explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3062: Off By One

2025-03-13T10:43:53Z

172.71.154.39:

But what about floats? [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 20:01, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

Is this dithering? [[User:Hcs|Hcs]] ([[User talk:Hcs|talk]]) 21:19, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

: Could be. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 22:19, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

But if it's adjusted both on store and on read, then there is a chance (of about 1 in 22) that the value after read will be exactly the same as the value before store. This does not eliminate pre-existing off-by-one errors, and in fact, introduces new ones if the adjustment on read is off by one from the adjustment on store, when there was no off-by-one error in the original code. And what's worse - with a single store-read cycle, the value can never be off by 40 to 50. It can be off by up to 10, or by between 80 to 100, in either direction. --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 22:42, 12 March 2025 (UTC)
:I was ''just'' adjusting the explanation to imply this sort of thing (without having read your comment, just yet). Given the assumption that n=n±(40+rand(11)) at every stage (I'm assuming 'inclusive', Snaxmcgee!), two steps of 'intentional adjustment' might result in: -100 (x1), -99 (x2), -98 (x3), -97 (x4), -96 (x5), -95 (x6), -94 (x7), -93 (x8), -92 (x9), -91 (x10), -90 (x11), -89..-80 (x10..x1), -10 (x2), -9 (x4), -8 (x6), -7 (x8), -6 (x10), -5 (x12), -4 (x14), -3 (x16), -2 (x18), -1 (x20), ±0 (x22), +1..+10 (x20..x2), +80..+90..+100 (x1..x11..x1).
:This gives a chance of being entirely correct as 22/484 (4.5454...%) and ''each'' off-by-one as ''very'' slightly less (though ±1, in total is almost twice as likely!).
:Adding further steps (skipping odd step-cummulations, at least at first, until you get to nine of them and everything entirely stops being discontinuous) just spreads out an increased number of highs right next to zero deflection... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.129|172.70.86.129]] 23:38, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

::Obligatory quote:
There are two hard things in computer science: cache invalidation, naming things, and off-by-one errors.
::See here for a full story of this quote: https://twitter.com/codinghorror/status/506010907021828096
::--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.129.64|162.158.129.64]] 08:28, 13 March 2025 (UTC)
:::And 3 hard things in distributed computing: 3. Delivering messages exactly one time, 2. Making sure things happen in the correct order, and 3. Delivering messages exactly one time [[User:Jamcdonald|Jamcdonald]] ([[User talk:Jamcdonald|talk]])
::::Presumably 1 is not losing data? --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 10:19, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

In the comic, Cueball clearly says the adjustment amounts is ‘’between’’ 40 and 50, yet this explanation says the adjustment is from 40 to 50, ironically making an off-by-1 error on both ends of the range. Neither integers 40 nor 50 are “between 40 and 50”. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.39|172.71.154.39]] 10:43, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

User talk:42.book.addict/archive

2024-11-11T18:55:54Z

172.71.154.39:

<center>'''This is an archive of a talk page. Go to [[User talk:42.book.addict]] to talk to me!'''</center>

== citation needed tips==
You seem to be taking to heart the punctuation-before-the-Citation-needed standard (which is good, only sometimes it's even more complicated{{Citation needed}}),{{Citation needed}} but I see you recased an example of {{template|citation needed}} to {{template|Citation Needed}}, earlier. Now, it doesn't really matter because there are templates for "citation needed" and "Citation Needed". And also "cn" plus "fact" for the really lazy editors. ;) Anyway, all of these (maybe more, I'd have to check) redirect to the ''main'' "Citation needed" one. (Reflected in {{template|Actual citation needed}}, where "actual citation needed" ''plus'' "acn" redirect there, although {{template|Actual Citation Needed}} - "for completeness" - is actually a 'copy' template in its own right.) I wouldn't bother ''only'' changing various CN variations to "Citation needed"s (there ''is'' also a {{template|Citation neededs}}, but that's a '''s'''truckthrough version of "Citation needed" rather than an ungrammatical "Citation''s'' needed"!), but if you're already editing anything else, it would not at all hurt to get everything to capital-C small-n version. It gives the server ''very very slightly'' less work to do. ;) Probably. Not that it matters. But, as you seem to be a 'details person', I thought I'd pass on a detail you may not have already known... :p [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.156|172.69.195.156]] 02:11, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
:You have not read the above (properly, at least). The {{template|Citation needed}} is the 'proper' one (for xkcd version of 'proper'), whilst {{template|cn}} is a lazy version that redirects. There's no reason at all to change "Citation needed" to "cn". (Not much reason to change the other way, either, but could be justified if one is editing something else..)
:I reverted the one where you made the "SIGHTation needed" into a CN, as that was clearly a deliberate variation by some past wag. No point changing it to the (not-quite-)standard one. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.115|172.69.194.115]] 17:31, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
::Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t read your message until now. I’ll start using “Citation needed” instead of cn. Thanks for the heads up! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:35, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
:::And if you expect me to reply to you immediately, sorry! I’m at school right now, and it’s completely impractical to be listening to a lecture and editing ExplainXKCD at the same time. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:35, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
::::No worries. I was busy myself, and already a bit slow to jump in and let you know, just knowing you'd probably see the above better/sooner than a revert-edit summary. ;)
::::Functionally, all identical. Just the practical need for it was balanced the other way. Can't fault you for identifying the need to shift the punctuation. (I may do that in passing, with some other edit in mind... had to specifically redo it on the reverted SIGHTation article, i.e. on the true Citation one that was wrong, because I'd meant to keep ''that'' valid change but got distracted by a phone-call...)
::::Anyway, welcome to the community, I just hope you do more helpful things than troublesome ones. (Heck, I still hope *I* do that, even after a number of years. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.207|172.71.242.207]] 18:00, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
:::::thanks! (btw, are you saying that my edits are troublesome?) [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:01, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
::::::Well, I wasn't. Just hoping that (through errors/misunderstandings) you still end up on the right side of trouble/not-trouble, on average. But just would like to point out that creating Jupitale's home page was ''not'' a good move. See [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:Jupitale&oldid=335943 my edited comment]. I'm willing to believe you did it accidentally (visited their non-existing page, thus ended up creating it), and some mod or other may be along to clean it up at some point. Before or after that whole login is 'looked sternly at'. But shouldn't concern you if you're just being helpful and don't do too much of that. Anyway, enjoy your time here. (Not ''too'' much, obviously. Y'know, do your scholwork/don't vandalise wikis/all the other usual social necessities. :p ) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.220|172.71.242.220]] 18:20, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
:::::::oh shit ok I didn’t realise that Jupidale’s was a vandal ill be more mindful [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:30, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
::::::::My homepage is now fine thank you very much [[User:Jupitale|Jupitale]] ([[User talk:Jupitale|talk]]) 18:34, 11 March 2024 (UTC)

== What are your thoughts on the Soviet Union? ==
Alright, who the FUCK added a Soviet flag to my talk page? BTW, thanks to Asdf for reverting it. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 20:26, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
:It's one of the occasional vandalisers. Don't worry, we generally pick these things up.
:As far as your noticing the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1156:_Conditioning&oldid=336318 fox-instead-of-pope] vandalism, we also pick that up (I reverted it the previous two times). You'll work out how to use the Undo functionality, at some time, but maybe you'll want to also check the page histories to see what recent edits a page might have been through, note what has been done (for good or ill) and get some more idea of what happens and how we generally handle these things. All a learning process, of course! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.55|172.71.178.55]] 20:50, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
::Thank you! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 20:51, 1 March 2024 (UTC)

Hi! What do you think about the USSR? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.37|108.162.245.37]] 00:18, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
:oh, uh, it was oppressive, absolutely authoritarian, and cold. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 00:32, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
::but, why, though? [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 00:32, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
:::oh, and if i think that I’m going to listen to you anymore now that I’ve realised that you’re a troll, then you are mistaken [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 00:35, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
::::btw please stop adding soviet flags everywhere. They’re disruptive, unnecessary, and you’re just being an asshole and douchebag [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 00:36, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
:::::btw I'm the crap spammer [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.80|172.71.147.80]] 00:53, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
::::::that’s not really something to brag about… [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 00:53, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
:::::::I don't think you were here for the crap spam; it was quite extensive [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.79|172.71.147.79]] 00:55, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
::::::::even if I wasn’t here for the crap spam, i think that you are an motherfucker who doesnt have a life, needs to GET a life, and should really stop spamming and disrupting this wiki. Please go fuck yourself, jump off a bridge, and set yourself on fire if you still are defiant. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 00:56, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::Okay, I'll follow the wiki part of your advice, but not the bridge part. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.79|172.71.147.79]] 00:58, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::THANK YOU! Also, i only said to jump off a bridge if you refuse to get a life [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 00:58, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::You're welcome. I'll look for ways to contribute constructively. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.80|172.71.147.80]] 01:01, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::tbh this has been one of the less bad things I've done; the crapping was way worse [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.80|172.71.147.80]] 01:07, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::i have no idea why you’re still bragging about how you were so good at vandalising this wiki before[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 01:07, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::: okay why are there so many colons on this thread premium chromium both Cote'di Ivore and Suriname look like potato wedges I will fill out by saying JACKSEPICYOUTUBECHANNELFULLOFFUNTIMESANDHIRICKX turdboiturdboiturdboi69420 {{unsigned|Jupitale|18:29, 11 March 2024}}

== New User and User Talk pages ==

You're trying to be helpful, but... Anyone who ''really'' wants them will probably ask (or wait until they have page-creation rights themself). Looking at all the ones you've made for people, how many have even then been used (by the user concerned)? I suggest you don't need to create them, not even to un-redlink someone's [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?limit=50&title=Special%3AContributions&contribs=user&target=Cleonis&namespace=&tagfilter=&start=&end= comic discussion] .sig links. It's normally not a big concern, and there's enough people who can help out if someone actually asks for it when you're not paying attention.
 As for the rest of us: ironically, I slightly wanted to drop a note to a long-term user the other day. (Comparatively, i.e. that they've been around for a bit longer than yourself.) They didn't have a User Talk page, so I resorted to a different way of commenting. They can create their own pages, if they want (and, if I was a username myself, I definitely could have by now). Yet I definitely wouldn't consider it valid to give the whole historic userbase any such 'missing' user-spaces.
 I'm no authority on this matter, or even a 'real user' in any properly identifiable way, but please do consider my advice that comes from long but informal experience of this kind of matter. You're not the first eager new contributor to try to help out like this. And you're not the first to have made the odd error (giving a spam-only account a Welcoming page ...which thankfully never got used to further the spamming, the account seemingly abandoned by that point ''anyway''), but of course this was probably before you even started lurking here (certainly before your current username, perhaps even prior to any IP-only-editing you might have done before that). Heck, some 'helpful' people even created the occasional User and/or User Talk spaces for IPs (don't do that, either, it's at best neutrally useless - even from my own IP-wise perspective).
 You at least seem to be doing it from a genuinely helpful position. For that, I thank you, and maybe also some of those actual new users do (if they've notice. But maybe no more. Unasked for, at least? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.29|172.71.242.29]] 16:13, 11 March 2024 (UTC)
:postscript - even while I was writing this, it seems that one of the users who ''hadn't'' seemed to want to use their page actually went and did so. And, elsewhere, proclaimed they weren't vandalising any more. I leave it up to others to make judgements on what's happening there, and the timing with respect to other recent interactions, but still not being particular auspicious. Time will tell how this all turns out. Anyway, just to note this. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.29|172.70.90.29]] 16:29, 11 March 2024 (UTC) (Same contributor as above, regardless of what the IP may have changed to.)

== newline tips ==
Just a note from a perpetual observer about the newline thing.
:Using one or more : (at the start of a line) gives indents. If you are already indenting, then a simple newline and : (or multiple ::s, the same numbed as you were on) handles the textflow properly and ''renders'' it as a linefeed, rather than 'merely' a simple whitespace that continues. I'm doing that here.
;I can also use other markup, like the ; I used here...
:...but that's not how that is meant to be used, and...
;:...only lines up with "<nowiki>;:</nowiki>", in this case...
:;...and not with "<nowiki>:;</nowiki>" in this other. ;)
:Honestly, though, that's not what ; is to be used for. It's actually really more for ";Item:Definition of some kind", like:
;Item:Definition of some kind
:Though is often repurposed as ";Unofficial 'header' title", within Talk pages, that doesn't create a TOC entry. Just just so gou know. :p
:If you're writing at the 'zero indent' level, then a double-linefeed in the wikisource forces a line-break in the HTML, but it looks messy in viewing/re-editing the markup, so one way to avoid that is to invoke the <nowiki> </nowiki>, even in the middle of an actual wikisource line! (But that can be confusing, so don't do that without ''good'' reason.
:I also prefer to use "<nowiki> </nowiki>" (it adheres to standard non-container extensible HTML tag notation better) and like to put it at the ''start'' of the new line text rather than at the end of the old one's (but this is practically the same – I just find that seeing <nowiki> </nowiki>s at the start of every intended new line is easier to visually check than having them at random column positions according to the paragraph length that precedes it, hence it's my preference only).
:Another useful note is that when you're in a wikitable markup, the 'contents' of a cell can have linebreaks. Whether a line-started "|" or a successive midline "||" (trust me, when you're used to wikitabls markup, you'll know what I'm saying!), the ''very first'' newline in the wikisource is understood as a renderable newline (because it's not the "|"-at-start-of-line of the next column's cell, or the "|-" tween-line, otherwise expected), but you need to invoke any second, third, etc linebreaks with one or other of the br-tag/double-newline/etc methods. Otherwise it'll just be treated as whitespace and 'unwrap' into a continuous second-para. (As always, if in doubt use the Preview button, check it appears like you think it ought to.)
:But there's ''loads'' of different ways to wikimarkup various conceptual layouts, and all kinds of different styles that you could adopt. This is just a "the more you know..!" infodump, which may ''or may not'' be useful to relatively new editors like yourselves. So take note or ignore, or ignore until you suddenly realise you might need to know these things, then try to make sense of it. Or ''maybe'' I'll be around to answer further questions! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.11|172.70.86.11]] 20:34, 15 May 2024 (UTC)
::trying to process the infodump right now-but thank you! I’ll slowly process it. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 21:17, 15 May 2024 (UTC)

== Goddamn preview button ==

I always forget about that God damn preview button too :( [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 16:24, 16 May 2024 (UTC)
:hey, higher edit score tho! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 16:26, 16 May 2024 (UTC)
::True.... Welp who needs the preview button anyway [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 16:38, 16 May 2024 (UTC)
:::Oh boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii [[User:Z1mp0st0rz|The orange crewmate ඞ]] ([[User talk:Z1mp0st0rz|talk]]) 19:24, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

== Editing other people's talk pages ==

'''42.book.addict''': ''Respectfully but firmly'': If you don't like the way I manage my talk page, please feel free to leave me a message saying so. But it is '''grossly inappropriate''' for you take matters into your own hands and make a major reversion or mass edit to another person's talk page that is anything other than adding a message to them. If you don't like how I run my talk page, complain somewhere else, but '''get off my lawn.''' It sounds like you are grossly unfamiliar with MediaWiki etiquette. Go check how it works on Wikipedia (there are not a lot of great examples here). But until then, again: '''GET OFF MY LAWN''' and '''do not revert edits to my talk page.''' Thank you. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 03:20, 18 May 2024 (UTC) 
:oh, so you say? [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 04:08, 18 May 2024 (UTC) 
[[File:Screen_Shot_2024-05-09_at_7.04.03_PM.png|450px]]
[[File:wikipedia_talk_page_guidelines.png|450px]]
::if you really want to, archive it. or ask for permission to delete the comments from the original author. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 04:18, 18 May 2024 (UTC)
:::Yeah kinda argree {{unsigned|Z1mp0st0rz|17:20, 20 May 2024 (UTC)}}

'''42.book.addict''':You seem confused. Is this a "throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks" situation? Let's start with the {{w|WP:TPG|Wikipedia Talk Page Guidelines}} that you cite in the second screenshot, because they are clear and unambiguous. First of all, "deletion" is not the same as clearing the page—not even close. And if you read the section, it is short, and its beginning pertinent and clear: "''¶ The length of user talk pages, and the need for archiving, is left up to each editor's own discretion. ¶ Although archiving is preferred, users may freely remove comments from ''their'' own talk pages. Users may also remove some content in archiving.''"

That is, I am fully authorized to exercise my own discretion on my own talk page.
And as for archiving, this is a place where this wiki differs from enwiki. We don't have an active archiving culture, with archiving bots. Nor do we need it, because our volumes are so low. The history is not so difficult to pull out. But it matters not — I am free to clear out and blank my own talk page on the English wikipedia, and certainly here.

