explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3041: Unit Circle

2025-01-24T01:52:12Z

Trimeta:

First [[Special:Contributions/162.158.175.72|162.158.175.72]] 23:00, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

This would actually be so helpful for my geometry class right now '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 23:06, 22 January 2025 (UTC)
:Are you saying you have problem with abstract thinking? Why should matter if the unit circle had radius 1 yard, 1 foot, 1 meter or 1 lightsecond? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:12, 22 January 2025 (UTC)
::I don’t like having things defined as “x” and like to have exact measurements. The diagram just looks cleaner to me that way '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 23:38, 22 January 2025 (UTC)
:::There's nothing stopping you from considering non-dimensional lengths to be whatever unit you want. If you just write in, for example, "cm" after any linear dimensions, and corresponding units for areas and volumes, that's fine.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.169|162.158.158.169]] 14:24, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
::I prefer units of light-nanoseconds or the metric version parnsecs (don't think about it too hard :P) {{unsigned|SammyChips}} SammyChips 23:58, 22 January 2025 (UTC)
:::I like [[3038|square acrminutes per steradian]] '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 02:38, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
:::Please sign off with <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>, or change your signature to include a link to either your talk page or user page. Thank you! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 01:25, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
::::I did sign with <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>, but the option for treating my signature as plain text was enabled. [[User:SammyChips|SammyChips]] ([[User talk:SammyChips|talk]]) 15:57, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
:::SammyChips, if that is supposed to be Parallax nano-seconds, you should understand that that is probably more like a Giga-Parsec. The parsec is the distance at which an object appears to move one second of arc when the Earth moves halfway around its orbit. (though I'm not sure which orientation.) [[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:34, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
::::I told you not to think too hard for that very reason :P It's actually parsec-nanosecond per year, but in a nod to the recent comics dealing with [[3038|unit cancelation]] and [[3040|making up personal scientific jargon]], I collapsed it into its own unit. For those who didn't get it, a light-nanosecond is pretty close to a foot, and the "parnsec" is pretty close to a meter. SammyChips 15:50, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
::::: You Americans will use anything but the metric system![[Special:Contributions/172.70.58.45|172.70.58.45]] 16:30, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
:::parallax giga-seconds?[[User:Lordpishky|Lordpishky]] ([[User talk:Lordpishky|talk]]) 19:20, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
:::My Millennium Falcon gets 14 parsecs to the Kessel Run, and that’s the way I likes it! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.186.34|172.68.186.34]] 06:26, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
:::I'm going to take all these desires for weird units with a barn-megaparsec of nackle. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.160|172.69.195.160]] 07:00, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
:yo Tori, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEJWE6cpqw0 ''this''] might help you with geometry too ;) [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 11:14, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
::I’ve watched that video before-it’s really cool and it’s one of my favorite videos ever '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:10, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

Are "they" also searching for {{w|Doubling the cube|Apollo's doubled altar}}? [[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:22, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

I guess the correct wording is that $\pi$ is a trancendent number. Some irrational numbers e.g. $\sqrt{2}$ can be constructed by compass and ruler. {{unsigned ip|172.68.185.165|07:12, 23 January 2025}}
:To be more precise, constructable irrational numbers are those that can be obtained through taking square roots, even repeatedly. Transcendental numbers are out, but so are things like cube roots. Note also that the fact that there are no "absolute units" of length is a quirk of Euclidean geometry -- in, say, hyperbolic world, a unit circle like this could actually work. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.213.153|172.68.213.153]] 09:10, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
::Watch out you don't make that unit circle too big, or the square's vertices might {{w|Ideal_triangle|stretch out to infinity}} and [[809|ignite the atmosphere]]! [[User:SammyChips|SammyChips]] ([[User talk:SammyChips|talk]]) 16:14, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

Didn't the unit kilogram lose some of it's mass? It may be working if something similar happened to this unit circle. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.214.117|172.69.214.117]] 15:43, 23 January 2025 (UTC)
:It probably gains mass. (Hard to tell, when the reference mass is the mass that may be changing... But it's what tends to be observed from how the IPK copies change. Could be the addition of small amounts of hydrogen onto the surface, or even mercury vapour escaping from the themometers/etc that tend to be around the reference masses. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.58.6|172.70.58.6]] 21:43, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

The unit circle has a diameter of 2 units by definition, as a circle's diameter is twice its radius. In this comic, the diameter of the circle is 89 pixels, measured from the center of the outline on one side to the center of the outline on the other side. This implies that at the scale of this scene, the "unit" is 44.5 pixels. Cueball is 201 pixels tall, making him 4.5 "units" tall. Are characters' relative heights consistent enough in ''xkcd'' for this to be meaningful? --[[User:Tepples|Tepples]] ([[User talk:Tepples|talk]]) 18:22, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

The only true unit of length is ~1.616*10^(-35) meters. Whether you want that to be the circle's radius or diameter would be a matter of convention, although it might help to point out that the Schwarzchild "radius" of a unit mass is two length units, which makes me think of a diameter instead. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.245.206|172.68.245.206]] 20:00, 23 January 2025 (UTC)

