https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Bybat 2026-04-10T05:49:27Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.30.0 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1670:_Laws_of_Physics&diff=118408 2016-04-20T16:56:27Z

<p>Bybat: Added a video of Neil deGrasse Tyson's demonstration with a pendulum.</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1670<br /> | date = April 20, 2016<br /> | title = Laws of Physics<br /> | image = laws_of_physics.png<br /> | titletext = The laws of physics are fun to try to understand, but as an organism with incredibly delicate eyes who evolved in a world full of sharp objects, I have an awful lot of trust in biology's calibration of my flinch reflex.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> Black Hat, being Black Hat, is deliberately perverting a classic physics demonstration. In the normal version of the demonstration, the heavy ball is pulled to one side until it is almost, but not quite, touching the volunteer's nose or chin -- in this comic, Black Hat is the only one in the right position for the experiment. When the ball is released, it swings down and away, then back to (almost) where it started -- but ''never'' (by the laws of physics) farther than where it started. So, as long as the volunteer doesn't flinch, the heavy ball will never hit them in the nose. (Sample videos: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXXF2C-vrQE], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2GdY1OlDpA],[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVSYA1RnSMQ].)<br /> <br /> In this comic, since Cueball is not standing at the edge of the ball's movement, but rather at the base of its swing, he is about to get a rude surprise.<br /> <br /> The title text refers to the fact when someone flinches during the pendulum experiment, they are commonly accused of not having faith in the laws of physics. Randall is rebutting this argument by stating that, rather than not having faith in science, he is actually in tune with it, specifically the biological processes that led to the flinch reflex. His eyes and his flinch reflex have been calibrated through millions of years of evolution. To instantly dismiss your body's natural reaction when a heavy object comes quickly towards your face does not give enough credit to these mechanisms that successfully kept you (and every one of your ancestors) alive.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> <br /> :[Black Hat is standing on a ladder, holding a heavy ball attached to a line from above. Cueball stands beneath, where if the ball swings it will smack him right in the face.]<br /> :Black Hat: Okay, hold still.<br /> :Black Hat: And remember, if you ''really'' believe in the laws of physics, you won't flinch.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>

Bybat