Moving on to your example from [[:User talk:Netherin5]], it is a different situation, and it is in tension with the clear WP:TPG guidelines quoted above. I'd go so far as to say the [[:User:Dgbrt]] was wrong in their absolute statement "must never be blanked," but what was really going on was that Netherin5 had vandalism on their user page, Dgbrt left them a note on their talk page suggesting they blank it, and Netherin5 blanked the talk page not the user page, and Dgbrt advised Netherin5 that's not what Dgbrt meant. In context, I think Dgbrt's statement was fine, but it wasn't actually correct or proper. Needless to say, this matters not. Even if you and Dgbrt both disagree with me, and even if you were somehow right according to some arbitration process, you still don't get to go and make the changes to my talk page yourself. You get to ask, and if you don't like how I respond, you can raise it up to an administrator or something. But you aren't right. Users are entitled to clear their talk pages.

As for your late-added addition: no. I am not going to ask permission from some IP author (who cannot reasonably reached!) to remove their text from my talk page. Although they explicitly granted it in their message anyhow (unnecessarily!). Nor would I ask the named user who accidently posted on my own page in error. Not necessary to do either of those things. Because, again, it's my talk page and I will manage it as I see fit. If you would like to make suggestions, feel free, but don't take it into your own hands, that is inappropriate and wrong. Thank you. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 04:30, 18 May 2024 (UTC)
:For note, I'm that IP. (Unprovably so, I know; one of the very few disadvantages of remaining untied to a user handle all this time.) I judged my ''own'' contribution to be excessively superfluous (once the point I was making was made) and said so. Being just a conversation between me and the 'page owner', then I offered to let them delete it when it was observed. Whether or not [[2932: Driving PSA|that was wise or helpful]]... ;)
:Once it starts involving more people, then it gets tricky, but generally I'd consider the User Talk 'owner' as having the final word over their own whole User Talk page (new editing rights to anyone, editing rights (within reason, typos/honest errors/etc) only to past contributions by such a contributor (i.e. no correcting others' mistakes) and major edits like reorganising (e.g. top-posting to bottom-/followon-posting, indenting, adjusting headers) or indeed discarding what is past its sell-by-date for whatever reason is justifiable (for malicious contributions, immediate squashing, including back-tracking any malicious and unfounded re-editing). (And, obviously IP User-Talks cannot really be 'claimed' or 'governed', so is potentially the worst of all worlds).
:The simple (non-Talk) User page-spaces I would say have ''very'' few reasons to be edited by anyone other than the 'owner' (primarily, as a fall-back if there is a User page but no User Talk page to make a directed comment upon!) and the owner gets to decide everything (within moderatable/administrable limitations, naturally).
:The (regular article) Talk pages have no owner to moderate them, so there's a few more rights by all the non-owners (logical rearrangements, adding in of missing signatures; importantly ''not'' correcting others' typos) although in the case of actual vandalism/etc (including undue editing of others' comments) then reversion/excising rights are there for the taking by whoever can deal with it.
:Beyond that, it's free-for-all 'improve or modify as you see fit' (as long as it is without malice!) around much of the rest of the wiki (the major exceptions being Community Portal pages to follow the regular Talk page examples, naturally).
:...anyway, to this loose 'ideal', and knowing that there's a(n almost) permanent record of historic changes, one can probably defer to the user for all bits of their User-spaces, but there are always going to be exceptions to this. And opportunities for a tussle. Now, John's got almost the same vintage here as myself (again, unprovably, but I've been semi-lurking/IP-posting here a ''lot'') and I've seen 42 gradually develop from newbie into the eager and eager-to-learn fresh face as they are now - including helping inform an even more recent newbie, recently. ;)
:Ultimately, it's community standards that are going to lead things. Developing concensus probably being more important than even other-Wikis' official standards, as I think there's room for flexibility of opinion. So long as there's no slide into either anarchy or totalitarianism. (And I'm not even sure I know which way round the two 'opposing' views here would represent, though then only if taken to their own particularly absurd extremes). Ideological disagreements are healthy, as long as they don't become outright arguments. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.230.46|162.158.230.46]] 18:43, 18 May 2024 (UTC)
::noted. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 00:10, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

== Z1M argument ==
Will you please leave my user discussion alone? It's getting annoying [[User:Z1mp0st0rz|Z1mp0st0rz]] ([[User talk:Z1mp0st0rz|talk]]) 20:33, 24 April 2024 (UTC)
:my comments have a right to exist. plus, i do have a valid point. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 20:37, 24 April 2024 (UTC)
::As author of the other advice, I have to say I don't mind if Z1m reads it, learns it and deletes it. If it gets deleted again, don't worry about it. Although I've had to correct (or complete) Z1m's 'unsigned' edits several times since I passed on the (too?) thorough instructions, so not sure the learning bit has yet happened. And I happen to agree with you, 42, on the other issue.
::I applaud good-faith edits of all kinds, but perhaps lurk more and learn more, Z1m, ok? Just for the time being. I don't want to pollute these pages with arguments, though, so I'll say no more. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.48|172.70.90.48]] 22:16, 24 April 2024 (UTC)
:::Fine, now please leave my user page alone, 42. Otherwise imma spam Uk flags[[User:Z1mp0st0rz|Z1mp0st0rz]] ([[User talk:Z1mp0st0rz|talk]]) 17:25, 29 April 2024 (UTC)
::::spam my talk page with UK flags, and i will have you promptly banned. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:00, 29 April 2024 (UTC)
::::::fine imma ask a admin to block us from each other so this doesn't happen again. happy? {{unsigned|Z1mp0st0rz|19:31, 29 April 2024 (UTC)}}

==Official Apology==
From: Z1m

To: 42

Listen, I'm sorry for everything, 42. We all make mistakes sometimes, and I think the safest course of action so neither of us gets banned is to either leave each other alone or just say nice things to each other. 
I'm aware it's the Internet, and what I said can't be taken back (unless I delete it). 
But really, I'm sorry. 
To change the subject though, I'm glad I found someone who (used to) read Artemis Fowl! Maybe we can trade favorite book titles sometime! :)
[[User:Z1mp0st0rz|The orange crewmate ඞ]] ([[User talk:Z1mp0st0rz|talk]]) 14:34, 2 May 2024 (UTC) 
P.S: Click on the signature

P.P.S: I say D'Arvit all the time lol
:sort of ironic how someone who says that they like all xkcd comics “except for the ones with swearwords” and yet allegedly says d’arvit “all the time” [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 21:31, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
::42, Z1m just apologized, and thats how you respond? With some passive agresive bullshit. Really?? [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 22:42, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
:I consider it different cuz its in gnommish. don't think it even has a meaning. [[User:Z1mp0st0rz|The orange crewmate ඞ]] ([[User talk:Z1mp0st0rz|talk]]) 14:30, 3 May 2024 (UTC)

== Possible Vandalism!==
Alright, 42, this has gone too far. It's my talk page and I have a right to choose what to keep and what to toss. I already apologized, and you replied with some passive-aggressive garbage. I have no regret saying the following: 
YOU ARE OFFICIALLY BANNED FROM MY TALK PAGE. 
I don't know why you're being a jerk at me, and I don't like it. So get off my talk page! 
I also don't know if you should even say this sort of stuff. People have <str> FEELINGS. </str> 
And you put in this screenshot of something I already know? 
Being mean hurts people... 
But I'm real good at being the bigger person. 
I know what to do. 
You 
are 
a 
jerk. 
Good riddance. 
Signed, Z1m 
PS: I didn't sign with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> so that you couldn't get into my talk page. So there >;) {{unsigned|Z1mp0st0rz|18:19, 13 May 2024 (UTC)}}
:instead of deleting it, just fucking toss it to the bottom. you can’t ban people from your talk page. you can give advice, but you can’t force people to follow your “rules”. your behaviour is going against what Wikipedia and ExplainXKCD stand for. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 20:07, 13 May 2024 (UTC)
::oh, and acc, thx for teaching me how to separate lines of text. Actually. Thank you. No sarcasm. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 20:15, 13 May 2024 (UTC)

==Hi==
Hello 42, I'm glad we made up. We clearly both have some things to work on, but at least we're putting our grudges behind us. 
Yeah, I'm glad you learned how to separate sentences with <nowiki> </nowiki> instead of <nowiki> : </nowiki>. 
Anyway, how are you doing? What's it like in California? 
Wanna trade favorite books sometime? 
You don't have to look at this, just checking in after that truce. 
Hope you have a good day :) 
-Z1m {{unsigned|Z1mp0st0rz|14:49, 15 April 2024 (UTC)}}

==Favorite Stuff?==
Since we made up, I thought we should get to know each other. 
You can see what my favorite stuff is on my user page, 
but I wanna know some of your interests. 
Also yeah sorry again :)
[[User:Z1mp0st0rz|The orange crewmate ඞ]] ([[User talk:Z1mp0st0rz|talk]]) 15:41, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

== gold (Gold) ==

You do know that we don't have a redirect specifically for "gold", right? We have one for "Gold". And if you search for "gold" you get sent to "[[2826: Gold]]" ''anyway''. Why would we need a "[[gold]]"->"2826: Gold" redirect as well as "[[Gold]]"->"2826: Gold"? Ok, so that "gold" link is red-texted, but you always have the option to relink with alternate text like "[[Gold|gold]]" if you absolutely must use it wrongly-cased. So, the next question is why you'd want to write [[cueball]] or [[hairbun]] links instead of [[Cueball]] or [[Hairbun]]. Either you mean their 'proper names', in which case you're supposed to capitalise them, or you're not refering to the characters but the general {{w|hairbun|hairstyle}} or {{w|cueball|snooker/pool/billiards ball}}, which means you don't want to link to the character at all. ...anyway, someone's re-added the intent-to-delete, but I thought I'd suggest why humouring wrong-cased 'fallback' redirects doesn't really help, since there are subtleties you may not have appreciated. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.206|172.69.194.206]] 00:09, 2 July 2024 (UTC)

== Testing e-mail alerts ==

Hi 42.book.addict 
As promised in my [[User_talk:Kynde#Setting_up_emails|reply here]] I would post a note here to see if you actually got an e-mail alert even though your e-mail doesn't seem to be confirmed. My guess is you do not... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:30, 22 August 2024 (UTC)

== Navbox addition ==

I can't edit it (must be semi-protected), but your good catch of adding Harris to the list really needs to be shifted over one position, Kamala being alphabetically after John. Or you could always rearrange the whole lot of politicians in a different order, like chronologically. Or from "left" to "right", or vice-versa, which is clearly not the case with Adolf Hitler and Ron Paul at either end. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.251|172.70.160.251]] 00:31, 4 September 2024 (UTC)
:Cheers! (And really editing to say that I should have said Ronald Reagan, above, but it doesn't really change my humorous point all that much. :p ) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.82|141.101.98.82]] 01:46, 4 September 2024 (UTC)

==Misleading username==
Your username sounds as if it's spam. Would you mind having it changed? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.186.59|172.68.186.59]] 07:55, 28 September 2024 (UTC)
:I’m not making a whole new account because some anon thinks that it sounds like spam. I don’t spam and I ''think'' I contribute in a helpful manner. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 20:13, 28 September 2024 (UTC)

== Help me make my user page ==

How do I do it [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 10:51, 5 October 2024 (UTC)
:step 1: wait for 7 days and make 50 '''productive''' edits to be autoconfirmed. step 2: create a user page. step 3: bask in the fact that you aren’t red-linked anymore-wait no your signature is a bright red. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 03:27, 6 October 2024 (UTC)

== Thanks :) ==

I just wanted to thank you for creating my user page for me. I really apreciate it--[[User:Pego|Pego]] ([[User talk:Pego|talk]]) 16:06, 9 October 2024 (UTC)

== "get a life, impossible"?? ==

don't give up on that :) [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 10:30, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
:its a joke about my mental health, dont take it seriously. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:17, 17 October 2024 (UTC)

== User page edit query ==
Hey, saw you had text on your bios, i was wondering how you do that? I want to and i can't figure out how to. Thanks in advance [[User:SomeRandomNerd|SomeRandomNerd]] ([[User talk:SomeRandomNerd|talk]]) 04:17, 19 October 2024 (UTC)
:What do you mean? Could you elaborate? [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 22:06, 20 October 2024 (UTC)

== Pronoun ==
The word "thou" is a subject pronoun. Maybe use "thee" instead. [[User:CalibansCreations|CalibansCreations]] and [[User:ConscriptGlossary|ConscriptGlossary]] ([[User talk:ConscriptGlossary|talk]]) 05:10, 25 October 2024 (UTC)
:noted. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 06:51, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

2567: Language Development

2024-11-09T23:34:08Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2567
| date = January 12, 2022
| title = Language Development
| image = language_development.png
| titletext = The worst is the Terrible Twos, when they're always throwing things and shrieking, "forsooth, to bed thou shalt not take me, cur!"
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are having what could appear to be a typical conversation about her child's ability to learn languages really fast. But for the joke, the comic mixes up two possible meaning of "language development:" the development of an individual person {{w|language acquisition|learning a language}}, and the development of languages themselves over time.

The conventional meaning of {{w|language development}} is the process by which infants begin to talk, that is to understand and produce intelligible speech. The field of {{w|language acquisition}} (sometimes called... language development) seeks to understand how baby humans are able to rapidly comprehend, internalize, and begin producing a new language.

Instead of starting with {{w|babbling}}, the first stage of normal language development, this baby's form of "language development" seems to be the linguistic form: going through all of the theoretical stages of the evolution of the English language, from Proto-Indo-European to Germanic to Old English.

In {{w|comparative linguistics}} and {{w|historical linguistics}}, {{w|Proto-Indo-European_language|Proto-Indo-European}} is a theorized common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. {{w|Proto-Germanic_language|Proto-Germanic}} is a reconstructed language formerly spoken in Iron Age Scandinavia. It developed out of Proto-Indo-European and is the proposed common ancestor for all {{w|Germanic languages}}. {{w|Old English}} would have developed out of Proto-Germanic. Modern English developed out of Old English with many additions from French (which comes from a different branch of the Indo-European language family).

This parody of language development parallels the discredited {{w|theory of recapitulation}} in embryo development, sometimes expressed as "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny", in which a developing animal embryo (ontogeny) was once thought to go through stages resembling successive adult stages in the evolution of the animal's remote ancestors (phylogeny). It also plays off of misconceptions about language evolution. Many people assume that ancient languages are more "pure" and "primitive" and that modern languages are more "complex" and "advanced". The comic takes this idea to its logical conclusion by joking that children should successively graduate between historic languages while learning to speak, which is more obviously absurd — it would take years to acquire any of the languages involved.

In linguistics, reconstructed words from proto-languages are commonly marked with an asterisk (*) to show that the word forms are not attested by any historical sources but created as a proposed ancestor word. The baby says the Proto-Indo-European roots that the words "milk" and "please" are derived from. Obviously, the speakers of Proto-Indo-European did not speak in roots, but used words made from the roots, so the way the baby talks does not reflect any stage of development of the proto-language.

Some sounds babies make are hard to interpret.{{citation needed}} However, humans have a tendency to recognize known things and patterns. They see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. Thus, a parent familiar with Proto-Indo-European may falsely hear their baby speak Proto-Indo-European by misinterpreting unintelligible sounds.

Perhaps this is an alternate universe where every baby has to gradually develop their language skills along a historical path rather than a child-developmental one, until they reach the ultimately developed modern language of their parents (in this case Modern English).

There have been alleged {{w|language deprivation experiments}} where newborn infants were not exposed to any spoken language in order to find the "natural human language", in the days before ethics review boards would have forbidden such cruel treatments. Such experiments are known today to be a source for psychological problems at least. Alleged outcomes in the apocryphal sources range from the deprived children imitating other sounds in their environment, to them dying.

In the title text, Randall describes a 2-year-old child as speaking in {{w|iambic pentameter}} and in Elizabethan English, a meter and dialect of modern English used by {{w|Shakespeare}} more than 400 years ago. The [https://www.verywellfamily.com/terrible-twos-and-your-toddler-2634394 Terrible Twos] are a colloquialism referring to the developmental tendency of two-year-olds to have more temperamental behavior, as the child's developing assertion of autonomy and self-identity clash with other expectations of behaviour, before hopefully acceptably balancing their assertiveness with social normatism. The toddler's quote of "forsooth, to bed thou shalt not take me, cur!" would roughly be equivalent to "Indeed, you shall not take me to bed, you dog!" in less archaic English.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are looking to the left at a baby with dark hair. The baby sits on the left side of a table in an elevated baby chair.]
:Megan: He's only 1, so he still mostly speaks proto-Indo-European.
:Megan: But we've heard a few Germanic words already, so Old English can't be far off.
:Baby: *Melg- *Pl(e)hk-
:Cueball: They progress so fast!

==Trivia==
This was the second comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with babies]]

User talk:42.book.addict

2024-08-30T18:30:39Z

172.71.154.39: Blanked the page

User:42.book.addict

2024-08-30T18:30:29Z

172.71.154.39: Blanked the page

2948: Electric vs Gas

2024-06-21T09:38:05Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2948
| date = June 19, 2024
| title = Electric vs Gas
| image = electric_vs_gas_2x.png
| imagesize = 284x385px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = An idling gas engine may be annoyingly loud, but that's the price you pay for having WAY less torque available at a standstill.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HYDROGEN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE RUNNING A GENERATOR. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Internal combustion engine|Internal combustion engines}} (ICEs) are the most common technology used to propel motor vehicles. In US vernacular, the most common motor fuel is known as "{{w|gasoline}}", or "gas" for short, leading to these engines being referred to as "gas engines". Gasoline is a product of petroleum refinement, leading to the name "petrol" being used in other dialects.

