explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

User talk:R9H9

2022-11-15T00:35:43Z

R9H9:

== Welcome ==

Welcome to [[User:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}}]]'s talk page.

User talk:R9H9

2022-11-15T00:35:23Z

R9H9:

== Welcome ==

Welcome to [[User:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}}]]'s talk page!

1042: Never

2022-11-15T00:31:09Z

R9H9: added Category:Romance using HotCat

{{comic
| number = 1042
| date = April 13, 2012
| title = Never
| image = never.png
| titletext = I'll never forget you--at least, the parts of you that were important red flags.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic plays with that some phrases are generally interpreted as communicating positive sentiments, although they strictly are ambiguous.

[[Cueball]] is mulling over a previous relationship. Usually when someone says something like "I will never have with anyone what I had with {{w|Nomen nescio|NN}}" it implies that the couple had something so good that it could never be replaced. But when he thinks "Thank God", it is suddenly implied that the relationship was so horrible he's thankful he'll never have to experience it again.

The title text goes along the same line: "I'll never forget you" is usually positive – but then it becomes clear that it is the {{w|red flag (signal)|red flags}}, the warning signs about the person that they would not be a good fit for a serious relationship and marriage, that he'll never forget.

There is a similar twist in comics [[71: In the Trees]] and [[334: Wasteland]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball staring into a pond.]
:Cueball: I know that no matter where I go
:Cueball: or who I build a life with

:Cueball: I will never have with anyone
:Cueball: what I had with you

:[Cueball walks off.]
:Cueball: Thank god

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Romance]]

User:R9H9

2021-12-09T09:58:36Z

R9H9: Created page with "Welcome to {{PAGENAME}}'s user page."

Welcome to [[{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}}]]'s user page.

User talk:R9H9

2021-12-09T09:58:17Z

R9H9: /* Welcome */ new section

== Welcome ==

Welcome to [[User:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}}]]'s talk page.

2552: The Last Molecule

2021-12-09T09:54:07Z

R9H9: Added some words to transcript

{{comic
| number = 2552
| date = December 8, 2021
| title = The Last Molecule
| image = the_last_molecule.png
| titletext = Biology is really struggling; they're barely at 93% and they keep finding more ants.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FRUSTRATED BIOLOGIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic jokingly proposes a situation in which chemists have discovered and catalogued every single possible molecule. Thus they declare they have "completed chemistry."

In real life the number of ways to arrange atoms into molecules is growing combinatorial with the number of atoms in a molecule. Hence the number of possible combinations approaches rather quickly the number of particles in the observable universe making the full cataloging of all molecules impossible. Thus, a "final molecule" cannot be reached. In addition, chemistry is the study of the interaction and changing states of atoms and molecules, not simply the cataloging of all specimens of molecule. Even if we had a list of every molecule, there are a far greater number of ways to continue studying them, so the field would still be nowhere near completed. To quote the famous chemistry researcher, educator, businessman and philanthropist Walter White, "Chemistry is the study of change".

This is reminiscent of biology's focus in previous centuries on simply cataloging the species on Earth.

Further, the goal of science is not to "complete" a field, but to understand it better and better. No scientific field is considered fully understood.

Putting Biology at 93% and Physics at 98% is patently absurd. As mentioned in the comic, we don't even know how many kinds of ants there are yet. When J.B.S Haldane, founder of the field of population genetics, was asked what science had taught him about God — he reportedly said "God is incredibly fond of beetles." Insects aside, fundamental and important problems such as what genes promote which traits, the nature of cognition, and the mechanism behind several diseases remain complete mysteries. We know less about our own ocean floor than we do about the surface of Mars. Needless to say, Biology is nowhere close to 93% solved. As for Physics, questions such as "what the actual hell is dark matter?" and "how do we unify the four fundamental forces?" and "how do we make nuclear fusion possible on earth?" and "how fast does light travel in one direction?" make it clear that the field still has a long, long way to go.