I'm surprised that this explanation doesn't cover the joke inherent in "dimensional analysts": This is obviously a reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimensional_analysis dimensional analysis], the process of cancelling out units in long chains (and the topic of [[3038: Uncanceled Units]]). [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 01:52, 24 January 2025 (UTC)

3024: METAR

2024-12-13T19:26:25Z

Trimeta: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3024
| date = December 13, 2024
| title = METAR
| image = metar_2x.png
| imagesize = 640x360px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = In the aviation world, they don't use AM/PM times. Instead, all times are assumed to be AM unless they're labeled NOTAM.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an A380 - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Code !! Real Meaning !! According to the comic
|-
| METAR
| Type: METAR Meteorological Aerodrome Report
|
|-
| KNYC
| Station ID: 4 character ICAO airport identifier
|
|-
| 251600Z
| Time of observation: 25th day of the month at 4 PM UTC
|
|-
| 18035G45KT
|
|
|-
| 65M
|
|
|-
| VCFCFZVA
|
|
|-
| +BLUP
|
|
|-
| NOSIG
|
|
|-
| LGT OHD
|
|
|-
| A3808
|
|
|-
| RMK
|
|
|-
| A02
|
| Reference to the fanfic site [https://archiveofourown.org/ Archive of Our Own], often abbreviated AO3
|-
| SLP130=
|
|
|}

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

{{comic discussion}}

2957: A Crossword Puzzle

2024-07-10T21:30:35Z

Trimeta: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2957
| date = July 10, 2024
| title = A Crossword Puzzle
| image = a_crossword_puzzle_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x937px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hint: If you ever encounter this puzzle in a crossword app, just [term for someone with a competitive and high-achieving personality].
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|CreAAAAAAAAAted by AAAAAAAAAAA BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is a crossword puzzle where every single answer consists only of the letter "A". On a surface level, however, the answers seem extremely difficult, with some involving base conversions, and some involving the wordplay typical of the crossword style.

===Across===
* 1 across. Famous pvt. wilhelm quote: Reference to the {{w|Wilhelm scream}}.
* 9 across. The first page of the dictionary (if you ignore the copyright page and the index) is the list of words starting with A. An acrostic of this page, taking the first letter of each line and arranging them in order, would just be a sequence of A's, as most of the answers to this crossword are {{citation needed}}.
* 11 across. An IPv4 record is an "A" record, an IPv6 record is four times the length and is designated an "AAAA" record.
* 15 across. A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigenère_cipher "Vignère Cipher"] translates the original text by the distance from A from the key, letter by letter. For instance, if the plaintext is "XK" and the key is "CD", the C shifts X 2 forward to become Z, and the D shifts K 3 forward to become N, yielding a ciphertext of "ZN". Since the ciphertext and the key are the same in this case, decryption just shifts all the letters back to A, akin to subtracting a number from itself and getting 0.
* 16 across. A {{w|AAAA battery}} is a 1.5V battery that measures 8.3mm in diameter, 2.2mm smaller than the more common AAA battery.
* 17 across. The {{w|A-10 Warthog}} is a well-known attack aircraft. Here, A-10 has been turned into AAAAAAAAAA (ten As).
* 18 across. Aphantasia is the inability to visualize. Following the instruction, we determine that '''A'''ph'''a'''nt'''a'''si'''a''' gives us the word "aaaa".
* 21 across. {{w|A4 paper}} (here written as AAAA) is the default size in Europe. It is approximately 0.24" narrower and 0.71" longer than the 8.5"x11" paper used in the United States, and due to having an aspect ratio of 1:sqrt(2), can be cut in half to create two half-sized sheets with exactly the same aspect ratio.
* 22 across. Unary's when you get to use just the one symbol. E.g. 32 in unary would be 11111111111111111111111111111111. The first four strings in unary, if you used A as the first (and only) symbol, would be A, AA, AAA, AAAA.
* 23 across. {{w|Lysene}} is an amino acid, with codons AAA and AAG (presumably the former is meant here).
* 24 across. [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-63?toc=1 "40 CFR Part 63"] refers to federal air pollutant regulations. The subpart for "asphalt processing and asphalt roofing manufacturing" is AAAAAAA.
* 25 across. The highest {{w|credit rating}} for bonds is AAA.
* 26 across. First of three Audi references. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Audi_vehicles Audi's car models] range from A1 (subcompact hatchback) to A8 (full-size luxury sedan); the A5 is a compact executive coup.
* 27 across. Presumably a reference to two AAA batteries (AAAAAA), although I'm not sure why the "when inserted" qualifier is necessary.
* 29 across. A reference to Howard Dean, an American Democrat who ran for the party's nomination in 2004. He famously [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6i-gYRAwM0 yelled at a rally] in a way that was thought to be bizarre and which, it is thought, doomed his campaign.
* 32 across. A 4.0 GPA, at least [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_the_United_States in the USA], is all A's. This clue assumes seven classes.
* 33 across. The {{w|Savannah Bananas}}, the vowels for whom are aaaaaa.
* 36 across. I.e. "open up". Or an expression of pain; particularly the only kind you can make with dental tools in your mouth. (As Autechre put it: [https://youtu.be/UppsLKz1iD4 "Now, I don't want you to panic... just lean back and relax."])
* 38 across. AAA the IATA code for the airport
* 41 across. Macaulay Culkin's review of aftershave: Famously in the movie {{w|Home Alone}} he puts it on because he's home all alone and dislikes it, emitting a scream, which could be transcribed like A's.
* 50 across. The call which Elsa hears in Frozen 2 is a sequence of four notes which resemble the Dies Irae. The sequence is sung entirely with an open rounded vowel sound, or a soft "a" sound.
===Down===
* 1 down. {{w|AaAaAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity}} - notably the title is commonly extended in promotional material beyond 6 A's.
* 2 down. 10101010 10101010 10101010 in binary is equivalent to "AAAAAA" in hexadecimal.
* 3 down. the Pixel 6a was released in July 22. Stylized in this puzzle as "AAAAAA"
* 4 down. 5 times better than {{w|A1 steak sauce}} would be A5, stylized in this puzzle as "AAAAA"
* 5 down. The decimal number 43690 converted to hexadecimal is AAAA
* 7 down. Second of three Audi references. As mentioned previously, the A8 is their full-size luxury sedan.
* 20 down. {{w|Minas Tirith}}. In Mario games you typically use the A button to jump. In games where you don't press a button to move (e.g. games with a joystick) then ascending a vertical structure would probably just take the A button. This clue was possibly inspired by the {{w|A-button challenge}} / [https://ukikipedia.net/wiki/A_Button_Challenge A Button Challenge].
* 26 down. A high budget video game is usually referred to as A Triple-A game, or AAA
* 29 down. `echo -n AAAAAAAA | sha256sum` outputs `c34ab6abb7b2bb595bc25c3b388c872fd1d575819a8f55cc689510285e212385`.
* 34 down. 440Hz is an "A" note. 7 pulses would be AAAAAAA
* 37 down: Third of three Audi references. The A6 is their executive car. Actually, the A7, their executive liftback sedan, would fit the prompt of "luxury sports sedan" better, but 37 Down only has room for six As.
* 38 down. Eggs can be [https://www.saudereggs.com/blog/egg-grading-system/ "graded on a veriety if aspects"], with grades B, A, or AA. Eggs with a reasonably firm yolk are graded A, so having halve a dozen of them gives you AAAAAA eggs.
* 39 down. A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-tap "multitap keyboard"] is a text entry system for mobile phones. Most numbers are associated with three letters, and tapping the same number multiple times in rapid succession selects the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd number. 2 is "a", 22 is "b", 222 is "c", 3 is "d", etc. 2-2-2-2-2-2 translates to "aaaaaa"
* 40 down. .- is Morse Code for A. It reads out as AAAAAA
* Hint: If you ever encounter this puzzle in a crossword app, just [ Type A ]