{{w|Traction motor|Electric motors}} would seem the more well-suited method for propelling a vehicle, and as early as 1885 were an actual form of motor car engine with which the fledgling internal combustion engine had to compete. Despite this early popularity, over most of the 20th century electric motors were sidelined in everyday car design, as supplying the electricity was considered to be impractical for most forms of transportation. Modern forms are rapidly rising in popularity, and now constitute 18% of all global vehicle sales.{{acn}} [[Randall]] has long been a strong proponent of electric vehicles.

In this strip, [[White Hat]] claims to be comparing the pros and cons of electric motors and gas engines. The joke is that every point he makes goes in favor of electric motors. Despite it being posed as a dilemma, it may be very clear which side of the debate White Hat is promoting. On the other hand, it may indicate that one of the things we might consider a pro in electric motors (the instantaneous power now available, exceeding that of many non-electric engines) he would consider a problem — perhaps more accurately, a problem with the ''drivers'' of such vehicles — recklessly using the enhanced capabilities to accelerate to high speeds at all opportunities, whether safe to do so or not.

The strip offers the following points in favor of electric motors:

* "Cleaner and more efficient". ICEs produce and vent harmful combustion products and toxic chemicals, while electric motors produce no emission byproducts at the point of use. The efficiency of both gas and electric motors vary, but the typical ICE vehicle in the US converts around 25% of available energy into motion, while the typical electric vehicle is in the neighborhood of 80%. Even when considering inefficiencies in the source production and transmission and storage and release of energy, battery-driven electric vehicles are generally more efficient than internal combustion propelled vehicles[https://www.factcheck.org/2024/02/electric-vehicles-contribute-fewer-emissions-than-gasoline-powered-cars-over-their-lifetimes/]. It should be noted that all of this refers to the motors only, and ignores how the fuel and electricity are produced, or the wider environmental impact of the vehicle.

* "More powerful". Electric motors are able to deliver a lot of power from a small motor ''if'' an ample energy supply is available, and can do so 'on demand', often far quicker than a fuel-powered engine that has to put its power through a gearbox in order to service a wide range of road velocities, from standstill to the eventual top speed. Due to battery limitations, short or partial runtime use cases (such as dragsters, hand tools, yard tools, toys and electric scooters) net the most benefit from the small size of a high-powered electric motor.

* "Annoyingly loud". ICEs, by their nature, produce significant noise. Despite noise attenuation measures such as mufflers, they contribute significantly to urban noise. Properly designed electric motors are nearly silent (even if the rest of the vehicle is not). In particular, {{w|blowoff valve|turbocharger blowoff valves}} make particular noises that are completely lacking in an all-electric vehicle being driven at a similar performance level. This might legitimately be considered a problem, though, when everyone is used to a rapidly approaching vehicle providing a very noisy warning of its approach. EV makers have sometimes added [https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-car-ev-fake-engine-sound-hyundai-dodge-toyota-2023-7 fake ICE noises] to appeal to older drivers, and in the U.S. and some other countries, EVs are required to have {{w|Electric_vehicle_warning_sounds|warning sounds}} at low speeds for pedestrian safety.

* "WAY less {{w|torque}} available at standstill". ICEs need to continually operate within a specific range of rotational speeds, which means that a complex system of {{w|transmission|transmission gearing}} is needed to convert this motion into the specific speeds needed at the wheels. When starting from a standstill, this means that torque must be applied to the wheels relatively gradually to avoid stalling the engine. In addition, when a vehicle is standing still, the motor is typically idling at (very) low speed and must be sped up before it produces significant acceleration. Electric motors, in contrast, generally produce their peak torque when at a standstill. This results in electric vehicles having significantly better acceleration and engine responsiveness. Again, this could cause a legitimate problem with drivers changing from ICE to electric motors, because the new cars accelerate more than the driver is used to and provide different feedback. The audible clues of gear changes, whether from automatic or manual systems, are part and parcel of what many people have grown up with and come to rely on in anticipating what might need paying attention to.

The strip offers no points in favor of internal combustion (gas) motors, even those framed as if they were such.

It should be noted that White Hat is deliberately confining his arguments to electric vs gas ''motors'' rather than electric or gas-powered ''vehicles''. Doing so ignores the basic reason why internal combustion vehicles have long dominated transportation in certain specific countries: hydrocarbon fuels are a very dense and fairly easy to handle form of energy ''storage''. Providing electrical power to a moving vehicle requires either that the vehicle remain in contact with a power line, like a train, a tramway, a subway does, or a high-capacity battery and the ability to recharge that battery in a reasonable amount of time. More popular in the USA is a hybrid system, where a combustion engine provides at least some of the power to an electric motor, which was impractical until comparatively recently. Other methods, such as hydrogen fuel cells (a form of "combustion" that can be used more directly to form electricity), have been proposed, but remain niche, due to various barriers to adoption, or experimental.

A more comprehensive comparison would include many more factors, both against and in favor of electric cars.

Issues raised with electric vehicles typically include:
* Higher cost of purchase (primarily due to the cost of batteries and, in the USA, now a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs), although partially offset by lower costs of operation
* Long charging times compared to refilling a gas tank (there are some approaches which mitigate this by operating either very high powered chargers or a battery swap model, rather than charging in-car, but these are not widely adopted)
* Relatively limited range ([https://ev-database.org/compare/electric-vehicle-longest-range 100-400 miles per charge] as of 2024)
* Shortened range in hot weather and significantly shortened range in cold weather (although ICE vehicles also have this problem)
* Limited charging infrastructure in some places (although ICE vehicles also have this problem)
* Higher vehicle weight, and resulting higher particulate emissions (from tires, but not brakes, because EVs use of regenerative braking reduces wear on their traditional brakes)
* Reliance on various mineral and metal extraction industries in the building of batteries
* Issues disposing of/recycling batteries at end of life
* Increased demand on electricity production
* At highway speeds, the noise of tires against the road is much louder than a properly muffled ICE, thus electric vehicles become nearly as loud as any ICE vehicle counterparts

Other real (or asserted) pros of electric cars are also not mentioned:
* Lower costs of operation (partially offset by higher costs of purchase)
* Can "fill" them at home or while parked without having to stay with them (partially negates the "long charging times" con)
* Higher reliability
* Lower carbon footprint, and reduced dependence on the fossil fuel industry

Advancing technologies, political policies, and economic realities are rapidly changing the relevance and seriousness of these points. The current adoption rate of EVs (well under 50%, even in California) may indicate that the general population thinks the cons still win (though to some extent this is a reflection of an 'installed base' of ICE vehicles already on the roads).

Future economic and political policies may make fueling and maintenance of gas-powered personal cars an issue. If, in 10 years, 100% of cars sold are electric, then after the average 12 year vehicle lifespan of fuel cars has ended it may be that legacy fuel stations are harder to find (and recharging stations easier) in comparison to the other type. At the 20-year mark, most gasoline-fueled cars will be gone and the economic value of providing ubiquitously available fuel to a dwindling number of cherished hold-out 'classic' vehicles will have forced the supply chains to pivot. Maintenance for such cars may become an art of the past and finding a specialized mechanic may be necessary (as, until recently, it would have been difficult to find an independent EV-qualified mechanic).

In the EU, the sale of new ICE cars is banned from 2035 in an effort to move to EVs, and other jurisdictions are adopting similar policies.

Especially in the United States, this topic is highly contentious for political, economic, engineering, and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_coal tribal] reasons (as a quick look at the edit history of this page will confirm).

==Trivia==
The etymology of "gasoline" is disputed: it may derive from "gas", or perhaps from the brand-name fuel "Cazeline" or "Cazelline" sold by a man called John Cassell; "Petrol" has also been a registered brand name for other businesses' motor-fuel products.

While ICE vehicles have, to date, proven more popular than electric equivalents, worldwide, bicycles have been outselling cars [https://www.bikeradar.com/features/bike-vs-car-the-sales-race|since at least WWII].

==Transcript==
:[White Hat, with his palm raised, is talking to Cueball.]
:White Hat: Electric motors and gas engines each have their pros and cons.
:White Hat: On one hand, electric motors are cleaner and more efficient. On the other hand, electric motors are more powerful.
:White Hat: So it's hard to say which is better overall.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Climate change]]

Talk:2922: Pub Trivia

2024-04-23T00:53:36Z

172.71.154.39:

I expect that the BTS question is a reference to the traditional Korean system of counting a person's age in units of Sal which started at 1 and incremented on the first day of the year. Since this system was abandoned on official documents in 2023, but is still in use in some contexts, the question of whether every member of BTS had a "birthday" on the first day of the year is ambiguous. [[User:Philhower|Philhower]] ([[User talk:Philhower|talk]]) 14:13, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:This is marked as fiction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csSYfPaBaS4, but was it?

question 5, planets exist outside the solar system, adding to the ambiguity. [[User:Philhower|Philhower]] ([[User talk:Philhower|talk]]) 14:15, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:One of the requirements in the definition of a planet is that it orbits the Sun, so no there are no planets outside the Solar system. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 17:50, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

::{{w|NASA}} disagrees. [https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/ Exoplanet Archive] shows 5612 confirmed planets. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 20:55, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
::: The IAU is the body that defines such things - and they do say that planets have to orbit the Sun...things that orbit other stars are properly called "exo-planets". But still - do we include dwarf planets? Rogue planets? It's definitely a crazy-vague question. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.219|172.70.211.219]] 21:05, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:::: the IAU is one body that claims the authority to define such things, but their authority is not recognized by any of the things they are claiming the right to name. (Except for a very small part of earth, mostly made of humans) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.203|172.69.58.203]] 00:10, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
::::That seems ridiculous, "If it isn't one of ours it don't count"? That'd be like saying "They're only 'cars' if they use North American roads, in other countries using THEIR roads you have to call them exo-cars!". LOL! And every future/space-based fiction calls them planets, just makes more sense not to be so arbitrarily exclusionary. Ours isn't the only sun, we shouldn't pretend it has some aspect that makes it count more than others - outside of that it's the one with us. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:09, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
::::: Correction, the IAU definition explicitly states that it is only about planets within the solar system and has no comment about exoplanets one way or the other. Presumably, to leave some flexibility on all the weird edge cases that are bound to come up with exoplanets. https://www.iau.org/static/resolutions/Resolution_GA26-5-6.pdf [[Special:Contributions/172.68.195.213|172.68.195.213]] 07:55, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
::::Gas giants should be excluded too - they're not planets - just wannabe stars.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.31|172.70.163.31]] 08:34, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

: I think the correct answer is 0: before the solar system formed there were no planets. So, originally, there would have been none. If exo-planets count, going back to the beginning of time gives the same answer: when the universe came into existence during the big bang there were no stars, let alone planets orbiting them. Even religion agrees: in the beginning God created the earth and the heavens, but the sun came later, so technically earth was not a planet since it didn't orbit anything.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.49|162.158.62.49]] 22:23, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

As for question 9, please see the note about the history of Austrailia's capitals at: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_national_capitals#Oceania]]. and the page regarding countries with multiple capitals [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_multiple_capitals]] [[User:Philhower|Philhower]] ([[User talk:Philhower|talk]]) 14:24, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
: See Also [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Australian_capital_cities List of Australian capital cities] - As an Australian, I believe many would also consider the major city in their state/territory to be a capital city, although not the capital of Australia.

: The explanation misses the possibility that this is a Dad joke: where the capital city of Australia is 'Canberra,' as long as the respondent doesn't actually count either the letters in Canberra (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) or the population of Canberra (unknowable/ambiguous). [[User:Bilkie|Bilkie]] ([[User talk:Bilkie|talk]]) 14:12, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

About the alt text, London is certainly in Europe. The question itself is malformed because "Europe (or 'the EU')" is not self-consistent: there is a lot of European countries that are not part of the EU. [[User:RedGolpe|RedGolpe]] ([[User talk:RedGolpe|talk]]) 14:32, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:The "Greater London" answer is also tricksy, as the "ceremonial county" of GL {{w|London boroughs|may not include}} the additional area of the City Of London (though it does include the City Of Westminster, which is sometimes the trick answer to certain trick questions that a quizmaster might attempt to pull). The ''administrative'' Greater London is the ceremonial one ''plus'' CoL, however... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.19|172.70.162.19]] 15:04, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
::I would argue London is not in Europe because there is no clear definition for Europe as a geographic area, it really doesn't have an eastern border that is not arbitrary, so the only clearly defined thing Europe can refer to is the EU. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 17:50, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:::London, France is both in Europe and the EU https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London,_France [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.49|172.70.163.49]] 18:00, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:::While the eastern border of Europe is not clearly defined I am not aware that there is any definition of (geographic) Europe that excludes the islands (and subsequently London) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.135|162.158.202.135]] 21:24, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
::::There's "mainland Europe", excluding islands. Or at least any of several possibly island archipeligos and/or island nationstates. e.g. Mont-Saint-Michel might not be (exluded, that is, due to being French and having a (tide-dependant) ground access), Jersey would be (British Crown Territory island), Malta probably (island state), Sicily would depend on your thinking (it being Italian, and much larger than the strait that makes it an island offshoot). Most of Scandinavia might be interestingly included (with Denmark) or excluded (with Iceland), according to context. Even Gibraltar might or might not be, depending upon upon the thinking (or lack of it) behind the use of the term. (But, fiddling around the edges aside, (the English) London is not in "mainland Europe" and hasn't been for maybe a full 10kY before it became "London" in any useful sense.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.49|172.70.163.49]] 23:44, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
::::: The phrase "continental Europe" is also used, and might be implied by a British person saying "I travelled around Europe last year". [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.54|172.69.195.54]] 15:01, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
::::: The (semi-)apocryphal headline "Fog In Channel, Continent Cut Off" is perhaps indicative of the {{w|Continental Europe#Great Britain and Ireland}} British collective mindset (of which I must therefore be a component, albeit not at that end of the spectrum). [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.71|172.71.242.71]] 15:39, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
:::I'd say The European Council has at least as good (or bad, depending which way you look at it) a claim to be 'Europe' as the EU does, and London (through the UK) is in that (for now, anyway).[[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.55|172.71.242.55]] 09:07, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benxi Benxi Lake] is actually considered to be the smallest lake in the world. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.135.205|172.70.135.205]]
:{{cn}}[[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.176|172.70.86.176]] 14:40, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:Many websites says Benxi lake is recognized by Guinness records, but guinnessworldrecords.com does not have such a record. Either they recognized smallest lakes previously but not anymore, or they never had such a record and we are witnessing citogenesis ([https://xkcd.com/978/]) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.210|172.71.154.210]] 17:33, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

I never realized how challenging it is to edit pages when they've just been posted. Makes me long for something like Google docs.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.3.43|172.68.3.43]] 14:39, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

People, who are born on 29th February don't have a birthday in years which are not leap years. However, 2024, when this comic was published is a leap year. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.95.9|162.158.95.9]] 14:40, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

"5. How many planets were there originally?" This could also refer even back to the start of the universe, when there were (likely) just 0 planets. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.101|162.158.86.101]] 14:43, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

I anticiated a lot of Edit Conflicts, but not actually quite so many as to not to be able to resolve my edits with everyone else's. This is the bare-bones that I was putting in (until finding multiple attempts tried to be added consecutively...
{{cot}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Question !! Problem !! Possible answer(s)
|-
| Which member of BTS has a birthday this year?
| Every living person has a birthday this year (being a leap-year, this includes those born on 29/Feb).
|
|-
| How many sides does a platonic solid have?
| There are five (or [[2781: The Six Platonic Solids|six]]) platonic solids, each with a different number of sides.
| 4, 6, 8, 12 or 20
|-
| What is the smallest lake in the world?
| The distinction between a small lake and a pond, pool or puddle (for example) is difficult to define.
|
|-
| Which Steven Spielberg movie features more shark attacks? Jaws (1875) or Lincoln (2012)
| Not a problem, as Lincoln has very few shark attacks.{{Citation needed}} The problem is that barely anyone will ''not'' be able to correctly answer this.
|
|-
| How many planets were there originally?
| Contextually vague. At what time and within what volume of space, and what is the scope of 'planet' defined here?
|
|-
| What NFL player has scored the most points outside of a game?
| Outside of (NFL) games, individuals may accumulate points in any number of ways (e.g. Scrabble)
|
|-
| The Wright brothers built the first airplane. Who built the last one?
| Until no further planes are built, individuals/teams/companies continue to build (to completion) ever more examples, changing the answer possibly moment to moment.
|
|-
| Is every even number greater than 2 the sum of two primes?
| This is a {{w|Goldbach's conjecture|currently unanswered question}}.
|
|-
| Not counting Canberra, what city is the capital of Australia?
| Canberra is ''the'' capital of Australia, a fairly well known 'obscure' fact. Each Australian territory also has their own state capital, so there is not one other ''single'' example.
|
|-
| Who played the drums?
| Lack of context. With which group? For which song? For which (re-)recording? At which event?
|
|-
| Where is London located? (a) The British Isles (b) Great Britain and Northern Ireland (c) The UK (d) Europe (or 'the EU') (e) Greater London
| Almost all of these are correct (though London is geographically in Europe but no longer in the EU).
|}

This is apparently deliberate (at least on behalf of the organisers), perhaps to upset or otherwise impede groups of overconfident quizzers who would otherwise dominate any genuinely good quiz.
{{cob}}
...make use of it however you wish, anybody who has the time not to keep chasing all the simultaneous edits. (The above is a bit behind 'perfection', and lacks many of the integrations, wikilinks and adjustments I had made. I backspaced out of the edit I had finally reached, before remembering to take a full copy into my paste-buffer!) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.115|172.70.90.115]] 14:53, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

I thought the answer to #2 could be 1, because as 3D solids they only have one surface. I would guess the player with the most points outside of a game is the one who's played idlers (like Cookie Clicker) the longest — though I suppose those could be considered "inside of a game" as well. Also, I played the drums. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.254.143|172.70.254.143]] 15:33, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:The answer to #2 is '2 - the in-side and the out-side'.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.242|172.69.43.242]] 15:46, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

Considering the platonic solids explanation lists all the correct answers, could someone include a list of all the members of BTS and their respective birthdays? Bing copilot suggests the following:

1. **Jin (Kim Seok-jin)**:
: - Birthday: **December 4, 1992**

2. **Suga (Min Yoon-gi)**:
: - Birthday: **March 9, 1993**

3. **J-Hope (Jung Hoseok)**:
: - Birthday: **February 18, 1994**

4. **RM (Kim Nam-joon)**:
: - Birthday: **September 12, 1994**

5. **Jimin (Park Ji-min)**:
: - Birthday: **October 13, 1995**

6. **V (Kim Tae-Hyung)**:
: - V's birthday is **December 30**, but the year is not mentioned in the provided information.