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

:[Ponytail is presenting on a stage. To the top-center of the slide which Ponytail is pointing to, there is a circled "100% complete" under "Chemistry", then to the left is "Biology" which is at "93% complete" and to the right is "Physics" which is at "98% complete". The bottom of the slide shows the [[wikipedia:structural formula|structural formula]] of a molecule which is captioned "The Last One", along with a few smaller captions around it drawn as squiggles.]

:Ponytail: With the discovery of the last molecule, I'm pleased to announce that chemistry is finally complete.
:Ponytail: Best of luck to our competitors in their race for second place.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2552: The Last Molecule

2021-12-09T09:51:33Z

R9H9: Fixed up part of explanation

{{comic
| number = 2552
| date = December 8, 2021
| title = The Last Molecule
| image = the_last_molecule.png
| titletext = Biology is really struggling; they're barely at 93% and they keep finding more ants.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FRUSTRATED BIOLOGIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic jokingly proposes a situation in which chemists have discovered and catalogued every single possible molecule. Thus they declare they have "completed chemistry."

In real life the number of ways to arrange atoms into molecules is growing combinatorical with the number of atoms in a molecule. Hence the number of possible combinations approaches rather quickly the number of particles in the observable universe making the full cataloging of all molecules impossible. Thus, a "final molecule" cannot be reached. In addition, chemistry is the study of the interaction and changing states of atoms and molecules, not simply the cataloging of all specimens of molecule. Even if we had a list of every molecule, there are a far greater number of ways to continue studying them, so the field would still be nowhere near completed. To quote the famous chemistry researcher, educator, businessman and philanthropist Walter White, "Chemistry is the study of change".

This is reminiscent of biology's focus in previous centuries on simply cataloging the species on Earth.

Further, the goal of science is not to "complete" a field, but to understand it better and better. No scientific field is considered fully understood.

Putting Biology at 93% and Physics at 98% is patently absurd. As mentioned in the comic, we don't even know how many kinds of ants there are yet. When J.B.S Haldane, founder of the field of population genetics, was asked what science had taught him about God — he reportedly said "God is incredibly fond of beetles." Insects aside, fundamental and important problems such as what genes promote which traits, the nature of cognition, and the mechanism behind several diseases remain complete mysteries. We know less about our own ocean floor than we do about the surface of Mars. Needless to say, Biology is nowhere close to 93% solved. As for Physics, questions such as "what the actual hell is dark matter?" and "how do we unify the four fundamental forces?" and "how do we make nuclear fusion possible on earth?" and "how fast does light travel in one direction?" make it clear that the field still has a long, long way to go.

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

:[Ponytail is presenting on a stage. To the top-center of the slide which Ponytail is pointing to, there is a circled "100% complete" under "Chemistry", then to the left is "Biology" at "93% complete" and to the right is "Physics" at "98% complete". The bottom of the slide shows the [[wikipedia:structural formula|structural formula]] of a molecule which is captioned "The Last One", along with a few smaller captions around it drawn as squiggles.]

:Ponytail: With the discovery of the last molecule, I'm pleased to announce that chemistry is finally complete.
:Ponytail: Best of luck to our competitors in their race for second place.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2552: The Last Molecule

2021-12-09T09:47:29Z

R9H9: Specified what the slide is doing in relation to Ponytail's presentation

{{comic
| number = 2552
| date = December 8, 2021
| title = The Last Molecule
| image = the_last_molecule.png
| titletext = Biology is really struggling; they're barely at 93% and they keep finding more ants.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FRUSTRATED BIOLOGIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic jokingly proposes a situation in which chemists have discovered and catalogued every single possible molecule. Thus they declare they have "completed chemistry."

In real life the number of ways to arrange atoms into molecules is growing combinatorical with the number of atoms in a molecule. Hence the number of possible combinations approaches rather quickly the number of particles in the observable universe making the full cataloging of all molecules impossible. Thus, a "final molecule" cannot be reached. In addition, chemistry is the study of the interaction and changing states of atoms and molecules, not simply the cataloging of all specimens of molecule. Even if we had a list of every molecule, there are a far greater number of ways to continue studying them, so the field would still be nowhere near completed. To quote the famous chemistry researcher, educator, businessman and philanthropist {w:Walter White} "Chemistry is the study of change".