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

:[A crossword puzzle image, with the following clues:]

:Across
:1. Famous Pvt. Wilhelm quote
:11. IPv6 address record
:15. "CIPHERTEXT" decrypted with Vigenère key "CIPHERTEXT"
:16. 8mm diameter battery
:17. "Warthog" attack aircraft
:18. Every third letter in the word for "inability to visualize"
:19. An acrostic hidden on the first page of the dictionary
:21. Default paper size in Europe
:22. First four unary strings
:23. Lysine codon
:24. 40 CFR Part 63 subpart concerning asphalt pollution
:25. Top bond credit rating
:26. Audi coupe
:27. A pair of small remote batteries, when inserted
:29. Unofficial Howard Dean slogan
:32. A 4.0 report card
:33. The "Harlem Globetrotters of baseball" (vowels only)
:34. 2018 Kiefer song
:35. Top Minor League tier
:36. Reply elicited by a dentist
:38. ANAA's airport
:41. Macaulay Culkin's review of aftershave
:43. Marketing agency trade GRP.
:44. Soaring climax of Linda Elder's ''Man of La Mancha''
:46. Military flight community org.
:47. Iconic line from ''Tarzan''
:48. Every other letter of Jimmy Wales's birth state
:49. Warthog's postscript after "They call me ''mister'' pig!"
:50. Message to Elsa in ''Frozen 2''
:51. Lola, when betting it all on Black 20 in ''Run Lola Run''
:Down
:1. Game featuring "a reckless disregard for gravity"
:2. 1010101010101010101010102->16
:3. Google phone released July '22
:4. It's five times better than that ''other'' steak sauce
:5. ToHex(43690)
:6. Freddie Mercury lyric from ''Under Pressure''
:7. Full-size Audi luxury sedan
:8. Fast path through a multiple choice marketing survey
:9. 12356631 in base 26
:10. Viral Jimmy Barnes chorus
:11. Ruby Rhod catchphrase
:12. badbeef + 9efcebbb
:13. In Wet Let's ''Ur Mum'', what the singer has been practicing
:14. Refrain from Nora Reed bot
:20. Mario button presses to ascend Minas Tirith's walls
:24. Vermont historic route north from Bennington
:26. High-budget video game
:28. Unorthodox Tic-Tac-Toe win
:29. String whose SHA-256 hash ends "...689510285e212385"
:30. Arnold's remark to the Predator
:31. The vowels in the fire salamander's binomial name
:32. Janet Leigh ''Psycho'' line
:34. Seven 440Hz pulses
:37. Audi luxury sports sedan
:38. A half-dozen eggs with reasonably firm yolks
:39. 2-2-2-2-2-2 on a multitap phone keypad
:40. .- .- .- .- .- .-
:42. Rating for China's best tourist attractions
:43. Standard drumstick size
:45. "The rain/in Spain/falls main-/ly on the plain" rhyme scheme