7. **Jungkook (Jeon Jungkook)**:
: - Jungkook's birthday is **September 1**, but the year is not mentioned in the provided information.
[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.19|172.70.162.19]] 15:48, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

: I'm not opposed to adding BTS birthdays, but I think it should be done by someone more knowledgeable about the band than me. Birthdays can be a surprisingly nuanced subject.[[User:Comatoran|Comatoran]] ([[User talk:Comatoran|talk]]) 15:59, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:Wikipedia says {{w|V_(singer)|'95}} and {{w|Jungkook|'97}} respectively[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.37|172.70.162.37]] 16:04, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

London is both a City (London) and a City within a City (The City of London) and an Area (Greater London)
There are also many more places named London than the one that is the Capital of the UK .. Serbia, France, Canada (Which is larger and the one in the UK), 10 in the USA, and one on Kiribati 17:56, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:Are you saying London, Ontario, Canada is BIGGER than the more famous London, England??? That's a country capital! Is that seriously true? I'm Canadian, I don't know London, ON as being THAT big... [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[7User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:52, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
::It's very unlikely to be larger in population terms than the (common!) wider definition of the main UK London, as that would make it larger than any other city in Canada by a large margin. In terms of area, London ON is very likely to be larger than the City of London (which is surprisingly small). More widely, the definition of what actually is a "city" is more complex than it appears to be at first glance; administrative areas (what official statistics are collected for) are often quite different from where the bulk of people are. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.25|162.158.74.25]] 07:20, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
:::Some wikipedia figures, for reference:
:::*{{w|London, Ontario}} = 168.76 sq mi, Population 422,324
:::*{{w|City of London}}, subset of Capital of UK = 1.12 sq mi, Population 8,618
:::*{{w|London}}, administrative/etc capital of UK = 606.96 sq mi, Population 8,799,800
:::*{{w|London, Belgrade}} = a 'neighbourhood' (<1 sq mi?), Population unknown
:::*{{w|London, France}} = 'a small agricultural village'
:::*...
:::*{{w|List of minor planets: 8001–9000#837|8837 London}} = 1.5 mi diameter (~28s q mi, ~14 cu mi?), Population... some of the {{w|Clangers}}?
:::I skipped a few of the others (e.g. the various US ones: cities, townships, communities)... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.230.46|162.158.230.46]] 18:10, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

I'm surprised there were no phishing-type questions (i.e. "what are the last four digits of your social security number", "what are the three numbers on the back of your debit card", etc).22:33, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

The only correct answer(s) to "who played the drums" would be "the drummer", or "twelve drummers", but I would accept Phil Collins, Alex Van Halen, or Ringo Starr for half a point each [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.100|108.162.241.100]] 02:40, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
: "Who played the drums" is Keith Moon; in this cryptic clue, "Who" is the name of the band, and "played the drums" indicates the drummer; hence the answer is Keith Moon, the drummer of The Who. [[User:Sabik|Sabik]] ([[User talk:Sabik|talk]]) 04:29, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
:Clearly the correct answer is 'Animal'.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.176|172.71.178.176]] 08:45, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

I asked my Mom these questions & she said the answer to #7 so flatly: ''Boeing ''
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 02:44, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

On the Capital of Australia: Melbourne hosted parliament before Canberra was built, and Jervis Bay was part of the ACT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jervis_Bay_Territory

Are there people outside of the USA that are surprised to learn that Washington D.C. is the capital of the USA, rather than New York, Los Angeles, Chicago etc. due to its relatively small population? ("only" ~670000 in 2024) [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 06:50, 21 April 2024 (UTC)

I came here all prepared to say that the Title Text should have Ontario, Canada as a (likewise correct) answer, but I see somebody already put that into the table, LOL! I feel like the "More Reasonable" version of the planet question should NOT mention Pluto, it should be the question IMPLIED in the comic whose answer is 9 (such as "How many planets were originally in our Solar System", but without the ambiguity of "originally". Basically a question whose answer is 9, pushing people to include Pluto, while allowing people the mistake of saying the current answer of 8, but mentioning Pluto would ruin that/the question). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:52, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

There could also be a person Named "London" who is located somewhere, perhaps in the same bar (or not) -- [[Special:Contributions/172.70.46.71|172.70.46.71]] 12:13, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_%28name%29 [[Special:Contributions/172.70.42.31|172.70.42.31]] 16:27, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

I thought I knew the minimum size of a lake by definition, at least in the US, but I just found different authorities asserting 1, 10, and 20 acres as the distinction between a lake and a pond. Two non-metric distinctions are that a lake has an aphotic (dark) zone, or a lake is fed and drained by a river, but they don't help here. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.43.53|172.70.43.53]] 16:22, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

For the love of god can we stop saying that Pluto was "demoted" to a dwarf planet? It didn't have its category changed, it had its category defined (for the first time!). It was a founding member of a newly named category. And it's not like planets are better than dwarf planets, they're just different. (I'm going to die on this hill, ain't I?)
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.16|172.68.34.16]] 01:35, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
:Yes, you probably are. When it happened, many people, including astronomers, considered it a downgrade. There's some prestige in being a planet -- the Sun and the planets are considered the most significant objects in the Solar System. The qualifier suggests that it's less important than the "real" planets, and was kicked out of the planet club for being deficient in some way. Maybe we need a campaign from dwarf humans to remind everyone that they're just smaller, but they have no less dignity. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:41, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
:I'll cheerfully die there with you. But I'll also point out while I'm doing so that if it's a 'dwarf ''planet''', then clearly it is still a planet. I mean, people would look at you funny if you tried to claim that a dwarf elephant wasn't an elephant. And perhaps more pertinently, a dwarf star is still a star. So the answer to 'how many planets are in our solar system?' is 'at least 16 that we know of - depends how far down you count. Unless you discount the gas giants, in which case you need to subtract four. Or maybe two. Wait - how many are we on now again?'[[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.157|172.71.178.157]] 11:14, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

For the planet question there's also Theia, which is theorized to have been a planet prior to smashing into proto Earth and forming the moon and modern larger Earth. So there used to be at least nine planets by the current definition in our solar system.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.20|162.158.155.20]] 03:50, 21 April 2024 (UTC)

For question #8, it's not that mathematicians were idling around. A lot of partial results were made, see Wiki. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.33|172.71.160.33]] 08:22, 21 April 2024 (UTC)

I was confused by this question at first. The answer is "no." It is disproved by example. 21+3=24 21 is not a prime. 24 is even. {{unsigned ip|162.158.154.65|19:38, 21 April 2024}}
:24 is the sum of many pairs of numbers. Amongst those pairs (as with any even number >2) may be one ore more pairs of primes (even 2, if you count 1 as a prime - though generally one doesn't). 24 is (just looking at the odd numbers >1) 21+3, 19+5 (both primes!), 17+7 (both primes), 15+9 (no), 13+11 (both primes) and then of course the reverses of these (if you count those). So 24 is the sum of two primes (three, or six, times). 4 is just the sum of 2+2, 6 is only 3+3, 8 is only 5+3... And every even number checked from there on up ''can'' be expressed as the sum of two primes (at least once). But is there ever a point at which there is an even number that is not?
:With 3, 5 and 7 being primes, then you can definitely say that if N is an even number that has (or even relies upon) a solution with 3, then N+2 and N+4 are, which would be answerable by the same sum but with 5 or 7 instead. Plus N+8 (3->11), N+10 (3>13). And maybe you can fill in the N+6 and N+8 by the ''other'' prime used being also a suitable twin prime that you can swap out for the P±2 partner. But only if it's the right prime of any given pair, and not all primes are twins, so there's a lot more to consider about whether any given advancement up the even-numnber ladder can be answered by a suitable pair of primes.
: e.g. 15440=7717+7723 (one possible solution). 15442 therefore needs +2 to that. But 7717 and 7723 ar adjacent primes that areen't two apart (so you can't just add two to 7717 and have 7723 + 7723) and the next adjacent primes are 7703 and 7727 (not two apart, and not obviously useful to go 7717->7703, either). So there must be another solution (theoretically, but also proven by having been checked). By doing ''quite a bit'' of to-and-fro (if that's how we're doing it), we can finally announce that 15442=7649+7793 (but I also found 7523+7919, 7541+7901, 7559+7883 and 7589+7853, before I stopped the search). So It works up to 15442.
:15444? Well, neither 7649 or 7793 have a +2 prime-partner. But 7589 is followed by 7591 (as a new partner to 7853). And 7559 is followed by 7561, so 7561+7883 would also be an answer. There will (probably) be many others.
:But will there ''always'' be many others? Or even just the one? I'm sure someone has been counting how many unique (bidirectional) solutions each number has, and probably there are some that ''only just'' get the requisite single pair of primes that sum to it. Could it ever not even manage that? Those actually familiar with the efforts to prove the conjecture would know, rather than a fool like me coming fresh to the problem. (Relatively, that is... I already knew about it, but I've never tried to wade into the actual theory until right now, and this random example I set up to 'explain' this, just now.) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.175|172.71.242.175]] 21:01, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
:: It looks like it was a mistake on my part to infer that the question meant "exclusively the sum of two primes." Allen [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.237|162.158.62.237]] 15:12, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
::: Ah, I see. Well, ''no'' number is "''just'' the sum of two primes" (4=3+1, and 1 isn't prime; or 4+0, and neither of those are; all before considering negative, fractional or even complex/quaternian 'summations' (e.g. (2+3i)+(2-3i)=4), which primes definitely are not part of, regardless of how they together become '4'...), so "Is every even number greater than 2 the sum of two primes?" sort of has to imply only that there "are two primes which sum", rather than ever "the only numbers which sum will all be primes". Hyper-pedanticity (or deliberate linguistic trickery) aside, that's really not in question.
::: But nice to understand where you were coming from, at least. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.49|172.70.163.49]] 20:15, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
*About Q2: the "number of sides" may be "the average number of sides" of a Platonic solid, which is 10, despite having no Platonic decahedron
*About Q10: with a correct list of answers, it ''may'' be kept as-is with having to select the drummer(s).
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.38|162.158.78.38]] 10:47, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
:That assumes that the Platonic solids occur in equal numbers in the universe. In actuality, there are probably more of some than others, which would throw your average off. Alternatively, you could argue that none of any of them actually exist (by virtue of them being Platonic, and any example being an imperfect approximation), in which case the answer is either 'none' or 'unanswerable', since you can't average nothing.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.156|172.70.85.156]] 12:39, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

2860: Decay Modes

2023-12-04T02:33:32Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2860
| date = November 27, 2023
| title = Decay Modes
| image = decay_modes_2x.png
| imagesize = 586x360px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Unlike an Iron Age collapse, a Bronze Age collapse releases energy, since copper and tin are past the iron peak on the curve of binding energy.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CHERNOBYLISED MUSHROOM GROWING ON A DEAD 294Og ATOM - Please change this comment when editing this page. The title explained. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|radioactive decay|Decay modes}} refer to the different ways in which unstable atomic nuclei transform into more stable ones, typically by emitting particles or radiation. The process of decay is a natural phenomenon that occurs in radioactive substances. There are several types of decay mode each characterized by the particles emitted or the energy released during the process.
In the comic's diagram, protons are white and neutrons are gray.

The first six modes are real, and most occur relatively frequently:

In '''{{w|alpha decay}}''', an unstable nucleus emits an alpha particle, composed of two protons and two neutrons. Alpha decay is the primary source of helium on Earth, as alpha particles are 4He nuclei. This decay mode is most commonly seen in proton-rich / neutron-deficient heavy nuclei, which normally have many more neutrons than protons. By reducing the numbers of protons and neutrons by 2 apiece, the product nucleus has a higher ratio of neutrons to protons.

In '''{{w|beta decay}}''' (more properly beta-minus decay), a neutron-rich nucleus emits a W⁻ boson, converting one neutron into a proton, as shown in the supplementary diagram. The boson, in turn, decays into an electron (the titular beta (minus) particle) and an electron antineutrino. The main diagram shows only the release of the beta particle, which was the only thing expelled from the nucleus that could be observed directly when the types of nuclear decay were first described and enumerated.

In '''{{w|gamma decay}}''', an unstable nucleus (represented by the lumpy, prolate nucleus in the diagram – representing a high-energy {{w|nuclear isomer}}) emits a high-energy photon known as a {{w|gamma ray}} and settles into a stabler, lower-energy state.

In '''{{w|electron capture}}''', a proton-rich atom captures an electron from the K or L electron shell. This converts a proton into a neutron and emits an electron neutrino. Randall adds a 'slurp' written sound effect in the comic to make the effect more clear; in real life no sound is actually present in an electron capture event. {{Citation needed}}

In '''{{w|positron emission}}''', or beta plus decay, a proton-rich nucleus emits a W⁺ boson, converting one proton into a neutron. The boson, in turn, decays into a positron (the beta plus particle) and an electron neutrino. Again, the main diagram shows only the beta particle, presumably for simplicity, the nucleon conversion being shown separately. This is much rarer than beta minus decay.

In '''{{w|neutron emission}}''', a neutron-rich/proton-deficient unstable nucleus emits a neutron (which then goes on to decay into further daughter particles).

The other six modes are fictional:

'''Baryon panic''': In this mode, all the subatomic particles flee the atom simultaneously, similar to a crowd fleeing a building during a fire alarm, or other similar states of panic in people. In reality, this mode of decay would require an incredible amount of energy. The like charges of protons do repel each other, but they are held together more tightly by the residual {{w|nuclear force}} in the presence of neutrons.

'''Omega decay''': The atom has decayed and left behind a skull in its wake, leaving cracks in the area surrounding it and sending neutrons and protons flying everywhere. Whereas ''alpha'', ''beta'' and ''gamma'' are the first three letters of the Greek alphabet, ''omega'' is the last, so the name ''omega'' might suggest the ultimate, final decay. The skull presumably represents the finality of such a decay given that the end stage of human decay leaves behind a skeleton, something that does not exist in nucleons.{{Citation needed}} Many works of science fiction propose forms of radiation and/or particles with further letters in the Greek alphabet, such as {{w|The Omega Directive}} in Star Trek. In real life, the {{w|omega baryon}} was predicted to exist by Murray Gell-Mann's early quark theory, and then discovered several years later with the properties he had predicted. This mode may also represent the atom becoming the origin of a {{w|false vacuum decay}}, a theoretical decay of space itself, which would indeed spread outward and be very final and lethal.

'''Electron wilt''': The electrons surrounding the atom fall to the ground. Some plants are subject to diseases that cause this kind of wilting of their leaves. Electrons will attempt to settle into a 'ground state' but this does not involve them literally slumping to the ground, rather they will be as close as possible to the nucleus subject to the limitations of energy levels and the Pauli exclusion principle. In addition, since the ground is made of atoms, there would be no flat surface for the electrons to fall onto.

'''One big nucleon''': The protons and neutrons combine to form a single huge baryon. {{w|Exotic baryon|Exotic baryons}} with more than the usual three quarks, such as {{w|pentaquarks}}, have been created in the lab but are not known to exist in nature. String theorists propose that black holes are actually {{w|Fuzzball (string theory)|fuzzballs}}, single "subatomic" particles which are macroscopic in size (namely that of their event horizon) formed by the fusion of the strings of in-falling matter under extreme gravitational conditions.