This is reminiscent of biology's focus in previous centuries on simply cataloging the species on Earth.

Further, the goal of science is not to "complete" a field, but to understand it better and better. No scientific field is considered fully understood.

Putting Biology at 93% and Physics at 98% is patently absurd. As mentioned in the comic, we don't even know how many kinds of ants there are yet. When J.B.S Haldane, founder of the field of population genetics, was asked what science had taught him about God — he reportedly said "God is incredibly fond of beetles." Insects aside, fundamental and important problems such as what genes promote which traits, the nature of cognition, and the mechanism behind several diseases remain complete mysteries. We know less about our own ocean floor than we do about the surface of Mars. Needless to say, Biology is nowhere close to 93% solved. As for Physics, questions such as "what the actual hell is dark matter?" and "how do we unify the four fundamental forces?" and "how do we make nuclear fusion possible on earth?" and "how fast does light travel in one direction?" make it clear that the field still has a long, long way to go.

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

:[Ponytail is presenting on a stage. To the top-center of the slide which Ponytail is pointing to, there is a circled "100% complete" under "Chemistry", then to the left is "Biology" at "93% complete" and to the right is "Physics" at "98% complete". The bottom of the slide shows the [[wikipedia:structural formula|structural formula]] of a molecule which is captioned "The Last One", along with a few smaller captions around it drawn as squiggles.]

:Ponytail: With the discovery of the last molecule, I'm pleased to announce that chemistry is finally complete.
:Ponytail: Best of luck to our competitors in their race for second place.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2552: The Last Molecule

2021-12-09T09:45:03Z

R9H9: Made some minor changes regarding word choice

{{comic
| number = 2552
| date = December 8, 2021
| title = The Last Molecule
| image = the_last_molecule.png
| titletext = Biology is really struggling; they're barely at 93% and they keep finding more ants.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FRUSTRATED BIOLOGIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic jokingly proposes a situation in which chemists have discovered and catalogued every single possible molecule. Thus they declare they have "completed chemistry."

In real life the number of ways to arrange atoms into molecules is growing combinatorical with the number of atoms in a molecule. Hence the number of possible combinations approaches rather quickly the number of particles in the observable universe making the full cataloging of all molecules impossible. Thus, a "final molecule" cannot be reached. In addition, chemistry is the study of the interaction and changing states of atoms and molecules, not simply the cataloging of all specimens of molecule. Even if we had a list of every molecule, there are a far greater number of ways to continue studying them, so the field would still be nowhere near completed. To quote the famous chemistry researcher, educator, businessman and philanthropist {w:Walter White} "Chemistry is the study of change".

This is reminiscent of biology's focus in previous centuries on simply cataloging the species on Earth.

Further, the goal of science is not to "complete" a field, but to understand it better and better. No scientific field is considered fully understood.

Putting Biology at 93% and Physics at 98% is patently absurd. As mentioned in the comic, we don't even know how many kinds of ants there are yet. When J.B.S Haldane, founder of the field of population genetics, was asked what science had taught him about God — he reportedly said "God is incredibly fond of beetles." Insects aside, fundamental and important problems such as what genes promote which traits, the nature of cognition, and the mechanism behind several diseases remain complete mysteries. We know less about our own ocean floor than we do about the surface of Mars. Needless to say, Biology is nowhere close to 93% solved. As for Physics, questions such as "what the actual hell is dark matter?" and "how do we unify the four fundamental forces?" and "how do we make nuclear fusion possible on earth?" and "how fast does light travel in one direction?" make it clear that the field still has a long, long way to go.

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

:[Ponytail is presenting on a stage. To the top-center of the slide there is a circled "100% complete" under "Chemistry", then to the left is "Biology" at "93% complete" and to the right is "Physics" at "98% complete". The bottom of the slide shows the [[wikipedia:structural formula|structural formula]] of a molecule which is captioned "The Last One", along with a few smaller captions around it drawn as squiggles.]