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]

2957: A Crossword Puzzle

2024-07-10T21:17:56Z

Trimeta: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2957
| date = July 10, 2024
| title = A Crossword Puzzle
| image = a_crossword_puzzle_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x937px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hint: If you ever encounter this puzzle in a crossword app, just [term for someone with a competitive and high-achieving personality].
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|CreAAAAAAAAAted by AAAAAAAAAAA BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

* 1 across. Famous pvt. wilhelm quote: Reference to the {{w|Wilhelm scream}}.
* 11 across. An IPv4 record is an "A" record, an IPv6 record is four times the length and is designated an "AAAA" record.
* 15 across. A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigenère_cipher "Vignère Cipher"] translates the original text by the distance from A from the key, letter by letter. For instance, if the plaintext is "XK" and the key is "CD", the C shifts X 2 forward to become Z, and the D shifts K 3 forward to become N, yielding a ciphertext of "ZN". Since the ciphertext and the key are the same in this case, decryption just shifts all the letters back to A, akin to subtracting a number from itself and getting 0.
* 17 across. The {{w|A-10 Warthog}} is a well-known attack aircraft. Here, A-10 has been turned into AAAAAAAAAA (ten As).
* 18 across. Aphantasia is the inability to visualize. Following the instruction, we determine that '''A'''ph'''a'''nt'''a'''si'''a''' gives us the word "aaaa".
* 21 across. {{w|A4 paper}} (here written as AAAA) is the default size in Europe. It is approximately 0.24" narrower and 0.71" longer than the 8.5"x11" paper used in the United States, and due to having an aspect ratio of 1:sqrt(2), can be cut in half to create two half-sized sheets with exactly the same aspect ratio.
* 22 across. Unary's when you get to use just the one symbol. E.g. 32 in unary would be 11111111111111111111111111111111. The first four strings in unary, if you used A as the first (and only) symbol, would be A, AA, AAA, AAAA.
* 23 across. {{w|Lysene}} is an amino acid, with codons AAA and AAG (presumably the former is meant here).
* 29 across. A reference to Howard Dean, an American Democrat who ran for the party's nomination in 2004. He famously [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6i-gYRAwM0 yelled at a rally] in a way that was thought to be bizarre and which, it is thought, doomed his campaign.
* 36 across. I.e. "open up". Or an expression of pain; particularly the only kind you can make with dental tools in your mouth. (As Autechre put it: [https://youtu.be/UppsLKz1iD4 "Now, I don't want you to panic... just lean back and relax."])
* 41 across. Macaulay Culkin's review of aftershave: Famously in the movie {{w|Home Alone}} he puts it on because he's home all alone and dislikes it, emitting a scream, which could be transcribed like A's.
* 50 across. The call which Elsa hears in Frozen 2 is a sequence of four notes which resemble the Dies Irae. The sequence is sung entirely with an open rounded vowel sound, or a soft "a" sound.
* 1 down. {{w|AaAaAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity}} - notably the title is commonly extended in promotional material beyond 6 A's.
* 2 down. 10101010 10101010 10101010 in binary is equivalent to "AAAAAA" in hexadecimal.
* 3 down. the Pixel 6a was released in July 22. Stylized in this puzzle as "AAAAAA"
* 5 down. The decimal number 43690 converted to hexadecimal is AAAA
* 26 down. A high budget video game is usually referred to as A Triple-A game, or AAA
* 29 down. `echo -n AAAAAAAA | sha256sum` outputs `c34ab6abb7b2bb595bc25c3b388c872fd1d575819a8f55cc689510285e212385`.
* 34 down. 440Hz is an "A" note. 7 pulses would be AAAAAAA
* 38 down. Eggs can be [https://www.saudereggs.com/blog/egg-grading-system/ "graded on a veriety if aspects"], with grades B, A, or AA. Eggs with a reasonably firm yolk are graded A, so having halve a dozen of them gives you AAAAAA eggs.
* 39 down. A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-tap "multitap keyboard"] is a text entry system for mobile phones. Most numbers are associated with three letters, and tapping the same number multiple times in rapid succession selects the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd number. 2 is "a", 22 is "b", 222 is "c", 3 is "d", etc. 2-2-2-2-2-2 translates to "aaaaaa"
* 40 down. .- is Morse Code for A. It reads out as AAAAAA
* Hint: If you ever encounter this puzzle in a crossword app, just [ Type A ]

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

[A crossword puzzle image, with the following clues:]