'''Fungal decay''': The nucleus rots, and fungal fruiting bodies (toadstools and mushrooms) grow around it. This plays on the meaning of "decay".

'''Collapse due to invasion by the Sea Peoples''': The atom floats in water, with boats on either side full of Cueballs shooting arrows at it, and the atom is breaking up. The {{w|Sea Peoples}} are a somewhat mysterious group that attacked Egypt and other regions of the eastern Mediterranean in the late Bronze Age (1200-900 BCE). Due to a combination of factors, such as climate change, mass migration and invasions (including from the Sea Peoples), several nations around the central and eastern Mediterranean underwent societal decline or outright collapse, an occurrence known as the {{w|Late Bronze Age collapse}}. Randall has mentioned the Sea Peoples previously in [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]].

'''Bronze/Iron Age Collapse (Title text)''': Continuing from the last panel of the comic, and making a pun on the Iron Age of civilization with the properties of iron atoms. Nuclear fusion – the merging of small light elements – expels energy, powering stars and creating increasingly heavier elements which also fuse until the process reaches iron, predominantly 56Fe. Fusing iron nuclei does not release energy, so the previous cycle of fusion abruptly stops and the star contracts under gravity (whereupon it can now create the different conditions from which small amounts of heavier nuclei ''do'' form, and disperse to be discovered in later star systems). In contrast, nuclear fission – where atoms spontaneously split into lighter elements, releasing the energy ultimately imbued into them during their synthesis – applies increasingly so to the heavier nuclei with increasing instabilities as they 'collapse' out into their various fission products. The atomic components of bronze, {{w|tin}} and {{w|copper}}, ''could'' potentially release energy, in the right conditions. Tin's main isotopes (114Sn across to 124Sn, with more than two-thirds weight 116, 118 or 120) are considered stable, as are the two for copper (63Cu and 65Cu, being practically all that is naturally present), but trace/synthesized isotopes beyond that range (e.g., actively induced by initiating a neutron bombardment) are known to, eventually, beta(±) decay/'collapse' to forms of antimony (from the tin) or nickel/zinc (from the copper).

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

Radioactive Decay Modes

[A 6x2 table of illustrations of atoms, depicting types of atomic decay, with a label underneath.]

:[First row]
:[A small group of 2 protons and 2 neutrons are shown leaving a larger nucleus.]
:Alpha decay

:[A small particle is ejected from the nucleus while a neutron is shown converting to a proton as indicated by a shaded circle becoming white.]
:Beta decay

:[A nucleus emits a wavy arrow representing a wave, while a diagram shows the nucleus changing from a ellipsoid shape to a more spherical one.]
:Gamma decay

:[A nucleus absorbs one of its electrons along with a small sound effect.]
:Electron decay
:Nucleus: Slurp

:[A small particle is ejected from the nucleus while a proton is shown converting to a neutron as indicated by a white circle becoming shaded.]
:Positron emission

:[A shaded particle is ejected from the nucleus.]
:Neutron emission

:[Second row]
:[All protons and neutrons are ejected from the nucleus, leaving behind an empty space.]
:Baryonic panic

:[A few protons and neutrons are floating around a black "hole", with branching cracks coming out from it. Inside the hole is a stylized skull.]
:Omega decay

:[The nucleus and all the atoms has fallen to the floor, with one still falling and another bouncing off.]
:Electron wilt

:[A normal nucleus has an arrow pointing from it to a large, light grey sphere with dark grey patches.]
:One big nucleon

:[The nucleus has six white mushrooms of various sizes growing out of it, with some of the protons and neutrons being black and rotted.]
:Fungal decay

:[The nucleus is shown being attacked on both sides by Cueballs in boats, holding spears and firing arrows. They are all floating in water, as well as a few fallen protons and neutrons, one with an arrow sticking out of it.]
:Collapse due to invasion by sea peoples.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]

Talk:2735: Coordinate Plane Closure

2023-02-10T07:29:02Z

172.71.154.39:

Is there significance to the fact that the axes aren't labeled in the warning? Can I plot y = 0.75x today or not?[[User:Brossa|Brossa]] ([[User talk:Brossa|talk]]) 15:05, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
: you cannot because it intersects the given square as shown in this desmos thing i whipped up in 2 seconds: https://www.desmos.com/calculator/zb9nbrl6s5 [[Special:Contributions/172.70.43.29|172.70.43.29]] 15:38, 8 February 2023 (UTC)Bumpf
::I can if the forbidden coordinates are 1 ≤ x ≤1.5 and 1.5 ≤ y ≤2[[Special:Contributions/172.70.131.66|172.70.131.66]] 15:56, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
::: In the absence of other information, assuming horizontal ''x'' and vertical ''y'' would be conventional. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.145|141.101.98.145]] 19:15, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
"Hole" is also sometimes used to mean a particular coordinate on a function which is discontinous at some point but could have a value (for example sinx/x with a hole at (0,1)). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.206.92|172.70.206.92]] 19:18, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
Randall listed 2 points, yet the cordoned off area is a square. 2 points define a line, not a square, he really should have thought of that. How is someone to know the invalid points without the diagram? Even with the diagram, we don't know whether points on the boundary are included! Is the line y=1 a valid line to draw? THESE ARE QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED RANDALL BE MATHEMATICALLY RIGOROUS NEXT TIME.
:Right! A hole pops up in rational functions when there's a term that appears in the numerator AND the denominator. However, it does not mean the graph is broken; just that there is no defined y-value at the x-value of the hole. ----[[User:Theunlucky|Theunlucky]] ([[User talk:Theunlucky|talk]]) 16:55, 9 February 2023 (UTC)
: One reason could simply be the alignment between the coordinates and time. Reading out the numbers without paying attention to the mathematical punctuation you can form the sentence "the coordinate plane will be closed Thursday between 1:51 and 2:15 to repair a hole", following the typical structure of such a notice to not just provide a day but a time.
Ironically, the notice makes it sound like using y=1 is fine, and the affected region is only strictly greater than y=1. That would make the region that's closed an open set, and the region that's open a closed set. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.230|172.70.110.230]] 22:46, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

:Right! A hole pops up in rational functions when there's a term that appears in the numerator AND the denominator. However, it does not mean the graph is broken; just that there is no defined y-value at the x-value of the hole.

🚧 DETOUR 🠕 KEEP WITHIN [[2646: Minkowski Space|MINKOWSKI CONES]] ⛔ DO NOT ENTER Y < |X| 🚧 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.38|162.158.90.38]] 23:37, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

So the joke is that the coordinate plane is closed when there's damage that causes it not to be closed? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:44, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Aw man, I was really looking... ''forward''... to doing math today. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.222.76|172.71.222.76]] 11:58, 9 February 2023 (UTC)

I thought the title text was referring to the danger of lines on a 2d graph "falling through" the hole and inadvertently gaining a third dimension, which might collide with graphs at z=-1 etc. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.75|162.158.34.75]] 16:14, 9 February 2023 (UTC)

My RSS reader picked this comic up at exactly midnight UTC on Feb 8, which stood out to me because usually they seem to be posted later in the day. [[User:Danielp82|Danielp82]] ([[User talk:Danielp82|talk]]) 04:02, 10 February 2023 (UTC)

This comic reminded me of Complex Analysis, where we integrate in circles around singularities of complex functions (aka holes). See [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauchy%27s_integral_formula Cauchy integral formula]. Maybe we should mention that in the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.39|172.71.154.39]] 07:29, 10 February 2023 (UTC)

2722: Etymonline

2023-01-10T22:36:27Z

172.71.154.39: replaced "pronunciation guide" with the actual pronunciation guide as depicted in the image.

{{comic
| number = 2722
| date = January 9, 2023
| title = Etymonline
| image = etymonline_2x.png
| imagesize = 458x280px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = NOTE TO FUTURE ETYMONLINGUISTS: Our best guess is that 'blimp' is onomatopoeia. The 'B-Limp' thing is a folk etymology.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BLIMP - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic appears to be an entry from a dictionary posted in the far future (at least the year 2384 based on the textual reference). The entry defines the term "etymonline" in a way that makes it clear that it has simply supplanted the word "etymology" in the intervening centuries. This is a reference to the internet service known as [https://www.etymonline.com/ Etymonline] or the Online Etymology Dictionary, and implies that Etymonline as a source became synonymous with the concept of etymology. This may have been because Etymonline grew into such a comprehensive and reputable source that it truly deserved the all-encompassing identification with the concept of etymology; alternatively, humans' efficiency of language removed the original term in favor of the name for the tool they used when they needed to learn a word's origin. All we know is that the origin of the "modern" term is simply cited as a modification of a more archaic English form, without any mention of the digital resource. This is a mild failure on the part of the dictionary entry, since the suffix "online" should at least have been noted as the modifier resulting in the current form, even if a discussion of the specific internet service was not relevant in the entry, unless the very concept of "online" has been so superseded by whatever its successors or usurpers might have become that it has been even more lost to common, or indeed academic, knowledge.

The title text plays with this (replacing "etymologist" with the derived term "etymonlinguist"). It is a comment from some present-day scholar attempting to communicate with the author of the futuristic entry by clarifying what they know about the etymology of the word "blimp". The comment references two theories of the etymology (that it is simply onomatopoeia or that it was constructed from the phrase "Type B - Limp") and rejects the latter as a folk etymology (consistent with {{wiktionary|blimp|the explanation}} on Wiktionary). It is interesting to note that the current [https://www.etymonline.com/word/blimp Etymonline entry] only lists the B-Limp origin and does not mention onomatopoeia, though it does at least acknowledge that the origin is "obscure".

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

[A picture of a dictionary definition that is askew in the frame to imply that it is printed or written on physical paper rather than a digital resource.]

'''etymonline''' (n) et・y・mon・line /,ɛt.əmɒn'lain/
The history and derivation of a word. Altered form of English ''etymology'', from Old French ''ethimologie'', from Latin ''etymologia''. Quotation: "Before it came to refer to Jupiter's sky-cities, the term 'blimp' was used for 20th century Earth airships, but its etymonline before that is unknown." –''Jovian Blimps: A History'' (2384)

[Caption below comic]
Ironically, the popularity of Etymonline eventually caused the loss of the word "etymology" from English.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

2719: Hydrogen Isotopes

2023-01-06T08:53:20Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */ nonparenthetical

{{comic
| number = 2719
| date = January 2, 2023
| title = Hydrogen Isotopes
| image = hydrogen_isotopes_2x.png
| imagesize = 442x250px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Oops, All Neutrons is also known as Neutral Quadrium, Nydnonen, and Goth Tritium.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BREAK ROOM DE BROGLIE MICROWAVE USER. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{W|Hydrogen}} is the simplest of the chemical atoms, usually consisting of an electron orbiting a lone proton but with two other naturally occurring {{w|isotope}}s. This comic shows real and humorously fictional forms of hydrogen, generally depicted according the {{w|Discovery of the neutron#Proton–neutron model of the nucleus|Chadwick model}} of the atom; see [[2100: Models of the Atom]] for details.

{| class="wikitable"
! "Isotope"
! Real?
! Description
|-
|Hydrogen
|Yes
|Hydrogen-1 is the most common isotope of hydrogen, with one proton and one electron, commonly shown with the electron orbiting the central proton. It is also occasionally known as protium.
|-
|Deuterium
|Yes
|{{w|Deuterium}} is the second most common isotope of hydrogen, with one electron and both a neutron and proton in its nucleus. About one of every 6,760 hydrogen atoms in seawater is deuterium. Its chemical symbol is D, or [[2614: 2|2H]], and it's also called heavy hydrogen or hydrogen-2.
|-
|Tritium
|Yes
|{{w|Tritium}} is the third most common isotope of hydrogen, with an electron orbiting a nucleus of one proton and two neutrons to give it an atomic mass of about three {{w|Dalton (unit)|daltons}}. It is radioactive with a half-life of about twelve years and is very rare (but not as rare as unbound "instant hydrogen" neutrons). It can also be designated as hydrogen-3, with the symbol T or, more often, 3H.
|-
|Ium
|Only in the lab
|This is a free electron orbiting around nothing. Following the naming of the heavier hydrogen isotopes, where a prefix designating the number of {{w|nucleons}} is followed by the suffix "-ium", the lack of a nucleus is designated here by the absence of a prefix. A free electron will not circle around nothing but ''will'' react to electromagnetic fields. A {{w|Penning trap}} can confine electrons to move in circles.
|-
|Wheelium
|No
|This fictional form consists of a proton, electron and neutron orbiting around nothing, giving the appearance of all being stuck on a wheel rim. The neutron could bind to the proton, but will more likely {{w|Elastic_scattering#Nuclear particle physics|elastically scatter}} away.
|-
|Instant hydrogen (ready in 15 minutes)
|Yes, but rare[https://radioactivity.eu.com/phenomenon/neutronic_radiation]
|This is just a single neutron. An unbound neutron will decay into a proton, an electron and an antineutrino, with a mean lifetime of just under fifteen minutes. The proton and electron ''can'' form into a hydrogen atom, but that only happens [https://van.physics.illinois.edu/ask/listing/1207 about four times in a million]. The name is likely a reference to "instant" food, such as noodles, which are reduced for convenience and can be quickly reconstituted when required.
|-
|Hydrogen (maximum strength)
|No
|This fictional isotope consists of a proton, an electron and what appear to be at least 14 neutrons. This isotope's proton would not be bound to all the neutrons. It would immediately decay by {{w|Nuclear drip line|dripping}} most all of them away, producing a large amount of energy. "Maximum strength" may be a reference to over-the-counter medicines that contain the largest quantity of active ingredients permitted.
|-
|Oops, All Neutrons
|Extremely unlikely
|This fictional form consists of four neutrons, with one orbiting around a group of three. As the existence of {{w|tetraneutron|tetraneutrons}} is still uncertain, their possible configurations are unknown. But the depicted configuration is very unlikely given the characteristics of fundamental forces. The name is likely a reference to an American breakfast cereal called {{w|Cap'n Crunch#Variations|Oops! All Berries}}, which has also been referenced in [[2256]].
|}

The title text provides three other names for Oops, All Neutrons:
# "Neutral Quadrium": {{w|Isotopes_of_hydrogen#Hydrogen-4|Quadrium}} is the extremely rare artificial isotope hydrogen-4, with a proton and three neutrons.[https://www.chem.ccu.edu.tw/~hu/Web_Lib/articles/Muonium+H2_Science_2011.pdf][https://www.lenr-canr.org/acrobat/GodesRcontrolled.pdf] The proton and electron have been replaced with neutrons.
# "Nydnonen" is the word "hydrogen" with three consonants replaced by the letter 'n' so that it has four of them, representing the four neutrons.
# "Goth Tritium": All the particles in the depiction are black, resembling typical {{w|gothic fashion}}, and in the same configuration as the particles of tritium.