:Ponytail: With the discovery of the last molecule, I'm pleased to announce that chemistry is finally complete.
:Ponytail: Best of luck to our competitors in their race for second place.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2552: The Last Molecule

2021-12-09T09:43:06Z

R9H9: Changed the transcript.

{{comic
| number = 2552
| date = December 8, 2021
| title = The Last Molecule
| image = the_last_molecule.png
| titletext = Biology is really struggling; they're barely at 93% and they keep finding more ants.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FRUSTRATED BIOLOGIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic jokingly proposes a situation in which chemists have discovered and catalogued every single possible molecule. Thus they declare they have "completed chemistry."

In real life the number of ways to arrange atoms into molecules is growing combinatorical with the number of atoms in a molecule. Hence the number of possible combinations approaches rather quickly the number of particles in the observable universe making the full cataloging of all molecules impossible. Thus, a "final molecule" cannot be reached. In addition, chemistry is the study of the interaction and changing states of atoms and molecules, not simply the cataloging of all specimens of molecule. Even if we had a list of every molecule, there are a far greater number of ways to continue studying them, so the field would still be nowhere near completed. To quote the famous chemistry researcher, educator, businessman and philanthropist {w:Walter White} "Chemistry is the study of change".

This is reminiscent of biology's focus in previous centuries on simply cataloging the species on Earth.

Further, the goal of science is not to "complete" a field, but to understand it better and better. No scientific field is considered fully understood.

Putting Biology at 93% and Physics at 98% is patently absurd. As mentioned in the comic, we don't even know how many kinds of ants there are yet. When J.B.S Haldane, founder of the field of population genetics, was asked what science had taught him about God — he reportedly said "God is incredibly fond of beetles." Insects aside, fundamental and important problems such as what genes promote which traits, the nature of cognition, and the mechanism behind several diseases remain complete mysteries. We know less about our own ocean floor than we do about the surface of Mars. Needless to say, Biology is nowhere close to 93% solved. As for Physics, questions such as "what the actual hell is dark matter?" and "how do we unify the four fundamental forces?" and "how do we make nuclear fusion possible on earth?" and "how fast does light travel in one direction?" make it clear that the field still has a long, long way to go.

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

:[Ponytail is presenting on a stage. To the top-center of the slide there is a circled "100% complete" under "Chemistry", then to the left is "Biology" at "93% complete" and to the right is "Physics" at "98% complete". The bottom of the slide shows the [[wikipedia:structural formula|structural formula]] of a molecule captioned "The Last One", along with a few smaller captions around it drawn as squiggles.]

:Ponytail: With the discovery of the last molecule, I'm pleased to announce that chemistry is finally complete.
:Ponytail: Best of luck to our competitors in their race for second place.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2528: Flag Map Sabotage

2021-12-09T09:33:13Z

R9H9: Changed the transcript.

{{comic
| number = 2528
| date = October 13, 2021
| title = Flag Map Sabotage
| image = flag_map_sabotage.png
| titletext = Delaware hopes to explore the western edge of areas marked with the Belgian flag, once the tornadoes die down.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This particular explanation could use a visual aid. Perhaps a world map where Canada had adopted this flag? - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic refers to a type of map that colors countries using the national flag designs; see [https://i.pinimg.com/originals/41/0f/36/410f3661d1cee3b255b82a111f99d242.jpg here] for such a map of Europe. Randall proposes a new flag which is specifically designed to troll such maps. Most obviously, the flag includes its own legend, which uses multiple common flag colors to indicate random regional attributes. Hence, the mere act of placing this flag on a map would cause people to misinterpret this legend as applying to the entire map, giving wildly false information about regions of other countries. This trick is reminiscent of [[327: Exploits of a Mom]], with Mrs. Robert's son <code>Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--</code>.

In addition to the legend, the flag consists of two red fields, one of which has an irregular-shaped border, the other of which is a straight line. The irregular shape is similar to a geographical border based on natural features (such as rivers and coastlines), while borders which are not based on such features tend to be straight lines. Red is the most common color on national flags, so if any bordering country had red on their flag, it would risk bordering these red fields, confusing where the border lay (as well as designating the entire red region as "greater Delaware"). If this flag is intended for the USA (although the text mentions "our new country"), the red regions would be continuous with the red strips on both sides of Canada's flag and the red field on the right of Mexico's flag, disguising the border still further.