:Across
:1. Famous Pvt. Wilhelm quote
:11. IPv6 address record
:15. "CIPHERTEXT" decrypted with Vigenere key "CIPHERTEXT"
:16. 8mm diameter battery
:17. "Warthog" attack aircraft
:18. Every third letter in the word for "inability to visualize"
:19. An acrostic hidden on the first page of the dictionary
:21. Default paper size in Europe
:22. First four unary strings
:23. Lysine codon
:24. 40 CFR part 63 subpart concerning asphalt pollution
:25. Top bond credit rating
:26. Audi coupe
:27. A pair of small remote batteries, when inserted
:29. Unofficial Howard Dean slogan
:32. A 4.0 report card
:33. The "Harlem Globetrotters of baseball" (vowels only)
:32. 2018 Kiefer song
:35. Top Minor League tier
:35. Reply elicited by a dentist
:38. ANAA's airport
:41. Macaulay Culkin's review of aftershave
:43. Marketing agency trade grp.
:44. Soaring climax of Linda Elder's ''Man of La Mancha''
:46. Military flight commuinity org.
:47. Iconic line from Tarzan
:48. Every other letter of Jimmy Wales's birth state
:49. Warthog'd postscript after "They call me ''mister'' pig!"
:50. Message to Elsa in ''Frozen 2''
:51. Lola, when betting it all on Black 20 in ''Run Lola Run''
:Down
:1. Game featuring "a reckless disregard for gravity"
:2. 101010101010101010101010 base 2-> base 16
:3. Google phone released July '22
:4. It's five times better than that ''other'' steak sauce
:5. ToHex(43690)
:6. Freddie Mercury lyric from ''Under Pressure''
:7. Full-size Audi luxury sedan
:8. Fast path through a multiple choice marketing survey
:9. 12356631 in base 26
:10. Viral Jimmy Barnes chorus
:11. Ruby Rhod catchphrase
:12. badbeef + 9efcebbb
:13. In Wet Let's ''Ur Mum'', what the singer has been practicing
:14. Refrain from Nora Reed bot
:20. Mario button presses to ascend Minas Tirith's walls
:24. Vermont historic route north from Bennington
:26. High-budget video game
:28. Unotrhodox Tic-Tac-Toe win
:29. String whose SHA-256 hash ends "...689510285e212385"
:30. Arnold's remark to the Predator
:31. The vowels in the fire salamander's binomial name
:32. Janet Leigh ''Psycho'' line
:34. Seven 440Hz pulses
:37. Audi luxury sports sedan
:38. A half-dozen eggs with reasonably firm yolks
:39. 2-2-2-2-2-2 on a multitap phone keypad
:40. .- .- .- .- .- .-
:42. Rating for China's best tourist attractions
:43. Standard drumstick size
:45. "The rain/in Spain/falls main-/ly on the plain" rhyme scheme

{{comic discussion}}

2957: A Crossword Puzzle

2024-07-10T21:16:59Z

Trimeta: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2957
| date = July 10, 2024
| title = A Crossword Puzzle
| image = a_crossword_puzzle_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x937px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hint: If you ever encounter this puzzle in a crossword app, just [term for someone with a competitive and high-achieving personality].
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|CreAAAAAAAAAted by AAAAAAAAAAA BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

* 1 across. Famous pvt. wilhelm quote: Reference to the {{w|Wilhelm scream}}.
* 11 across. An IPv4 record is an "A" record, an IPv6 record is four times the length and is designated an "AAAA" record.
* 15 across. A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigenère_cipher "Vignère Cipher"] translates the original text by the distance from A from the key, letter by letter. For instance, if the plaintext is "XK" and the key is "CD", the C shifts X 2 forward to become Z, and the D shifts K 3 forward to become N, yielding a ciphertext of "ZN". Since the ciphertext and the key are the same in this case, decryption just shifts all the letters back to A, akin to subtracting a number from itself and getting 0.
* 17 across. The {{w|A-10 Warthog}} is a well-known attack aircraft. Here, A-10 has been turned into AAAAAAAAAA (ten As).
* 18 across. Aphantasia is the inability to visualize. Following the instruction, we determine that '''A'''ph'''a'''nt'''a'''si'''a''' gives us the word "aaaa".
* 19 across. The international standard for {{w|paper size}} is A4, here written as AAAA.
* 21 across. {{w|A4 paper}} is the default size in Europe. It is approximately 0.24" narrower and 0.71" longer than the 8.5"x11" paper used in the United States, and due to having an aspect ratio of 1:sqrt(2), can be cut in half to create two half-sized sheets with exactly the same aspect ratio.
* 22 across. Unary's when you get to use just the one symbol. E.g. 32 in unary would be 11111111111111111111111111111111. The first four strings in unary, if you used A as the first (and only) symbol, would be A, AA, AAA, AAAA.
* 29 across. A reference to Howard Dean, an American Democrat who ran for the party's nomination in 2004. He famously [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6i-gYRAwM0 yelled at a rally] in a way that was thought to be bizarre and which, it is thought, doomed his campaign.
* 36 across. I.e. "open up". Or an expression of pain; particularly the only kind you can make with dental tools in your mouth. (As Autechre put it: [https://youtu.be/UppsLKz1iD4 "Now, I don't want you to panic... just lean back and relax."])
* 41 across. Macaulay Culkin's review of aftershave: Famously in the movie {{w|Home Alone}} he puts it on because he's home all alone and dislikes it, emitting a scream, which could be transcribed like A's.
* 50 across. The call which Elsa hears in Frozen 2 is a sequence of four notes which resemble the Dies Irae. The sequence is sung entirely with an open rounded vowel sound, or a soft "a" sound.
* 1 down. {{w|AaAaAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity}} - notably the title is commonly extended in promotional material beyond 6 A's.
* 2 down. 10101010 10101010 10101010 in binary is equivalent to "AAAAAA" in hexadecimal.
* 3 down. the Pixel 6a was released in July 22. Stylized in this puzzle as "AAAAAA"
* 5 down. The decimal number 43690 converted to hexadecimal is AAAA
* 26 down. A high budget video game is usually referred to as A Triple-A game, or AAA
* 29 down. `echo -n AAAAAAAA | sha256sum` outputs `c34ab6abb7b2bb595bc25c3b388c872fd1d575819a8f55cc689510285e212385`.
* 34 down. 440Hz is an "A" note. 7 pulses would be AAAAAAA
* 38 down. Eggs can be [https://www.saudereggs.com/blog/egg-grading-system/ "graded on a veriety if aspects"], with grades B, A, or AA. Eggs with a reasonably firm yolk are graded A, so having halve a dozen of them gives you AAAAAA eggs.
* 39 down. A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-tap "multitap keyboard"] is a text entry system for mobile phones. Most numbers are associated with three letters, and tapping the same number multiple times in rapid succession selects the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd number. 2 is "a", 22 is "b", 222 is "c", 3 is "d", etc. 2-2-2-2-2-2 translates to "aaaaaa"
* 40 down. .- is Morse Code for A. It reads out as AAAAAA
* Hint: If you ever encounter this puzzle in a crossword app, just [ Type A ]

