views (which includes me), I think this is the worst it could've possibly gone. Might not get an april fools comic for the next four years. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 13:03, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
:::::I SERIOUSLY hope there is one.My opinion is that there is [[2871: Definitely|defineatly]] one.--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 13:55, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
::::::Probably will be one 2017 is a long time ago(relatively) [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!|Aprilfoolsupdate!]] ([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 14:24, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
::::::Just because the last absence was eight years ago, under a similar political climate, I can't see that being a prime factor behind not doing an April Fool. If the circumstances alone makes him not think up anything funny, he'd be drying up in the realm of normal comics. (And, please, before anyone says that this is happening, I shall pre-emptively disagree; business as usual, IMO, by which I mean it's all still good.)
::::::If it's a large-scale flight of imagination that's not happened, that doesn't even need joyous thoughts every day. In fact, a degree of depression could well drive some of the development as a coping mechanism.
::::::On the whole, though, I'd say that any reason why (if it happens/doesn't happen) there's nothing this year is the sheer amount of effort required. Conceptualising, planning, coding and drawing seem to be the main units of work. All but the latter can be helped by a team, but certainly the core of the latter really needs to be kept personal, even if some flood-filling or careful recompositing can be farmed out to others he trusts to not spoil his style.
::::::There was a tradition in the UK for the {{w|Morecambe and Wise}} Christmas Show to be ''the'' thing to watch (as an example), and it was probably the most stressful show for the writers and stars because it got to the stage that it had such a reputation for being entertaining (by the standards of the era - but repeats, even decades later, still are enjoyed...) that it ''had'' to be good.
::::::I can quite imagine that Randall is in a similar position of only just getting one April Fool over with, and wondering whatever he's going to do to follow it (never mind any other non-Fool specials he's also working towards). Even while feeding us our regular three comics a week, like an insatiable chick in a nest demanding more and more food from its parents.
::::::I even have had a few ideas of my own, that I'd happily contribute (and could even help with, having satisfied myself with proofs of concept), but I respect him too much to bother him with unsolicited advice from someone he doesn't know. Plus, I'd rather get pleasingly surprised by the true Randall spirit (or none at all) than feel like I forced him into doing ''my'' thing. (Or, worse, being to close to his own ideas, and deciding that he can't do that any more, lest it look like he took my concept and ''pretended'' it was already in his mind.)
::::::I actually don't know how he set about prior works (solo or collaboration), but I'd have to already be far closer to him (socially, or perhaps with prior professional outreaches, neith of which are on the horizon) to have a proper idea. With everything he may have on his plate (''What If? 3'' and/or other books, more YouTubed conversions, some decidedly non-Fool future specials that he might have plans for, the continuing thrice-weekly comics...) maybe there just wasn't a way to give us want we're waiting for this year (maybe that was 2017's basic issue?). Or maybe he's ''almost there'', just not yet.
::::::He won't read this (that's ok, I don't read his Twitter - though that's mostly because it's been made too awkward to read things there without an account on the now-X, and I'm well past the point that I might have ever considered signing up) so this is not for his benefit, but for those who seem to think it's a cut'n'dried contract that he ''will'' entertain you. When he will only as much as he feels he can. With the caveat of "horses for courses", as he'll never please everybody, however much he might try.
::::::Be calm, fellow xkcd community members. ''Maybe'' we're due a truly humdingery ''Summertime'' special release (or Halloween, or Christmas, or next April (twice as good as a normal year!), or just at some random time that may or may not coincide with a book launch, or... If we already knew about it, would it be as nice a surprise..? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.59|172.71.178.59]] 16:44, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
:::::::I thought it obvious that this presidency ''was'' the joke? Did not everyone get the joke? I mean, maybe it's in bad taste, but the irony is ''right there''. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 13:42, 4 April 2025 (UTC)

A quick search for "newest iPhone" gave me that 16 (various models) is the newest. That is, if it's newer than 15. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.15.141|172.68.15.141]] 04:39, 3 April 2025 (UTC)

Most stars only produce Bell rotary phones, perhaps producing touch tone or even cordless phones briefly as they move off the main sequence. Massive stars can produce up to Nokia phones, but that's the final stage that stars can produce in their normal lifespan. All smartphones are produced in supernova. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.246.149|172.69.246.149]] 05:32, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
: I thought they were produced in a Movistar. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.167|172.70.163.167]] 09:01, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
: The iPhone 13 mini is not listed because it's a rare isotope that only forms within highly compact spacetime conditions that no longer exist in our region of the universe. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 14:22, 4 April 2025 (UTC)
:: The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini decay into the standard iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models, respectively, via the less common beta+ emission mechanism. Neither is part of the displayed decay chain without external excitation into non-standard models. It is also theoretically possible for the iPhone 13 mini to spontaneously transition into the lower energy state 3rd generation iPhone SE, and then follow a parallel decay chain beyond the iPhone 7, but it is so rare that it has not yet been observed during the current lifetime of the universe. [[User:SammyChips|SammyChips]] ([[User talk:SammyChips|talk]]) 18:39, 7 April 2025 (UTC)