The title text refers to the flag of Belgium, which consists of three vertical stripes in the order (left to right) black, yellow, and red. The western part of Belgium would, according to the legend, be unexplored, while the eastern part would be Greater Delaware. The middle would therefore be a tornado zone separating the unexplored area from Greater Delaware. Depending on how the flags are aligned it might be possible to explore from the south, where the blue-white-red stripes of the French flag contain another piece of Greater Delaware that may be conveniently located to help said exploration. Exploring from the Netherlands (red, white, and blue horizontal stripes) is not viable as rebel forces are positioned between Greater Delaware and the unexplored region.

This is not the first time Randall has made a flag for a new country! See [[1815: Flag]]

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A flag displays a white country-shaped area surrounded by a red field. Inside the shape sits a map legend.]

:[Label of map legend] Map Legend
:[Bright blue rectangle] Disputed territory
:[Green rectangle] Newly independent
:[Blue rectangle] Demilitarized zone
:[Yellow rectangle] Tornado warning
:[Dark blue rectangle] Held by rebel forces
:[Red rectangle] Greater Delaware
:[Black rectangle] Unexplored

:[Caption below panel]
:Our new country's flag sabotages those maps where geographic areas are colored in with flag patterns.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]

2552: The Last Molecule

2021-12-09T09:24:04Z

R9H9: Changed up the transcript

{{comic
| number = 2552
| date = December 8, 2021
| title = The Last Molecule
| image = the_last_molecule.png
| titletext = Biology is really struggling; they're barely at 93% and they keep finding more ants.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FRUSTRATED BIOLOGIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic jokingly proposes a situation in which chemists have discovered and catalogued every single possible molecule. Thus they declare they have "completed chemistry."

In real life the number of ways to arrange atoms into molecules is growing combinatorical with the number of atoms in a molecule. Hence the number of possible combinations approaches rather quickly the number of particles in the observable universe making the full cataloging of all molecules impossible. Thus, a "final molecule" cannot be reached. In addition, chemistry is the study of the interaction and changing states of atoms and molecules, not simply the cataloging of all specimens of molecule. Even if we had a list of every molecule, there are a far greater number of ways to continue studying them, so the field would still be nowhere near completed. To quote the famous chemistry researcher, educator, businessman and philanthropist {w:Walter White} "Chemistry is the study of change".

This is reminiscent of biology's focus in previous centuries on simply cataloging the species on Earth.

Further, the goal of science is not to "complete" a field, but to understand it better and better. No scientific field is considered fully understood.

Putting Biology at 93% and Physics at 98% is patently absurd. As mentioned in the comic, we don't even know how many kinds of ants there are yet. When J.B.S Haldane, founder of the field of population genetics, was asked what science had taught him about God — he reportedly said "God is incredibly fond of beetles." Insects aside, fundamental and important problems such as what genes promote which traits, the nature of cognition, and the mechanism behind several diseases remain complete mysteries. We know less about our own ocean floor than we do about the surface of Mars. Needless to say, Biology is nowhere close to 93% solved. As for Physics, questions such as "what the actual hell is dark matter?" and "how do we unify the four fundamental forces?" and "how do we make nuclear fusion possible on earth?" and "how fast does light travel in one direction?" make it clear that the field still has a long, long way to go.

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

:[Ponytail is presenting on a stage. To the top-center of the slide there is a circled "100% complete" under "Chemistry", then to the left is "Biology" at "93% complete" and to the right is "Physics" at "98% complete". The bottom of the slide shows the [[Wikipedia:structural formula|structural formula]] of a molecule captioned "The Last One", along with a few smaller captions around it drawn as squiggles.]