==Transcript==
:[Eight drawings of different versions of hydrogen atoms are shown. They are arranged in two rows of four. The depictions use the planetary model version with for instance a negative electron (with a "-" written inside a small circle) orbiting a positive proton (with a "+" written inside a larger circle) and a black neutron depicted as a circle of the same size as the neutron, as in the second atom - Deuterium. Each has a label underneath. Here, they are listed in reading order:]
:[An electron orbiting a proton:]
:Hydrogen

:[An electron orbiting a proton connected with a neutron:]
:Deuterium

:[An electron orbiting a proton connected with two neutrons, so that they form a triangle:]
:Tritium

:[An electron orbiting nothing:]
:Ium

:[An electron, a proton and a neutron placed equidistant from each other on the same circular orbit around nothing:]
:Wheelium

:[A single neutron:]
:Instant Hydrogen (ready in 15 minutes)

:[An electron orbiting a proton connected with many neutrons, 13 visible with six touching the proton which are in front. Four more are close to those six and mostly shown and then three are only just visible behind the others. Looking closely there are also two smaller dots near the edge indicating at least two more, for 15 that can be seen. And several more would be behind the visible neutrons if this forms a spherical shape. The electron's orbit just barely goes around the outer neutrons:]
:Hydrogen (maximum strength)

:[Four neutrons, arranged like the particles in Tritium but with a neutron orbiting a triangle of neutrons.]
:Oops, All Neutrons

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]

2719: Hydrogen Isotopes

2023-01-04T05:35:42Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */ try to explain better

{{comic
| number = 2719
| date = January 2, 2023
| title = Hydrogen Isotopes
| image = hydrogen_isotopes_2x.png
| imagesize = 442x250px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Oops, All Neutrons is also known as Neutral Quadrium, Nydnonen, and Goth Tritium.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BREAK ROOM DE BROGLIE MICROWAVE USER. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{W|Hydrogen}} is the simplest of the chemical atoms, usually consisting of an electron 'orbiting' a single and unaccompanied proton. The comic depicts this, as well as other forms of hydrogen, in the [[2100: Models of the Atom|general form]] of the Chadwick model ({{w|Discovery of the neutron#Proton–neutron model of the nucleus|or similar}}) of the atom. Starting with essentially factual figures, before moving into typical xkcd humour, the eight forms depicted are as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
! "Isotope"
! Real?
! Description
|-
|Hydrogen
|Yes
|Hydrogen-1 is the most common {{w|isotope}} of hydrogen, with one proton and one electron, shown with the electron orbiting the proton. It is also known as protium.
|-
|Deuterium
|Yes
|{{w|Deuterium}} is the second most common isotope of hydrogen, with one electron and both a neutron and proton in its nucleus. About one of every 6,760 hydrogen atoms in seawater is deuterium.
|-
|Tritium
|Yes
|{{w|Tritium}} is the third most common isotope of hydrogen, with one electron and a nucleus of one proton and two neutrons, for an atomic mass of about three {{w|Dalton (unit)|daltons}}. It is radioactive with a half-life of about twelve years, and is very rare (but not as rare as unbound "instant hydrogen" neutrons.)
|-
|Ium
|Not as shown
|This isotope depicts one electron orbiting around nothing. Heavier hydrogen isotopes are named from a prefix designating the number of {{w|nucleons}} followed by the suffix "-ium" (which is also used to name newly discovered elements before they are given a proper name, e.g. {{wunununium}} for element 111) so no nucleus is designated with no prefix. A free electron will not circle around nothing, but instead will gain momentum towards positive electric field potentials including those created by moving magnetic fields.
|-
|Wheelium
|No
|This fictional form consists of a proton, electron, and neutron orbiting around nothing, shaped similarly to a wheel. The neutron would either bind to the proton, or much more likely, be {{w|Elastic_scattering#Nuclear particle physics|elastically scattered}} away.
|-
|Instant hydrogen (ready in 15 minutes)
|Yes, but rare
|This is just a single neutron. An unbound neutron will decay into a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino, with a mean lifetime of about 14 min, 39.6 s (half-life = about 10 min, 11 s). The antineutrino will carry away momentum, while the proton and electron ''can'' form into a hydrogen atom. However, this [https://van.physics.illinois.edu/ask/listing/1207 only happens about four times in a million.] The name is likely a reference to "instant" meals (e.g. instant noodles) which are typically reduced for convenient storage, and can be quickly reconstituted.
|-
|Hydrogen (maximum strength)
|No
|This fictional isotope consists of a proton, an electron, and what appear to be at least 14 neutrons. This isotope's proton would not be bound to all the neutrons. It would immediately decay by {{w|Nuclear drip line|dripping}} most all of them away, producing a large amount of energy. "Maximum strength" may be a reference to over-the-counter medicines containing the greatest legal quantity of active ingredients.
|-
|Oops, All Neutrons
|Maybe
|This fictional form consists of four neutrons, a {{w|tetraneutron}}, with one orbiting around a group of three. The name is likely a reference to an American breakfast cereal called {{w|Cap'n Crunch#Variations|Oops! All Berries}}.

The title text provides three other names of this form: 1. "Neutral Quadrium": Quadrium is an extremely rare isotope of hydrogen with four nucleons, a proton and three neutrons.[https://www.chem.ccu.edu.tw/~hu/Web_Lib/articles/Muonium+H2_Science_2011.pdf][https://www.lenr-canr.org/acrobat/GodesRcontrolled.pdf] The proton and electron have been replaced with neutrons, making a fictional neutral atom. 2. "Nydnonen" is likely a derivation of "hydrogen" with three of its consonants replaced with the letter 'n' so it has four of them representing the four neutrons. 3. "Goth Tritium": All the particles in the depiction are black, resembling typical {{w|gothic fashion}}, and in the same configuration as the particles of tritium.
|}

{{notice2|The Mountain View, California Public Library is hosting an online chat with [[Randall Munroe]] Tuesday, January 31 at 11am Pacific. [https://libraryc.org/mountainviewlibrary/22032 Register here to send your question(s) to the moderators.]|image=Crystal Project Agt announcements.png}} 

==Transcript==
:[Eight drawings of different versions of hydrogen atoms are shown. They are arranged in two rows of four. The depictions use the planetary model version with for instance a negative electron (with a "-" written inside a small circle) orbiting a positive proton (with a "+" written inside a larger circle) and a black neutron depicted as a circle of the same size as the neutron, as in the second atom - Deuterium. Each has a label underneath. Here, they are listed in reading order:]
:[An electron orbiting a proton:]
:Hydrogen

:[An electron orbiting a proton connected with a neutron:]
:Deuterium

:[An electron orbiting a proton connected with two neutrons, so they form a triangle:]
:Tritium

:[An electron orbiting nothing:]
:Ium

:[An electron a proton and a neutron all orbiting on the same circle around nothing. They are placed equidistant from each other forming a large triangle:]
:Wheelium

:[A single neutron:]
:Instant Hydrogen (ready in 15 minutes)

:[An electron orbiting a proton connected with many neutrons, 13 visible with six touching the proton which are in front. Four more are close to those six and mostly shown and then three are only just visible behind the others. Looking closely there are also two smaller dots near the edge indicating at least two more, for 15 that can be seen. And several more would be behind the visible neutrons if this forms a spherical shape. The electrons orbit just barely goes around the outer neutrons:]
:Hydrogen (maximum strength)

:[Four neutrons arranged like the particles in Tritium with a neutron orbiting a triangle of neutrons.]
:Oops, all neutrons

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]

Talk:2717: L6 Lagrange Point

2022-12-28T07:41:44Z

172.71.154.39: /* Can I use a subscript notation in the transcript? */ reply

Daily comics. —[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User:While False/explain xkcd museum|'''museum''']] | [[User talk:While False|talk]] | [[special:Contributions/While_False|contributions]] | [[special:Log/While_False|logs]] | [[Special:UserRights/While_False|rights]] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&printable=yes printable version] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&action=info page information] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere/User:While_False what links there] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:RecentChangesLinked&days=30&from=&target=User%3AWhile_False related changes] | a late contribution | current time: {{CURRENTTIME}}) 19:05, 27 December 2022 (UTC)

This came out about a year after JWST was launched, and it's stationed at a Lagrange point of the Sun and Earth. It might be related to the anniversary, although it would make more sense if it came out in a month, on the anniversary of the telescope reaching L2. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:49, 27 December 2022 (UTC)

Missed opportunity to reference [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Grange,_Texas La Grange, Texas], the basis of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Grange_(song) song] by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top ZZ Top]. [[User:RandalSchwartz|RandalSchwartz]] ([[User talk:RandalSchwartz|talk]]) 21:13, 27 December 2022 (UTC)

Not ''probable'' but maybe a reference to the recent "Ohio" meme?[[Special:Contributions/172.71.82.41|172.71.82.41]] 22:14, 27 December 2022 (UTC)Bumpf

Probably not on purpose but it definitely fits in with the rest of the “Ohio” memes
22:38 27 December 2022 (ETC) Comi123

;Can I use a subscript notation in the transcript?

Any clues where to find the code? Comic seems to have the numeral portions of "L1" to "L6" as subscripts. Is that a standard notation for Lagrange points, if so should we ualso use it in the main article? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.66.102|172.68.66.102]] 06:14, 28 December 2022 (UTC)
:Sure. Use HTML tags. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.39|172.71.154.39]] 07:41, 28 December 2022 (UTC)

2716: Game Night Ordering

2022-12-27T06:05:37Z

172.71.154.39: Not a board game

{{comic
| number = 2716
| date = December 26, 2022
| title = Game Night Ordering
| image = game_night_ordering_2x.png
| imagesize = 293x471px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = One good trick, if you get called on a fake service, is to build a working version of it and mention it again the next week.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BORED FOOD.NET DRIVER BETWEEN DELIVERIES. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is poking fun at the proliferation of apps and internet services such as for [https://builtin.com/consumer-tech/food-delivery-companies food delivery] and [https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/banking/best-ways-to-send-money money transfer]. The characters are discussing which to use during an evening of tabletop gaming. The group has a running competition to see who can mention fake apps or services without being called out.

[[Cueball]] mentions three food delivery services, {{w|Grubhub}}, {{w|DoorDash}}, and Food.net, and [[Ponytail]] asks him to reimburse her using {{w|Venmo}}, {{w|PayPal}}, or Yahoo Cash. Cueball expresses skepticism about Yahoo Cash, after which Ponytail admits it's a fake service and is thus obligated to pay for Cueball's meal. (Incidentally, Yahoo does provide a money transfer service to facilitate private party gambling on {{w|fantasy sports}}, called [https://sports.yahoo.com/wallet/dailyfantasy/referafriend/ Yahoo Fantasy Wallet], but it uses PayPal.) Food.net, which Cueball mentioned without being called out, is not a real service; https://food.net exists but is "not available for use," and is not related to food.

Based on Ponytail's offer, if someone is correctly called out then they apparently must pay for the player who caught them, but what happens when a player isn't caught (e.g. when Cueball mentioned Food.net) isn't clear. The rules might be similar to variants of the card game often known as "{{w|Cheat (game)|Cheat}}," in which a successful bluff merely allows play to continue on until someone is caught bluffing or incorrectly accuses another player.

The title text offers a tip for winning the competition after being called out for mentioning a fake service: building a working version of it and then mentioning it again the next week. This is humorously facetious because the amount of planning, effort, recruitment, and financial capital required to establish a working money transfer or food delivery service is far beyond what typical tabletop gamers could ever hope to accomplish in such a short time.{{citation needed}}

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

:[Cueball, Megan, and Ponytail are sitting at a table to order food. Cueball is on his phone, and Ponytail, sitting opposite, on her laptop.]
:Cueball: What should we use to order? Grubhub? DoorDash? Food.net?
:Ponytail: I'll do Grubhub; you can send me money. Do you do Venmo? Paypal? Yahoo Cash?
:Cueball: Yahoo Cash ''has'' to be fake.
:Ponytail: Yes. Dang. I'll get your share.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:Our game night has an ongoing competition to see who can mention the most fake apps and services without getting called on it.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Games]]

2715: Pando

2022-12-27T00:45:46Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */ parents to de-excruciate sentence called out on talk

{{comic
| number = 2715
| date = December 23, 2022
| title = Pando
| image = pando_2x.png
| imagesize = 422x372px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The presents under the tree are actually a single gift connected by an underground ribbon system.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CHRISTMAS PANDA — Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Pando_(tree)|Pando}} is a {{w|Populus tremuloides|quaking aspen}} tree colony in {{w|Fishlake National Forest}}, Utah. Depending on the measurement method,[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWAA-SrrFUQ] Pando is the largest living organism on earth, and is thereby also the largest tree on earth. By dry mass (mass not including water), Pando is the largest living thing humans have found. There is [https://www.forbes.com/sites/linhanhcat/2019/02/22/largest-organism-in-the-world/ one fungus in Oregon] which may weigh more including water, but a fungus is [[1749: Mushrooms|not a tree]].

Pando is a tree colony, a type of {{w|clonal colony}} made of trees. Clonal colonies all form from the same seed or other origin, and are all genetically identical. Tree colonies spread using their extensive root system. Under all trees are {{w|Root|roots}}, which gather nutrients and water from soil. On clonal trees (such as the {{w|Populus tremuloides|quaking aspen}}, Pando's species), when roots from one tree surface they can form another stalk/tree, remaining the same genetic stock; this is unlike propagation by seeds. This clone then grows its own root network and is part of the clonal colony. Crucially, the linking roots between 'generations' of the plant do not naturally separate, so all effective clones stay attached. Each such stalk still has an individually limited lifespan of decades to centuries, but the colony can persist and propagate in this manner for millennia. For example, the only known wild example of {{w|Lomatia tasmanica|''Lomatia tasmanica'', also known as King's lomatia}}, is a clonal shrub thought to be at least 43,600 years old, and Pando itself is thought to be around 14,000 years old.

{{w|Christmas}} is a celebration on the 25th of December, traditionally celebrating the birth of {{w|Jesus}}. The celebration is often claimed to be built heavily upon pagan traditions,[https://chefin.com.au/blog/these-6-christmas-traditions-are-actually-pagan-customs/] (though this is disputed by some historians[https://historyforatheists.com/2020/12/pagan-christmas/]) as well as on annual social customs, then arguably converted into a far more secular event for many. This comic was published on the 23rd of December, two days before Christmas, or [[Christmas Eve Eve]].

The concept of a {{w|Christmas tree}} is rooted in various pre-Christian folkloric traditions and, in the modern era, may be adapted or adopted as desired by local and personal circumstances. It need not be an {{w|evergreen}} tree with an angel or star atop, though that is the oft-depicted image, but can be any handy plant or artificial substitute strewn with decorations and/or {{w|Christmas lights|lights}} as the owner wishes. People and places often compete to hold the record for the largest Christmas tree. At time of writing, the officially tallest Christmas tree was a 64.36 m (221 ft) tall {{w|Douglas-fir}} that was displayed in {{w|Northgate Station (shopping mall)|Northgate Shopping Center}},{{Actual citation needed}} Seattle, WA in 1950.[https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/77271-tallest-christmas-tree][https://www.historylink.org/File/21359] The one with the most area is likely the [https://www.italybyevents.com/en/events/umbria/world-largest-christmas-tree-gubbio/ Christmas tree display] in {{w|Gubbio}}, a town in {{w|Umbria, Italy}}, where hundreds of trees on a mountain face are lit up with light to form a Christmas tree shape.

In this comic, [[Randall]] proposes putting Christmas lights all the way around Pando to turn it into (technically) a Christmas tree. As Pando is the world's largest tree, if this plan were carried out, it would safely take the record for largest Christmas tree and hold it for quite some time. In the inset map, Randall has drawn the path of the Christmas lights as a {{w|convex hull}} around the edge of Pando. [https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1Wgz5CxvxHC7FKMHWp5zkPQuQsZevBqU&usp=sharing Roughly tracing Pando on Google Maps] reveals its perimeter to be roughly 2.77 km or 1.72 miles, or roughly 9,000 ft. Allowing a little wiggle-room for differing levels of accuracy, and possibly the extra length required to suspend the shallow {{w|catenary}} loops of the lights and wrap them around the various supporting branches, 9,300 ft of Christmas lights seems about right.

The title text suggests that similarly to how trees that make up Pando are interconnected by underground roots, the gifts under the proposed Christmas tree are interconnected by underground ribbons.

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

:[The main comic frame is a profile view of a number of separated trees, of varying heights and maturity, across each of which (of those with sufficient height) has apparently been draped a single chain of decorative lights that goes from off-image at one side to off-image at the other.]

:[Inset in the bottom right is a mini-map implicating that these light-linked 'trees' are actually all risers from a single large superorganism (as a shaded complex but contiguous shape labelled "Pando"), the map has a "N"orth pointer, a scale bar indicating the length of "1,000 ft" (approximately a third of the shaded mass's full width) and a convex hull perimeter line tightly fitting the shaded area that has an indicative arrow from a label informing us that its length would be "9,300 ft".]

:[Caption below:] Christmas Science Fact: Pando is approximately 9,300 feet of lights away from being the world's largest Christmas Tree.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]] 
[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Facts]]

2716: Game Night Ordering

2022-12-27T00:13:16Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */ Yahoo Fantasy Wallet is actually a thing!

{{comic
| number = 2716
| date = December 26, 2022
| title = Game Night Ordering
| image = game_night_ordering_2x.png
| imagesize = 293x471px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = One good trick, if you get called on a fake service, is to build a working version of it and mention it again the next week.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BORED FOOD.NET DRIVER BETWEEN DELIVERIES. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is poking fun at the proliferation of apps and internet services such as for [https://builtin.com/consumer-tech/food-delivery-companies food delivery] and [https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/banking/best-ways-to-send-money money transfer]. The characters are discussing which to use during an evening of tabletop gaming. The group has a running competition to see who can mention the most fake apps and services without being called out.

[[Cueball]] mentions three food delivery services, {{w|Grubhub}}, {{w|DoorDash}}, and Food.net, and [[Ponytail]] asks him to reimburse her using {{w|Venmo}}, {{w|PayPal}}, or Yahoo Cash. Cueball expresses skepticism about Yahoo Cash, after which Ponytail admits it's a fake service and is thus obligated to pay for Cueball's meal. (Incidentally, Yahoo does provide a money transfer service to facilitate private party gambling on {{w|fantasy sports}}, called [https://sports.yahoo.com/wallet/dailyfantasy/referafriend/ Yahoo Fantasy Wallet].) Food.net, which Cueball mentioned without being called out, is not a real service; https://food.net exists but is "not available for use," and is not related to food.

Based on Ponytail's offer, if someone is correctly called out then they apparently must pay for the player who caught them, but what happens when a player isn't caught (e.g. when Cueball mentioned Food.net) isn't clear. The rules might be similar to variants of the card game sometimes known as "{{w|Cheat (game)|Cheat}}," in which a successful bluff merely allows play to continue on until someone is caught bluffing or incorrectly accuses another player.

The title text offers a tip for winning the competition after being called out for mentioning a fake service: building a working version of it and then mentioning it again the next week.