I miss an explanation of the iPhone models. Are these the only ones there are? In which order were they released? (Of course, I could google iPhone, but that would defeat the purpose of this page, wouldn’t it?) It feels strange that there is an iPhone 7, but no 8 and 9, then X (assuming X means 10), 11, 12 only with the addition “pro max” and so on. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.43.67|172.70.43.67]] 06:26, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
:I think there is an 8 {{unsigned ip|172.70.162.195|09:18, 3 April 2025 (UTC)}}
:There are more phones theorised to exist in nature, but they're mostly only found in high-energy colliders. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.179|172.68.205.179]] 07:12, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
::Note that the comic shows a {{w|decay chain}} not a {{w|table of nuclides}}, i.e. it only shows iPhones which occur during the decay of an iPhone 16 pro max. I also wonder why iPhone X apparently has Z=9, but according to {{w|List of iPhone models}} apparently no iPhone 9 was ever observed. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.109.89|172.69.109.89]] 09:57, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
:Before iPhone 11, Apple tended to bump the major number only every second year. They released the iPhones 8 and X the same year, then XS and XR the next year. So: ... 6, 6S, 7, (8 and X), (XS and XR), (11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max), ... {{unsigned ip|172.68.0.151|10:20, 3 April 2025 (UTC)}}
Maybe this references how especially for iPhones, new models are constantly made and old ones traded in or discarded? As if the new phones are actually the same and current phones are just getting worse? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.10|162.158.167.10]] 07:18, 3 April 2025 (UTC)

Is this like how Randall's TI-85 decayed into a TI-83? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.17.144|172.69.17.144]] 11:04, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
:I think that's a corollary worth noting in the description! [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 13:36, 4 April 2025 (UTC)

So, is there a {{w|neutronium}} analogue, in the "iPhone <no number> expert super plus pro max elite extra master genius limited edition"? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.29|172.71.178.29]] 12:14, 3 April 2025 (UTC)

I wonder if there's a real element that has a similar decay chain. [[User:Bigyihsuan|Bigyihsuan]] ([[User talk:Bigyihsuan|talk]]) 13:08, 3 April 2025 (UTC)

I wonder what the actual weights are of the phones and if that does track... [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.69|172.68.54.69]] 13:59, 3 April 2025 (UTC)

Presumably it ends with the 7 because that's currently the earliest iPhone still receiving security updates [[Special:Contributions/172.69.114.83|172.69.114.83]] 17:16, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
: I think this needs to be mentioned in the official explanation, that's the only sensible explanation for why "stable" ends at 7 (assuming it is true that 7 is the last supported model for OS updates, I did not double check.{{unsigned ip|162.158.103.187|23:13, 3 April 2025 (UTC)}}
::I agree that 7 being the earliest with updates, should be mentioned. (It's the first reason I thought of as well, for it being the final decay state.) [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 13:38, 4 April 2025 (UTC)

Side note: the SIM part could also be related to the fact that, since the iPhone first came out, the standard size of SIMs has changed twice (by shrinking). In a curious twist of things, different phones have different compatibilities with each standard SIM size: some accept SIMs one size bigger if trimmed to size, some accept SIMs one size smaller if surrounded by extra material (cardboard or plastic) to bring them to size, some accept both and some accept one; I'm not sure about compatibility two sizes away. (TL;DR: the phone may be ejectng the incompatible SIM)--[[Special:Contributions/172.64.236.38|172.64.236.38]] 22:22, 3 April 2025 (UTC)

The iPhone X doesn't exist "instead of a 9 model", it is actually the model between the iPhone 8 and the iPhone XS.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.114.123|172.71.114.123]] 12:24, 10 April 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2877: Fever

2024-01-06T00:03:09Z

172.71.114.123:

I was feeling a bit cold, actually, but now I'm back down to around 94.5 °De... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.188|172.69.79.188]] 22:11, 5 January 2024 (UTC)

I edited this wiki for the first time :)
Well, it was just the transcript but a first time is still a first time [[User:DNA Diva|DNA diva]] ([[User talk:DNA Diva|talk]]) 22:33, 5 January 2024 (UTC)

: Another reference to the 2003 movie ''{{w|The Core}}''. We should add a category. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.114.123|172.71.114.123]] 00:03, 6 January 2024 (UTC)