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

[A crossword puzzle image, with the following clues:]

:Across
:1. Famous Pvt. Wilhelm quote
:11. IPv6 address record
:15. "CIPHERTEXT" decrypted with Vigenere key "CIPHERTEXT"
:16. 8mm diameter battery
:17. "Warthog" attack aircraft
:18. Every third letter in the word for "inability to visualize"
:19. An acrostic hidden on the first page of the dictionary
:21. Default paper size in Europe
:22. First four unary strings
:23. Lysine codon
:24. 40 CFR part 63 subpart concerning asphalt pollution
:25. Top bond credit rating
:26. Audi coupe
:27. A pair of small remote batteries, when inserted
:29. Unofficial Howard Dean slogan
:32. A 4.0 report card
:33. The "Harlem Globetrotters of baseball" (vowels only)
:32. 2018 Kiefer song
:35. Top Minor League tier
:35. Reply elicited by a dentist
:38. ANAA's airport
:41. Macaulay Culkin's review of aftershave
:43. Marketing agency trade grp.
:44. Soaring climax of Linda Elder's ''Man of La Mancha''
:46. Military flight commuinity org.
:47. Iconic line from Tarzan
:48. Every other letter of Jimmy Wales's birth state
:49. Warthog'd postscript after "They call me ''mister'' pig!"
:50. Message to Elsa in ''Frozen 2''
:51. Lola, when betting it all on Black 20 in ''Run Lola Run''
:Down
:1. Game featuring "a reckless disregard for gravity"
:2. 101010101010101010101010 base 2-> base 16
:3. Google phone released July '22
:4. It's five times better than that ''other'' steak sauce
:5. ToHex(43690)
:6. Freddie Mercury lyric from ''Under Pressure''
:7. Full-size Audi luxury sedan
:8. Fast path through a multiple choice marketing survey
:9. 12356631 in base 26
:10. Viral Jimmy Barnes chorus
:11. Ruby Rhod catchphrase
:12. badbeef + 9efcebbb
:13. In Wet Let's ''Ur Mum'', what the singer has been practicing
:14. Refrain from Nora Reed bot
:20. Mario button presses to ascend Minas Tirith's walls
:24. Vermont historic route north from Bennington
:26. High-budget video game
:28. Unotrhodox Tic-Tac-Toe win
:29. String whose SHA-256 hash ends "...689510285e212385"
:30. Arnold's remark to the Predator
:31. The vowels in the fire salamander's binomial name
:32. Janet Leigh ''Psycho'' line
:34. Seven 440Hz pulses
:37. Audi luxury sports sedan
:38. A half-dozen eggs with reasonably firm yolks
:39. 2-2-2-2-2-2 on a multitap phone keypad
:40. .- .- .- .- .- .-
:42. Rating for China's best tourist attractions
:43. Standard drumstick size
:45. "The rain/in Spain/falls main-/ly on the plain" rhyme scheme

{{comic discussion}}

2957: A Crossword Puzzle

2024-07-10T21:12:20Z

Trimeta: /* Explanation */

2957: A Crossword Puzzle

2024-07-10T21:07:56Z

Trimeta: /* Explanation */

Talk:2950: Situation

2024-06-24T18:57:35Z

Trimeta:

For reference, the bridge in question is the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 18:57, 24 June 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2804: Marshmallow

2023-07-19T14:08:43Z

Trimeta:

Made a start, not sure if the heating up science is completely correct though [[User:MrCandela|MrCandela]] ([[User talk:MrCandela|talk]]) 13:54, 19 July 2023 (UTC)