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

:[Cueball, Megan, and Ponytail are sitting at a table to order food. Cueball is on his phone, and Ponytail, sitting opposite, on her laptop.]
:Cueball: What should we use to order? Grubhub? DoorDash? Food.net?
:Ponytail: I'll do Grubhub; you can send me money. Do you do Venmo? Paypal? Yahoo Cash?
:Cueball: Yahoo Cash HAS to be fake.
:Ponytail: Yes. Dang. I'll get your share.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:Our game night has an ongoing competition to see who can mention the most fake apps and services without getting called on it.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-22T03:24:26Z

172.71.154.39: REply

That study sounds like something that would win an Ig Nobel Prize. But the 2002 prize in medicine went to "Scrotal Asymmetry in Man and in Ancient Sculpture". [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:37, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

Also common cold cannot really be cured, just wait and see. http://www.picturequotes.com/proper-treatment-will-cure-a-cold-in-seven-days-but-left-to-itself-a-cold-will-hang-on-for-a-week-quote-272191 [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 20:49, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

Are we sure that's the actual explanation? I thought the panels we see of the telemedicine are fibs to explain why Harry is acting this way. As in, he's pretending a medical professional told him to act like this. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.13|172.69.68.13]] 21:59, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

Can the citation be moved to a ref tag instead of just Being There? on a related note, why is the 58 bolded? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.166.76|172.71.166.76]] 22:32, 21 December 2022 (UTC) [[NonUser:Bumpf|Bumpf]] ([[NonUser talk:Bumpf|shh]])
:We usually don't bother with the cite and just use numbered links, especially in cases like this where the full cite is on the first page of the link. I'll change it. Journal volume numbers are written in bold in APA style. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.79|172.69.22.79]] 00:23, 22 December 2022 (UTC)

I know far too many people who already follow this course of treatment. And not just for viruses, either. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 23:59, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

Is the accepted explanation for this comic that it is... mocking people who ask for sympathy or help when unwell for being "big babies"? That seems uncomfortably close to, say, making fun of people who seek treatment for mental illness... I understand that there is a disproportionate level of complaint relative to minor discomfort that is ridiculous and maybe even funny, but that doesn't seem to have been established here. I think we should emphasize that, "Hey, it's perfectly fine and even healthy to talk about the disappointment of feeling shitty, but don't take it to this extreme" - even if the original comic arguably doesn't do so. [[User:Notanotherusername|Notanotherusername]] ([[User talk:Notanotherusername|talk]]) 03:01, 22 December 2022 (UTC)
:I feel like the ''Journal of Clinical Psychology'' quote fulfills that purpose somewhat. Kudos to whomever found it. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.39|172.71.154.39]]

2713: Data Point

2022-12-20T09:45:35Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */ better explanation

{{comic
| number = 2713
| date = December 19, 2022
| title = Data Point
| image = data_point_2x.png
| imagesize = 315x409px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = In general you should only include your single best data point in the paper. The rest of the data can go in the supplementary materials.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a REALLY COOL DATA POINT. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

When scientific measurements are made, the conclusions are almost always based on many data points observed in relation to each other. The comic jokes that a single data point can somehow be of sufficient interest in isolation that the other data may be disregarded. In reality, a single datum can almost never represent what the information in the related data taken together indicate.

In this case the data point looks like a {{w|TIE fighter}} flying at you from the direction of the Sun. This is so cool that the entire focus of the scientific paper should be on this figure alone, as stated in the caption. [[Randall]] suggests this is a "science power move."

This is most likely intended as factitious satire, because the purpose of a chart or graph figure is to present multiple data which would be less clear than tabular or textual data, so there is never any reason to devote a figure to a single datum, regardless of its importance. It is could be a joke about papers which only highlight particularly interesting or significant data without including the background measurements or similar mundane information necessary to fully understand or reproduce the findings. While there are [https://www.aje.com/en/arc/data-not-shown-4-reasons-omit-figure-or-table/ accepted reasons for this practice,] it can be particularly annoying when trying to follow an otherwise useful procedure or comparing aspects of the results the authors did not anticipate.

The title text suggests relegating all the other data to supplementary materials, presumably to avoid detracting from the single "cool" datum.

==Transcript==
:[A graph is shown. There are two axis with bullets up along the Y-axis and unreadable labels along the X-axis. There are no ticks on the axis. The graph itself is black with a round white center from where white lines "radiate" out in all directions, like a star or sun. In the center there is a single data point with symmetrical vertical error bars. Beneath the graph there are two lines of unreadable text to the left. To the right there is a rectangular box with a dot, representing the data point, and then an unreadable label. Above the graph there is a label:]
:Figure 2.

:[Caption beneath the panel:]
:Science power move: When one of your data points is really cool, devote a whole figure to it.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]

2708: Mystery Asterisk Destination

2022-12-07T19:53:49Z

172.71.154.39: The transcript seems pretty complete, it's a pretty simple comic

{{comic
| number = 2708
| date = December 7, 2022
| title = Mystery Asterisk Destination
| image = mystery_asterisk_destination_2x.png
| imagesize = 288x248px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you ever see the † dagger symbol with no unmatched footnote, it means the writer is saying the phrase while threatening you with a dagger.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT* - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A little treat from Randall to XKCD readers, offering closure to a situation where none is ordinarily found (along the vein of [[391: Anti-Mindvirus]]). Perhaps to make up for the [[859|unmatched parenthesis he willingly set loose onto the world eleven years ago]].

Any good feelings about this closure are short-lived, however, as the title text then reveals that unmatched instances of † (a dagger; a symbol for a secondary footnote) are in fact threats being made with an actual dagger.

The title text, as of writing, says "If you ever see the † dagger symbol with ''no'' unmatched footnote[...]", forming a double negative. This may be a typo.

==Transcript==
:[A blank panel with some text at the bottom.]
:'''*''' Whenever you see a mystery asterisk that doesn't have a matching footnote, it points here.

{{comic discussion}}

2706: Bendy

2022-12-07T17:28:03Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */ wikilink instead of footnote

{{comic
| number = 2706
| date = December 2, 2022
| title = Bendy
| image = bendy_2x.png
| imagesize = 291x209px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Squaring the circle is really easy with some good clamps.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created while BENDING OVER PULLBACKWARDS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Geometry usually represents 2D polygons with simple straight lines. In the comic, the lines are compared to a physical object, and are shown to have the property of bendiness. Randall claims this simplifies geometry as now triangles can have arbitrarily defined side lengths by merely stretching the lines, but it is unclear what benefits this may have over current Euclidean geometry. These lines cannot have Euclidean properties, but other {{w|Non-Euclidean_geometry|non-Euclidean systems have been invented in the past with non-standard properties.}} One such non-Euclidean space can be modelled as the surface of a sphere. If the sphere had a circumference of 20, the triangle with three sides of length 5 would be right angled (at all three vertices).

This comic may be a reference to axis breaks in graphs, which shrink large segments and enhance readability and are denoted by a wiggly line on the axis in question, though this is more frequently done with angular zig-zags than the smoother curves as depicted.

The title-text talks about "{{w|Squaring the circle}}" (not to be confused with {{w|Tarski's circle-squaring problem|circle-squaring}}), a famous geometry problem based around constructing a square with the same area as a given circle, using a compass and straightedge, which was proven to be impossible (even with more powerful forms of construction, such as marked straightedges or origami) in 1882 as pi is a transcendental number. However, it then goes on to describe a way to literally turn one of these bendy shapes from a circle into a square - namely using clamps.

==Transcript==
:[There are two right triangles. The one to the left is a standard right triangle with the right angle denoted by a small square at that corner. The lengths of the sides are denoted around it, but it has been scribbled out with red lines. The triangle to the right has the same general shape as the first one, but with the legs appearing longer but bent with about three wiggles each near the right-angled corner. As with the first triangle, the side lengths are denoted around it, but they are not the same as for the first. Around this triangle is a red line circling about two times around it.]
:Left triangle: 3 4 5
:Right triangle: 5 5 5

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Huge geometry breakthrough: Turns out those lines we make triangles out of are bendy!

{{comic discussion}}

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

Talk:2707: Astronomy Numbers

2022-12-06T03:55:25Z

172.71.154.39: ChatGPT

First time I've ever seen a completely blank page. [[User:IJustWantToEditStuff|IJustWantToEditStuff]] ([[User talk:IJustWantToEditStuff|talk]]) 20:27, 5 December 2022 (UTC)

It's also notable that something weighting 12 solar masses will collapse into black hole on it's own, unless it resist collapse through thermal pressure like stars. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 21:26, 5 December 2022 (UTC)

The Earth moves relative to the sun at 66,000 MPH. In what frame of reference is it 65 MPH? It isn't like Randall to get a number wrong. Maybe the magnitude of the distance from Earth to Sun changes at a closer rate, but even this is nearly 180 MPH if I'm calculating correctly. [[User:Mannerisky|Mannerisky]] ([[User talk:Mannerisky|talk]]) 21:37, 5 December 2022 (UTC)
: You're thinking orbital speed, she's talking orbital oscillation. That is, the speed at which the distance between earth and sun changes. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.240|198.41.242.240]] 21:51, 5 December 2022 (UTC) ADDITION: Orbital oscillation has both a mean/average factor and a current factor (which is at it slowest while at the apsides, and given the context the one being calculated) [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.85|198.41.242.85]] 22:46, 5 December 2022 (UTC)

I get the sense that the thing that they're planning for January 1st is a precisely-timed new year's party and nothing to do with space exploration. {{unsigned|172.71.242.156}}

; Obligatory ChatGPT explanation

'''Me:''' The following is a transcript from the latest xkcd comic. Please write an explanation of the comic: ''[transcript copied verbatim from its current state omitted]''

'''ChatGPT:''' In the xkcd comic, Ponytail and Cueball are discussing Earth's orbit around the sun. Ponytail notes that Earth will be approaching the sun at a rate of 65 miles per hour on January 1st. Cueball responds, "Weird?" Ponytail explains that they usually see only complex and incomprehensible numbers in astronomy, and seeing a "normal" number like 65 miles per hour feels wrong to them. This reflects the common perception that numbers in the sciences, especially astronomy, are often complex and difficult to understand. Earlier in the comic, Ponytail also expresses skepticism at a "normal" number when Megan in coat tells them that their cat weighs 12 lbs. Ponytail suggests that it must actually weigh either 10-20 or 1040 instead. Megan responds by saying that the cat's weight is actually 3x10-30 solar masses, which Ponytail finds more acceptable.

Meh. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.39|172.71.154.39]] 03:55, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

2703: Paper Title

2022-11-26T03:36:41Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2703
| date = November 25, 2022
| title = Paper Title
| image = paper_title_2x.png
| imagesize = 557x261px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: The authors hope these results are correct because we all want to be cool people who are good at science.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MICROBE TRYING TO LURE YOU WITH CLICKBAIT. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Many if not most scientific research papers present a {{w|hypothesis}} and the result of testing the hypothesis. Scientific papers should also have titles which describe the content of the papers. See [[2456: Types of Scientific Paper]].

[[Cueball]] is writing a research paper with a {{w|clickbait}}, {{w|puffery}}, and insufficiently descriptive title, "Check out this cool microbe we found." His colleague [[Megan]] asks him whether science is supposed to be about formulating a hypothesis and testing it. Cueball agrees, changing the title to, "Is our lab really good at finding cool microbes? Some preliminary data." However, that is still an overly promotional and insufficiently descriptive clickbait title, purporting to be a study of the authors' own competence, which would be highly unusual because of the lack of objectivity due to the authors being the subject of investigation. [[:Category:Clickbait|Clickbait]] is a recurring theme on xkcd, recently considered within science publications in [[2001: Clickbait-Corrected p-Value]]. The title of a research article describing a novel organism will almost always contain the author(s) name for it, which is granted as their prerogative.

{{w|Empirical research|''Empirical investigations''}} and ''{{w|analysis}} papers'' almost always state and test a hypothesis, but there are many kinds of scientific papers which likely will not, including ''{{w|literature review}}s,'' which qualitatively summarize the results of other papers; ''{{w|meta-analysis|meta-analyses}},'' which quantitatively summarize the results and quality of other work; ''observational reports'' (or ''{{w|case study|case studies}}'' — not to be confused with {{w|observational study|observational studies}}, a kind of empirical analysis), which present data and a chronicle of its collection often without analysis, testing, or interpretation; ''{{w|Conference proceeding|conference papers}},'' which present preliminary work without peer review; ''definition papers,'' which attempt to formalize terms used in divergent ways in prior work; ''{{w|Dialectic#Hegelian dialectic|syntheses}},'' which present alternative views combining multiple and often conflicting concepts; ''{{w|Comparison|comparative studies}},'' which compare and contrast a class of concepts; ''{{w|Interpretive discussion|interpretive}} papers,'' showing a different perspective on previous work; ''{{w|technical report}}s,'' which may present information on a specific procedural topic or progress and results, if any, in a field; ''opinion'' and ''editorial essays,'' which are intended to argue a point of view persuasively; ''book reviews,'' which summarize monographs or biographies; and ''grant proposals,'' which make the case for funding a project. Mathematical or logic research papers which don't involve empirical observations or uncertainty would be considered technical reports in other fields. Engineering work can be reported as an empirical investigation or a technical report. Research articles which do present and test a hypothesis are usually written in [https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/writing/writing-resources/how-to-write-an-apa-research-paper American Psychological Association (APA) style].

Cueball seems to want to author an observational report, but Megan would prefer an empirical investigation or analysis, perhaps because they may be more likely to be accepted by peer reviewed journals, and as such are more prestigious than mere conference papers, "letters," or "communications" as observational reports are often published. However, research articles describing the discovery of new {{w|microbe}}s in prestigious peer-reviewed journals are often published as observational reports,[https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijsem.0.004029][http://calamar.univ-ag.fr/mangroveSAE/articles/2022/Volland%20et%20al%202022.pdf][https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10482-021-01656-x] so Megan's concerns may be unfounded; even if so, the editors of any reputable journal would almost certainly require a far more descriptive and less overtly promotional title from Cueball. The question remains whether an intial submission with a catchy clickbait title might get more prompt attention from editors and reviewers.

In the title text, the {{w|conflict of interest}} statement says that the authors hope their results are correct because, "we all want to be cool people who are good at science." A scientific publication's potential conflict of interest usually refers to the authors' financial, familial, or other external interests in the research outcomes. The disclosure statement does not describe a conflict between the authors' {{w|extrinsic motivation}}s and factors influencing the accuracy and neutrality of their work; in fact it claims the opposite, an alignment between their {{w|intrinsic motivation}}s and the goal of producing high quality work, which should go without saying.{{cn}}

==Transcript==
:[Megan is standing behind and looking over the shoulder of Cueball who is sitting in his office chair at his desk typing on the keyboard. A line from the keyboard goes up to two boxes above them. A smaller one at the top, half the length and a third the height of the larger box below. There are text in both boxes. The bottom box is not filled out with text. At the end of the text in the bottom box the line indicating where the courser are can be seen, as in this is what Megan can see on the screen:]
:Paper title
:''Check out this cool microbe we found''|

:[Pan to only showing Megan who has taken a hand up to her chin. Cueball replies from off-panel.]
:Megan: Isn’t science supposed to be about formulating a hypothesis and then testing it?
:Cueball - off panel: Oh. Yeah, I guess.