2877: Fever

2024-01-06T00:02:33Z

172.71.114.123: /* Explanation */ The Core

{{comic
| number = 2877
| date = January 5, 2024
| title = Fever
| image = fever_2x.png
| imagesize = 514x587px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hypothermia of below 98.6 K should be treated by leaving the giant molecular cloud and moving to the vicinity of a star.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EXPLODING GENOME OF FLU VIRUSES - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic purports to be a chart on {{w|fever}} temperatures. It starts out reasonably and then progresses to very high, impossible to have — at least for meaningful periods of time — temperatures, a theme present in many xkcd comics.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|+ Treating a Fever
|-
! Fever Temperature (Celsius) !! Equivalent Fahrenheit temperature !! Treatment !! Additional notes
|-
| 38-40 || 100-104 || Fluids, rest, normal doctor stuff || Normal fever temperatures.
|-
| 40-45 || 104-113 || Hospital, advanced doctor stuff || Point at which humans might start experiencing brain damage from fever.
|-
| 45-100 || 113-212 || Exit that steam cloud immediately || Only a few people could survive such external temperatures, for extended periods, without severe discomfort or even injury. And it would be an increasingly improbable core body temperature to register for purely biological reasons.
After this point, there is basically no further possibility of the temperature range being ''in vivo'', rather than in the increasingly hostile environments (which are also not healthy to experience).
|-
| 100-400 || 212-752 || Stop, drop, and roll || Someone is probably on fire. Stop, drop, and roll is the recommended method for putting out flames on your clothing.
|-
| 400-500 || 752-932 || Return to Earth from Venus ASAP || 464°C (867°F) is {{w|Venus}}ian atmosphere temperature.
|-
| 500-1,500 || 932-2,732 || Please climb out of that volcano || {{w|Magma}} is about 700°C (1,292°F). Therefore, if someone is at that temperature, they are probably in lava/magma.
|-
| 1,500-5,000 || 2,732-9,032 || Turn your tunneling machine around and come back up to the surface || 4,400-6,000°C (7,952-10,832°F) is the estimate internal temperature of the {{w|Earth}}. This is at least the 6th comic with a reference to the 2003 movie ''{{w|The Core}}'' (widely considered a contender for "{{w|The Core#Reception|all-time-worst 'science in a movie' winner}}"). We have: [[673: The Sun]], [[2011: Newton's Trajectories]], [[2074: Airplanes and Spaceships]], [[2765: Escape Speed]], [[2858: Thanksgiving Arguments]].
|-
| 5,000-6,000 || 9,032-10,832 || No, the surface of the '''''Earth''''', not the Sun || 5,500°C (9,932°F) is the approximate temperature of the surface of the {{w|Sun}}. The Sun's {{w|photosphere}} has a temperature between 4,400 and 6,600 K (4,130 and 6,330 °C) (with an effective temperature of 5,772 K (5,499 °C)).
|-
| 6,000-50,000 || 10,832-90,032 || Wait, that's not the Sun. What star are you visiting? Come back right now. || Surface temperatures of {{w|main sequence|main-sequence}} stars larger than the Sun can go up to 50,000 (Kelvin and degrees Celsius are indistinguishable at this point). Though some stars can be even hotter.
|-
| 50,000-20,000,000 || 90,032-36,000,032 || At least stay on the '''''surface''''' of the star instead of diving down to the core || Core temperatures of main-sequence stars like the Sun are usually around ten million kelvins, while larger and hotter stars can reach up to a hundred million.
|-
| 20,000,000-10,000,000,000 || 36,000,032-18,000,000,032 || You know, you could've picked a normal star instead of one that's exploding || {{w|Supernova}}e can reach temperatures of billions of degrees for brief periods, with type II supernovae even reaching hundreds of billions of degrees.
|-
| 10,000,000,000 or higher || 18,000,000,032 or higher || I hope you're enjoying your visit to the Big Bang but you should really come back home immediately || 10<sup>32</sup> °C (or K) is the estimated temperature of the {{w|Big Bang}}
|}

The title text suggests that those with temperatures under 98.6 Kelvin (-173.55 Celsius or -280.39 Fahrenheit) are in a {{w|molecular cloud}} and that they should get near a star to warm them up. 98.6 ''Fahrenheit'' (=37°C) is the average human resting body temperature.

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

[There is a table of temperatures and corresponding "treatments" for fevers of those temperatures. The caption above the table reads:]

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Treating a Fever
! Fever !! Treatment
|-
| 38°C-40°C (100°F-104°F) || Fluids, rest, normal doctor stuff
|-
| 40°C-45°C || Hospital, advanced doctor stuff
|-
| 45°C-100°C || Exit that steam cloud immediately
|-
| 100°C-400°C || Stop, drop, and roll
|-
| 400°C-500°C || Return to Earth from Venus ASAP
|-
| 500°C-1,500°C || Please climb out of that volcano
|-
| 1,500°C-5,000°C || Turn your tunneling machine around and come back up to the surface
|-
| 5,000°C-6,000°C || No, the surface of the '''''Earth''''', not the Sun
|-
| 6,000°C-50,000°C || Wait, that's not the Sun. What star are you visiting? Come back right now.
|-
| 50,000°C-20,000,000°C || At least stay on the '''''surface''''' of the star instead of diving down to the core
|-
| 20,000,000°C-10,000,000,000°C || You know, you could've picked a normal star instead of one that's exploding
|-
| 10,000,000,000°C or higher || I hope you're enjoying your visit to the Big Bang but you should really come back home immediately
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Medicine]]