Because I'm a nitpicker, I kind of want to see some mention in this blurb about how reentry is usually a communications blackout period, due to the plasma sheath blocking all radio waves, and so talking with Houston *during* reentry is unrealistic. I strongly suspect Randall knew this, though, and ignored it for the sake of the joke. [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 14:08, 19 July 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2799: Frankenstein Claim Permutations

2023-07-08T03:17:55Z

Trimeta:

Expanding on [[1589: Frankenstein]], clearly. [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 03:17, 8 July 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2780: Physical Quantities

2023-05-25T03:45:05Z

Trimeta:

Planck Length here actually refers to the length of Planck himself. The same may apply to other names. [[User:Unreliable Connection|2659: Unreliable Connection]] ([[User talk:Unreliable Connection|talk]]) 03:02, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

I wonder if this is alluding to the [[wikipedia:Smoot|Smoot]], a unit of measure devised by MIT students to represent the height of Oliver R. Smoot. Probably worth a mention in the description nonetheless. [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 03:45, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2768: Definition of e

2023-04-27T03:55:46Z

Trimeta:

This is of course one way of arriving at the value of e: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_(mathematical_constant)#Compound_interest [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 03:55, 27 April 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2761: 1-to-1 Scale

2023-04-11T03:57:40Z

Trimeta:

Really want an explanation for this one. [[User:JobbieJimmies|Melomaniac]] ([[User talk:JobbieJimmies|talk]]) 03:23, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

My comment got deleted by a bot!!! [[User:Unreliable Connection|2659: Unreliable Connection]] ([[User talk:Unreliable Connection|talk]]) 03:23, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:RIP... [[User:JobbieJimmies|Melomaniac]] ([[User talk:JobbieJimmies|talk]]) 03:25, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
:No, UC, it just got overwritten by the 'bot, when it did its job and (re)created the wholeinitial state of the various pages to depict the new comic coming out. (Noting that you'd not set them all up fully/correctly.)
:That you had spotted it already and had ''just'' gotten in ahead of the 'bot clearly isn't something it was prepared to handle. But as someone spotting it can usually wait a short while for the 'bot to catch up, I don't think it's a problem. In fact, you could have just copied your old contributions into the now receptive page(s), with nary any comment. Too late now. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.101|172.70.90.101]] 03:44, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

The lines represent the surfaces of the planets I think, so it's basically all the planets overlaid on top of each other. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.142.35|172.71.142.35]] 03:28, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

:Yup, I think it's what he meant - but I find it unlikely that the gas giants would have this clear cutoff of a "surface". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.189.241|162.158.189.241]] 03:34, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

:It seems like the gas-covered worlds are explicitly those with clearly cutoff "surfaces," so maybe in those cases the cutoff is some specific gas density -- which occurs at a consistent radius throughout the planet, thus creating a flat surface. While for rocky worlds (except Venus, which is treated like a gas planet here), a density cutoff can lead to bumpiness due to terrain. [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 03:57, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2754: Relative Terms

2023-03-25T02:32:41Z

Trimeta:

Does this mean that the steam calliopes which are as loud as an airplane are LARGER than that airplane? I'm not finding any examples of such. [[User:Ikidre|Ikidre]] ([[User talk:Ikidre|talk]]) 01:31, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

Holy shit what a terrible comic [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.130|172.68.58.130]] 02:24, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

I'm somewhat terrified that "Statue" isn't considered *maximally* quiet. [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 02:32, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2707: Astronomy Numbers

2022-12-06T16:46:04Z

Trimeta:

First time I've ever seen a completely blank page. [[User:IJustWantToEditStuff|IJustWantToEditStuff]] ([[User talk:IJustWantToEditStuff|talk]]) 20:27, 5 December 2022 (UTC)
:Everyone's enthralled by ChatGPT. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.35|172.69.22.35]] 04:01, 6 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 [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2707:_Astronomy_Numbers&oldid=300614#Transcript its current state] omitted]''

:'''[https://chat.openai.com/chat 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.

I wish superscipts would survive copy-paste, but I have to admit it's better than the esoterica-laden verbosity that's up now.
::Superscripts? You could have easily added the <nowiki></nowiki>''whatever''<nowiki></nowiki> to your copypasta. Not much work (much less work than my having to <nowiki><nowiki></nowiki> this explanation for you), especially given how much other typing you seem to have done... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.58|172.70.91.58]] 10:56, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

:[Take two, using the prompt prefix, "The following is the wikitext transcript from the latest xkcd comic. Please write an explanation of the comic in wikitext. The title text should be explained in a seperate paragraph at the end:"

::'''ChatGPT:''' In the latest xkcd comic, two characters are discussing an elliptical orbit and the rate at which Earth is approaching the sun. One character, Ponytail, is suspicious when she sees a normal number (65 miles per hour) in their calculations and suggests that scales in astronomy should all be incomprehensible. This is a reference to the fact that astronomical numbers are often very large or very small, and can be difficult for non-astronomers to comprehend.

::Earlier in the comic, Ponytail is at the vet with her cat, and the vet tells her that the cat weighs 12 lbs. Ponytail finds this ridiculous, as nothing weighs 12. She suggests that the cat must weigh 10-20 or 1040 instead. The vet then tells her that the cat weighs 3x10-30 solar masses, which Ponytail finds more acceptable.