:[Same setting as in the first panel, but now the bottom box is filled out with text, but still with the courser shown at the end:]
:Paper title
:''Is our lab really good at finding cool microbes? Some preliminary data''|

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Clickbait]]

Talk:2701: Change in Slope

2022-11-22T19:17:35Z

172.71.154.39: /* Raw Data */ 104 points

I am an occasional data scientist, and I can confirm this is why we have monitor stands that tilt. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.94.50|172.71.94.50]] 16:33, 21 November 2022 (UTC)

The third e in "neeed" in the title text seems to be a typo
[[User:Victor|Victor]] ([[User talk:Victor|talk]]) 16:41, 21 November 2022 (UTC)
:I think Randall may have added it to represent that the speaker prolongs the "e" sound for emphasis, although that's usually done with 4-5 e's. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:53, 21 November 2022 (UTC)
::I had to double-check this, myself (presumed the 'Bot created the lage faithfully, but went straight to source to see if I needed to find a vandalism post to revert). May need a comment (to prevent hypercorrection, if not to note the implied emphisis) and certainly will if it turns out to be a typo and gets corrected (for which I'm sure a future checker will discover Randall's revisiting, but then worth a note to that effect). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.2|172.70.90.2]] 17:42, 21 November 2022 (UTC)
:::I guess Randall fixed it, because I'm only seeing 2 'e's in the title text. Just updated it on the wiki. [[User:Zman350x|Zman350x]] ([[User talk:Zman350x|talk]]) 01:26, 22 November 2022 (UTC)
Bender Bot was one of the main characters in Futurama. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:54, 21 November 2022 (UTC)
:Just donning my unnecessary pedantry hat for a moment: his name is Bender Bending Rodriguez --[[User:192·168·0·1|192·168·0·1]] ([[User talk:192·168·0·1|talk]]) 23:02, 21 November 2022 (UTC)

A couple(?) of authors used the word(s) "(point of) inflection", which is {{w|Inflection point|not really suitable}} for a join between two straight segments. Was tempted to talk about "discontinuity", but that really only applies to the meta-slope (derivatives, to one degree or other) where it suddenly jumps (at a point), or the derivative's derivative has jumps (as it enters and leaves the smoothly linking curve). Hope it works well enough how I left it, though. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.176|162.158.142.176]] 21:28, 21 November 2022 (UTC)

For anyone curious, I used an image editor to turn the entire comic sideways and [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/525939879805190154/1044395695525875712/xkcd_sideways.png it actually does seem to work,] to some degree anyway. [[User:SuperSupermario24|SSM24]] 23:37, 21 November 2022 (UTC)
:Added; thanks! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.158.230|172.71.158.230]] 00:14, 22 November 2022 (UTC)

: If you don't mind sharing: which program did you use? Did you tweak things like relative distance / camera FOV, to effectively select a specific point in the continuum that makes up the {{w|Dolly Zoom}} effect, and at the limit on one end results in {{w|orthographic projection}}? (Edit 10 minutes later: a better article to look at is {{w|Perspective distortion (photography)}}) Or did you just leave it at whatever the default is? Can you recreate the image with the two extremes, and share them? And lastly - can you upload the image (and potentially the new images) to the wiki directly, so they can be embedded in the page? Thanks! --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 17:21, 22 November 2022 (UTC)

This one shows the beauty of Explainxkcd: people reading the explanation are likely to learn accessible methods of substantial practical utility. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.173|162.158.166.173]] 00:38, 22 November 2022 (UTC)

Hey, if it works for picking out lumber at Lowe’s, why not for graphs, too? - MadMarie
:There was an old bit of explanation that related it to examining physical objects (for dent/bend-removal in metalwork, I think it was) that got wiped out by a later edit. Though I'm considering my own version, now generalised to cover your experience, as it seems quite relevant/analogous to me. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.2|172.70.90.2]] 14:37, 22 November 2022 (UTC)

Whoever wrote the 1st explanation needs to go touch grass and learn how real people talk, pissed me off so much I just effectively rewrote the whole thing from scratch [[Special:Contributions/172.71.202.46|172.71.202.46]] 06:34, 22 November 2022 (UTC)

Going in a different direction than "this is silly" - if we ignore the "viewing point/parallax" issue, doing a change of basis like this is similar to linear methods like [SVD https://hadrienj.github.io/assets/images/ch12_svd/ch11_SVD_geometry.png] & [https://jakevdp.github.io/PythonDataScienceHandbook/figures/05.09-PCA-rotation.png PCA], and considering the graph as a mappingg in a "higher dimension" is similar to the "kernel trick" popularized by [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wqSTBCguVyU/maxresdefault.jpg Support] [https://miro.medium.com/max/4800/1*gtF6KeL7b9zNHd7pXtC1Nw.png Vector] [https://dinhanhthi.com/img/post/ML/support-vector-machine/svm-3.jpg Machines] 11:31, 22 November 2022 (UTC)

== Raw Data ==

I love this cartoon. This is definitely something that was relevant in my work!

At my old job I had some commercial or public-domain software for extracting the raw data behind a scatter plot. If anyone has something like that handy, I would love to see someone extract the data behind the graph on the left, so that we can:
1. Apply the affine transformation which generates the image on the right with the tilted paper.
2. Apply the statistical tests which Randall Munroe is alluding to.

:Knock yourself out. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.159|172.71.154.159]] 19:15, 22 November 2022 (UTC)
{{cot|Digitized data courtesy https://apps.automeris.io/wpd/}}
<pre>
0.000000, 0.015366
0.001887, 0.000000
0.002830, 0.041488
0.024528, 0.060695
0.033019, 0.014597
0.038679, 0.009988
0.044340, 0.072220
0.047170, 0.055317
0.050000, 0.072220
0.064858, 0.092964
0.070215, 0.117001
0.088207, 0.088354
0.091037, 0.122928
0.091037, 0.109099
0.100943, 0.140215
0.103773, 0.165338
0.106603, 0.178246
0.128891, 0.171331
0.147641, 0.196685
0.146226, 0.187465
0.162264, 0.215124
0.180188, 0.264910
0.182452, 0.218812
0.202830, 0.275052
0.204245, 0.261222
0.208490, 0.272747
0.217923, 0.293491
0.227358, 0.267369
0.230322, 0.234880
0.241744, 0.311930
0.256603, 0.344199
0.262263, 0.338930
0.299056, 0.376467
0.308254, 0.420261
0.313206, 0.417956
0.336791, 0.456371
0.344338, 0.433322
0.355659, 0.456371
0.367923, 0.496323
0.374055, 0.503237
0.388206, 0.503237
0.389621, 0.514762
0.409433, 0.533201
0.412263, 0.525518
0.415093, 0.540884
0.432074, 0.555328
0.446225, 0.599275
0.443395, 0.588519
0.449526, 0.537811
0.449055, 0.588519
0.468866, 0.609263
0.487263, 0.627702
0.490093, 0.636922
0.516979, 0.670727
0.523448, 0.697179
0.519809, 0.662276
0.548111, 0.697618
0.551413, 0.740642
0.550941, 0.689935
0.565092, 0.726813
0.572168, 0.724508
0.576413, 0.772911
0.582073, 0.772911
0.582073, 0.763691
0.601177, 0.785588
0.604714, 0.791350
0.625335, 0.775545
0.643394, 0.817473
0.664620, 0.855119
0.688812, 0.871693
0.688003, 0.821643
0.710374, 0.925035
0.707544, 0.806716
0.715091, 0.888156
0.717921, 0.880473
0.724148, 0.976665
0.749054, 0.927010
0.757544, 0.961913
0.763204, 0.959608
0.783016, 0.983426
0.781601, 0.971133
0.797166, 1.028756
0.802827, 1.031060
0.805657, 0.999560
0.821223, 0.966523
0.822638, 0.957304
0.842449, 1.038744
0.843864, 1.028756
0.859431, 1.049500
0.865091, 1.058719
0.876411, 1.077159
0.882072, 1.086378
0.889147, 1.077159
0.901883, 1.024914
0.904714, 1.017231
0.908605, 1.100208
0.913204, 1.107122
0.936553, 1.130171
0.937261, 1.116342
0.967447, 1.159370
0.969806, 1.205310
0.978301, 1.104817
0.983956, 1.101525
1.000000, 1.167820
</pre>
104 points. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.39|172.71.154.39]] 19:17, 22 November 2022 (UTC)
{{cob}}

2699: Feature Comparison

2022-11-18T18:00:11Z

172.71.154.39: /* Services */ convert to ordinary paragraph

{{comic
| number = 2699
| date = November 16, 2022
| title = Feature Comparison
| image = feature_comparison_v2.png
| imagesize =
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Below the Web, and the Dark Web, a shadowy parallel world of Cybiko users trade messages on the Translucent Neon Plastic Web.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MULTIHOMED MESH NODE. Read HTML comments to expand. This page is the subject of vandalism, and the comic itself contains severe errors. Assume everything is wrong. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic compares different remote communication services, including the relatively well-known {{w|Twitter}}, {{w|Discord}}, {{w|Mastodon (software)|Mastodon}}, {{w|Facebook}} (FB), {{w|Slack (software)|Slack}}, {{w|Signal (software)|Signal}}, {{w|Internet Relay Chat}} (IRC), {{w|Tumblr}}, {{w|Reddit}}, and {{w|SMS}} mobile telephone text messages. It also includes the less well-known {{w|Cybiko}}® wireless handheld computer for teens. For each of these, it purports to indicate which of various features they support. The comic illustrates how feature comparison charts/infographics can be abused by sellers who are trying to make their products look better than they really are, compared to their main competitors.

The Cybiko was a handheld computer designed for teens and released in 2000, which featured its own two-way radio text messaging capabilities along with built-in games and a music player. Additional information about it is available at [http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/Cybiko the Dead Media Archive], as the device has not been manufactured since 2003. The chart suggests that the Cybiko has an advantage over all of the other listed communication services, as it is capable of all eight of the table's listed features listed, with none of the others being close. Purchasing a Cybiko or finding friends who own one can be its own challenge, as device was discontinued nearly 20 years ago. Additionally, the Cybiko is a ''device'' rather than a ''service''; a more fair comparison would be to a modern {{w|smartphone}}, which can provide most of these features via multiple apps, including those apps written especially for such rival services.

===Features===
;Direct Messaging
:Known by {{w|Private message|various names}}, across different platforms, but commonly abbreviated to "DM" or similar. DMs are person-to-person (or possibly person-to-group) communications that do not rely upon the privacy, membership or persistence settings of a given Group Chat 'room'.
:All the services being compared possess the ability to make such direct messages, with sometimes subtle differences in implementation that dictate whether asynchronous or even 'live' two-way conversations are dominant, and the given list is far from exhaustive with email, '{{w|talk (software)|talk}}'-type programs and others having already established the principles used in any particular service's implementation.

;{{w|Mesh networking}}
:A form of connectivity that reduces or removes the need for a centralized server or predefined gateways to a communications 'backbone'. Nodes communicate directly with any nodes that happen to be contactable, and from there may connect through to whatever nodes are in mutual contact, or to be found further afield, either in real-time or asynchronously.
:The Cybiko has this ability, as well as wireless message delivery because it communicates directly to other devices via radio, hence the ability to operate without any internet connectivity at all. There are several {{w|Comparison of software and protocols for distributed social networking|ongoing projects for distributed social networking}}, but all of these additionally require a hardware layer to provide signalling via their respective protocols; which the Cybiko purportedly provides via its decentralized radio capabilities.

The title text refers to the translucent plastic covers that were popular in the late 90's and early 00's.


This comic contains several errors. Mastodon doesn't require a central server, or support file transfer. Discord does not provide for user-run instances itself, only user-moderated and administrated instances. (There are two third party Discord server implementations, but it is unclear whether those could be counted as run by users.) Slack does not provide for user-run instances itself. Reddit does not provide for user-run instances at all, only user moderation and administration. IRC does require at least one central server,[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1459.html] and relegates file transfer support to the domain of client extensions. Signal is heavily used in user-run instances via a diverse ecosystem of code forks; many of these don't require a central server, a couple use mesh networking. Reddit occasionally does have built-in games. Finally, Tumblr and SMS both have a form of group chats.

An earlier version of the comic suggesting that Mastodon has no user-run instances was corrected by [[Randall]] shortly after publication of the original.




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

:[A table with checkmarks to indicate which features various messaging services have. Each column is labeled with a service name and its logo beneath, except that for the last column, the device's longer name is written higher than all the other services' names, with an arrow pointing to a drawing of the device below it.]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! Twitter
! Discord
! Mastodon
! FB
! Slack
! Signal
! IRC
! Tumblr
! Reddit
! SMS
! Cybiko® wireless handheld computer for teens (2000)
|-
! Direct messages
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
! Group chats
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! File transfer
| || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! Built-in games
| || ✓ || || ✓ || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! User-run instances
| || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! Doesn't require central server
| || || || || || || ✓ || || || || ✓
|-
! Mesh networking
| || || || || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! Wireless message delivery works without internet
| || || || || || || || || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

2699: Feature Comparison

2022-11-17T07:09:45Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */ flaws

2697: Y2K and 2038

2022-11-11T19:37:34Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */ there used to be 36 bit computers decades ago

{{comic
| number = 2697
| date = November 11, 2022
| title = Y2K and 2038
| image = y2k_and_2038_2x.png
| imagesize = 527x190px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's taken me 20 years, but I've finally finished rebuilding all my software to use 33-bit signed ints.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Y2K-BRICKED BOT. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[File:Year 2038 problem.gif|thumb|An animation of the 2038 bug in action. The {{w|integer overflow}} error occurs at 03:14:08 UTC on 19 January 2038.]]

The Y2K bug, or more formally, the {{w|year 2000 problem}}, was the computer errors caused by two digit software representations of calendar years not correctly handling the year 2000, such as by treating it as 1900 or 19100. The {{w|year 2038 problem}} is a similar issue with timestamps in {{w|Unix time}} format, which will overflow their {{w|Signed number representations|signed}} 32-bit binary representation on January 19, 2038.

While initial estimates were that the Y2K problem would require about half a trillion dollars to address, there was widespread recognition of its potential severity several years in advance. Concerted efforts among organizations including computer and software manufacturers and their corporate and government users reflected unprecedented cooperation, testing, and enhancement of affected systems costing substantially less than the early estimates. On new years day 2000, few major errors actually occurred. Those that did usually did not disrupt essential processes or cause serious problems, and the many fewer of those that did were usually addressed in days to weeks. The software code reviews involved allowed correcting other errors and providing various enhancements which likely made up for the the cost of merely correcting the date bug.{{Actual citation needed}}

It is unclear whether the 2038 problem will be addressed as effectively in time, but documented experience with the Y2K bug and increased software modularity has allowed many otherwise vulnerable systems to already upgrade to wider timestamp and date formats, so there is reason to believe that it may be even less consequential and expensive. The 2038 problem has been previously mentioned in [[607: 2038]] and [[887: Future Timeline]].

The caption in this comic provides a punchline: everyone should have completed their "Y2K recovery" as it has been a full 22 years since the year 2000. It is highly unlikely that there are more than a very few consequential older systems that still suffer from this bug, and any modern systems have already been built to handle the years 2000 and later.

The title text refers to replacing the 32-bit signed Unix time format with a hypothetical new 33-bit signed {{w|Integer (computer science)|integer}} time and date format, which is very unlikely as almost all contemporary computer data structure formats are allocated no more finely than in 8-bit bytes. Taking 20 years to develop and implement such a format is not entirely counterproductive, as it would add another 68 years of capability.

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

[A timeline rectangle spanning from 2000 to 2038 divided into two halves. The first is labeled "Recovering from the Y2K bug" and the second labeled "Preparing for the 2038 bug." An arrow labeled "Now" is pointing approximately at the year 2022.]

[Caption:] By now you should have finished your Y2K recovery and be several years into 2038 preparation

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Calendar]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Timelines]]

2694: Königsberg

2022-11-05T05:22:38Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */ on second thought, and referring to other comics, chickens wouldn't eat entire bags

{{comic
| number = 2694
| date = November 4, 2022
| title = Königsberg
| image = konigsberg_2x.png
| imagesize = 448x343px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = At first I thought I would need some gold or something to pay him, but then I realized that it was the 18th century and I could just bring a roll of aluminum foil.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WOLF, TWO GOATS, AND THREE BAGS OF GRAIN. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[File:Konigsberg bridges.png|frame|right|{{w|Königsberg}} in Euler's time, showing the river Pregel and its seven bridges]]

This comic is about the {{w|Seven Bridges of Königsberg}}, a seminal {{w|graph theory}} problem solved by the famous mathematician {{w|Leonhard Euler}}. The problem is to devise a path through the city that would cross each of the seven bridges exactly once, without crossing the river forks any other way. In 1736, Euler proved that there was no such path. This result is considered to be the first theorem of graph theory and the first proof in the theory of networks[http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/courses/2004/cscs535/review.pdf] — a subject now generally regarded as a branch of {{w|combinatorics}} — and presaged the development of {{w|topology}}. Combinatorial problems of other types had been considered since antiquity.

[[Cueball]] attempts to cheat on the final exam in his algorithms class by traveling back in time to commission the construction of an eighth bridge before Euler could learn of the problem, granting it a trivial solution that would remove much impetus for mathematical analysis. He hopes that this would alter his present-day timeline in such a way that the test becomes easier because graph theory might never have been developed.

With the addition of the eighth bridge, it becomes possible to create a path that crosses each bridge exactly once, starting at the north bank and ending on the eastern island (or vice-versa). However, there would remain no way to traverse each bridge exactly once and return to your starting point, because the altered graph would have an {{w|Euler trail}} but not an {{w|Euler cycle}}. Thus, the problem might still have been sufficiently interesting to spark Euler's curiosity. Adding a ninth bridge connecting the north bank to the east island would render the problem completely trivial. Without the seven bridges problem, Euler could have focussed on a different foundation for graph theory, possibly making an even harder examination in Cueball's time.

The title text alludes to the fact that ordinary {{w|aluminum foil}}, which was not commercially available until 1911, would have been a tremendously valuable curiosity in the 18th century, which didn't even have {{w|tin foil}}. Aluminium itself was a highly priced metal before the 1880s, when methods were developed to cheaply refine it. Famously, the {{w|Washington Monument}} was constructed with a tip made of pure aluminum due to its great value and conductive capacity. Aluminum had not even been extracted in its pure form at the time of Euler, and was only known in compounds such as {{w|alum}}, so it would have been unique and exotic.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball, standing next to two men wearing wigs, pointing with a pointer at a map showing the 7 bridges problem, with an extra bridge added in dashed lines]
:Cueball: Lord mayor of Königsberg, I will reward you handsomely if you construct this bridge before my friend Leonhard arrives.

:[Caption below the panel]
:I tried to use a time machine to cheat on my algorithms final by preventing graph theory from being invented.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Programming]]

2694: Königsberg

2022-11-05T03:51:15Z

172.71.154.39: /* Explanation */ date