:Ponytail: With the discovery of the last molecule, I'm pleased to announce that chemistry is finally complete.
:Ponytail: Best of luck to our competitors in their race for second place.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2552: The Last Molecule

2021-12-09T09:22:40Z

R9H9: Changed up the transcript

{{comic
| number = 2552
| date = December 8, 2021
| title = The Last Molecule
| image = the_last_molecule.png
| titletext = Biology is really struggling; they're barely at 93% and they keep finding more ants.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FRUSTRATED BIOLOGIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic jokingly proposes a situation in which chemists have discovered and catalogued every single possible molecule. Thus they declare they have "completed chemistry."

In real life the number of ways to arrange atoms into molecules is growing combinatorical with the number of atoms in a molecule. Hence the number of possible combinations approaches rather quickly the number of particles in the observable universe making the full cataloging of all molecules impossible. Thus, a "final molecule" cannot be reached. In addition, chemistry is the study of the interaction and changing states of atoms and molecules, not simply the cataloging of all specimens of molecule. Even if we had a list of every molecule, there are a far greater number of ways to continue studying them, so the field would still be nowhere near completed. To quote the famous chemistry researcher, educator, businessman and philanthropist {w:Walter White} "Chemistry is the study of change".

This is reminiscent of biology's focus in previous centuries on simply cataloging the species on Earth.

Further, the goal of science is not to "complete" a field, but to understand it better and better. No scientific field is considered fully understood.

Putting Biology at 93% and Physics at 98% is patently absurd. As mentioned in the comic, we don't even know how many kinds of ants there are yet. When J.B.S Haldane, founder of the field of population genetics, was asked what science had taught him about God — he reportedly said "God is incredibly fond of beetles." Insects aside, fundamental and important problems such as what genes promote which traits, the nature of cognition, and the mechanism behind several diseases remain complete mysteries. We know less about our own ocean floor than we do about the surface of Mars. Needless to say, Biology is nowhere close to 93% solved. As for Physics, questions such as "what the actual hell is dark matter?" and "how do we unify the four fundamental forces?" and "how do we make nuclear fusion possible on earth?" and "how fast does light travel in one direction?" make it clear that the field still has a long, long way to go.

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

:[Ponytail is presenting on a stage. To the top-center of the slide under the label "Chemistry", there is a circled "100% complete", then to the left is "Biology" at "93% complete" and to the right is "Physics" at "98% complete". The bottom of the slide shows the [[Wikipedia:structural formula|structural formula]] of a molecule captioned "The Last One", along with a few smaller captions around it drawn as squiggles.]

:Ponytail: With the discovery of the last molecule, I'm pleased to announce that chemistry is finally complete.
:Ponytail: Best of luck to our competitors in their race for second place.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2444: Ingenuity

2021-12-09T09:08:31Z

R9H9: Fixed it up. Accidentally bolded it instead of italicising

{{comic
| number = 2444
| date = March 31, 2021
| title = Ingenuity
| image = ingenuity.png
| titletext = Plot twist: Thanks to [mumble mumble] second-order [mumble] Rayleigh-Taylor [mumble] turbulent [mumble] shear, it turns out powered flight is way EASIER on Mars!
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Ingenuity_(helicopter)|Ingenuity}} is a drone-like helicopter deployed to the surface of Mars. It rode on the underside of the Perseverance rover and at the time of publication its protective housing had been released from the rover and it was being prepared for a flight in early April. The helicopter is supposed to take off after the rover fully releases it and clears its takeoff trajectory.

The comic projects what might happen if the mission controllers activated the helicopter early. In this case, the process is approaching the point of detaching the part-deployed Ingenuity. Ponytail and Cueball are present in mission control when Cueball trips and hits a button that clearly triggers the Ingenuity drone to take off. Perserverance, still firmly above/attached is seen to easily ride atop it. The rover exclaims "Wheee!", presumably from excitement or happiness.

In the title text, some character discovers powered flight is easier on Mars, which contradicts our current understanding [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhsZUZmJvaM that powered flight is very difficult on Mars]. Mars may have less gravity, but Mars's atmosphere is 1% the density of Earth's. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYe3sIaNHVs It's so thin that you couldn't move a feather with a fan.] This is why the character mumbles his explanation of the science, because they know any explanation doesn't actually make sense.