::The title text jokes about adopting a cat that weighs 12 solar masses, which would be extremely large. Laser pointers would love chasing it, as it would be an impressive target.

:Meh.]

I propose we create a [https://beta.openai.com/examples/default-summarize bot to summarize the transcript] with the text-davinci-003 API and paste it into the top of discussion whenever the Transcript is expanded more than 10%. Yays and nays? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.39|172.71.154.39]] 03:55, 6 December 2022 (UTC)
:'''Yea.''' Both have a few serious but easily noticed and easily correctable flaws, but both are far better than the borderline-trolling six paragraph wall of text for the simple, silly joke we have at the moment. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.245|172.69.33.245]] 06:09, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

Why is it as big as 65 mph? Where did the 65 mph figure have come from? A formula? Taking a linear change from minimum velocity (-500 m/s 12 weeks earlier), 4 days before the perihelion gives 86 kph (53 mph), three days gives just 64 kph (40 mph). But those are surely too big, since the rate of change of radial velocity would be slowest around perihelion and aphelion. I wouldn't expect the above-calculated rate of change until weeks out from perihelion. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.210.5|172.68.210.5]] 08:23, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

Surely the really weird thing is an astronomer using non-SI units? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.12|172.70.86.12]] 09:40, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

Just changed the "weight" of the Earth to the "mass", in the explanation. Apart from anything else, the weight of the Earth standing on a typical human('s feet?) is ''exactly equal'' to the weight of a typical human standing on the Earth. And things would be screwy, if not. And don't try to 'weigh' the Earth upon the surface of a duplicate Earth, that invokes a number of Health And Safety violations, at minimum, and the results would be questionable. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.58|172.70.91.58]] 11:13, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

I interpreted the title text not as the 12-solar-mass star bending the light from laser pointers, but the laser pointers *themselves* "following" the star because they're close enough to it to orbit said star (or at least, on hyperbolic trajectories influenced by the star). [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 16:46, 6 December 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2691: Encryption

2022-10-30T02:58:18Z

Trimeta:

More generally, when the explanation of the encryption algorithm needs example people, it picks names going sequentially through the alphabet. Alice and Bob are the canonical first two, names starting with C and D would be next. Eve, the eavesdropper, is next. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 04:01, 29 October 2022 (UTC)
:...though it depends upon {{w|Alice and Bob#Cast of characters|what other protagonists/required roles}} are to be featured in the scenario as to which initials get given to the 'normal' example correspondants. And I'm sure you could come up with other punny names for other novel roles, if you're in the position to require something special, only Alice and Bob being (normally!) inviolable as to both role and initialism. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.58|172.70.91.58]] 09:43, 29 October 2022 (UTC)

Is this comic a subtle reference to Signal announcing the discontinuing of SMS/MMS support, thus vastly lowering the number of people that Signal users can send messages to? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.205|172.70.114.205]] 09:10, 29 October 2022 (UTC)

I'd reckon you're also banned from the app if your name is Mallory, which might be inconvenient if you're James Bond's boss. Then again, that's Voldemort... [[User:IByte|IByte]] ([[User talk:IByte|talk]]) 10:36, 29 October 2022 (UTC)

This was hilarious. And it's the only app you should be able to install on the [[2377:_xkcd_Phone_12|XKCD Phone]], for obvious security reasons. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 16:18, 29 October 2022 (UTC)

Reminds me of a notorious movie from 1969, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, a plot point of which is knowledge shared incompletely between the four. I believe the names are coincidental but, not knowing when Alice, Bob, Charles and Diana were first used, it may not be. [[User:Dhugot|Dhugot]] ([[User talk:Dhugot|talk]]) 18:16, 29 October 2022 (UTC)
:... The naming convention appears to have started with the creators of the RSA algorithm.[[User:Dhugot|Dhugot]] ([[User talk:Dhugot|talk]])

Since we know without question the name of the female character in this comic, does she join the list of other named characters for every other time we see someone with a similar hairstyle? [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 02:58, 30 October 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2595: Advanced Techniques

2022-03-19T04:24:53Z

Trimeta:

The title text refers to [[wikipedia:Noether's theorem|Noether's theorem]]. [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 04:24, 19 March 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2593: Deviled Eggs

2022-03-15T02:49:53Z

Trimeta:

First commit was accidentally wiped off because an edit conflict with somebody who changed "created by a bot" to "created by an EGG" :( Am sad now. [[User:Mumingpo|Mumingpo]] ([[User talk:Mumingpo|talk]]) 02:45, 15 March 2022 (UTC)

The blue flash mentioned in the title text represents Cherenkov Radiation. In the case of the Demon Core accidents, those who saw the blue flashes saw it because of gamma radiation being slowed by the fluid inside of their eyeballs. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.42.137|172.69.42.137]] 02:46, 15 March 2022 (UTC)

Pretty sure the blue flash relates to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash#Blue_flashes sunset phenomenon] (usually a green flash as mentioned in [[766: Green Flash]], but can be blue). [[User:Clam|Clam]] ([[User talk:Clam|talk]]) 02:47, 15 March 2022 (UTC)

Whenever the explanation is added, it needs to reference [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1242:_Scary_Names 1242: Scary Names], which talks about the Demon Core. [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 02:49, 15 March 2022 (UTC)