The total mass of the two vehicles is about 556 times that of the helicopter alone, meaning the unexpected lift effect 'described' would have to be several hundred times more effective than that anticipated, depending upon the factor of overdesign already built in to avoid an expensive marginal failure. It also seems to be trivially easy to balance the extremely top-heavy loading upon the small solar-panel that tops out the counter-rotating coaxial blades, which adds yet more questions of both the dynamic and structural performance, never mind questions about the available power to accomplish this and the later possibilities to recharge.

It is not the first time that we have seen a Mars vehicle [[1504|vastly exceed expectations]] in these pages.

It is also not the first time a character has caused an incident by [[1620|tripping and hitting a control panel]].

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

:[Surface of Mars.]
:Perseverance rover (in robotic voice): ''Ingenuity'' helicopter has been lowered. Preparing to release it onto the surface.

:[In Mission Control on Earth. Cueball trips and clicks on a key on his workstation, while Ponytail stands nearby.]
:Cueball: Oops

:[On Mars, Ingenuity's rotor blades start spinning.]
:Ingenuity: Bzzzzzz

:[Perseverance is being lifted into the air by Ingenuity.]
:Perseverance: Wheeee!
:Ingenuity: Bzzzzzz

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Mars rovers]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

2444: Ingenuity

2021-12-09T09:07:48Z

R9H9: Italicised 'Ingenuity' like the way that it appears in the cartoon.

{{comic
| number = 2444
| date = March 31, 2021
| title = Ingenuity
| image = ingenuity.png
| titletext = Plot twist: Thanks to [mumble mumble] second-order [mumble] Rayleigh-Taylor [mumble] turbulent [mumble] shear, it turns out powered flight is way EASIER on Mars!
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Ingenuity_(helicopter)|Ingenuity}} is a drone-like helicopter deployed to the surface of Mars. It rode on the underside of the Perseverance rover and at the time of publication its protective housing had been released from the rover and it was being prepared for a flight in early April. The helicopter is supposed to take off after the rover fully releases it and clears its takeoff trajectory.

The comic projects what might happen if the mission controllers activated the helicopter early. In this case, the process is approaching the point of detaching the part-deployed Ingenuity. Ponytail and Cueball are present in mission control when Cueball trips and hits a button that clearly triggers the Ingenuity drone to take off. Perserverance, still firmly above/attached is seen to easily ride atop it. The rover exclaims "Wheee!", presumably from excitement or happiness.

In the title text, some character discovers powered flight is easier on Mars, which contradicts our current understanding [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhsZUZmJvaM that powered flight is very difficult on Mars]. Mars may have less gravity, but Mars's atmosphere is 1% the density of Earth's. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYe3sIaNHVs It's so thin that you couldn't move a feather with a fan.] This is why the character mumbles his explanation of the science, because they know any explanation doesn't actually make sense.

The total mass of the two vehicles is about 556 times that of the helicopter alone, meaning the unexpected lift effect 'described' would have to be several hundred times more effective than that anticipated, depending upon the factor of overdesign already built in to avoid an expensive marginal failure. It also seems to be trivially easy to balance the extremely top-heavy loading upon the small solar-panel that tops out the counter-rotating coaxial blades, which adds yet more questions of both the dynamic and structural performance, never mind questions about the available power to accomplish this and the later possibilities to recharge.

It is not the first time that we have seen a Mars vehicle [[1504|vastly exceed expectations]] in these pages.

It is also not the first time a character has caused an incident by [[1620|tripping and hitting a control panel]].

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

:[Surface of Mars.]
:Perseverance rover (in robotic voice): '''Ingenuity''' helicopter has been lowered. Preparing to release it onto the surface.

:[In Mission Control on Earth. Cueball trips and clicks on a key on his workstation, while Ponytail stands nearby.]
:Cueball: Oops

:[On Mars, Ingenuity's rotor blades start spinning.]
:Ingenuity: Bzzzzzz

:[Perseverance is being lifted into the air by Ingenuity.]
:Perseverance: Wheeee!
:Ingenuity: Bzzzzzz

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Mars rovers]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]