3273: Latitude and Longitude
| Latitude and Longitude |
 Title text: NGS and IERS are complaining that they left CLEAR instructions to set the washing machine to WGS84 (G2296) instead of WGS84 (G730). |
Explanation[edit]
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This is one of 43 incomplete explanations: This page shrank in the wash, and we need to bring it back. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! |
When you wash clothes, particularly wool and cotton ones in hot water, they can shrink. Randall pretends (1) that the latitude and longitude lines shown on maps actually exist on the Earth, (2) that they're made of some material that shrinks when washed, and (3) that the Earth has gotten washed, causing the lines to shrink. All of these things are ridiculous[citation needed], hence the humor.
The title text refers to the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS, formerly called the International Earth Rotation Service), and the U.S. government agency the National Geodetic Survey (NGS). Both of these establish 3-D coordinate systems for the Earth. WGS 84 (World Geodetic System 1984) is one such coordinate system, with two more recent "realizations" numbered G730 (the first to use GPS measurements) and G2296 (the most recent update).
Transcript[edit]
[An image of the Earth showing most of Asia, Africa, and the Indian Ocean, with horizontal latitude lines and vertical longitude lines looking like a balloon tied tightly with string - like the lines are squeezed down into the surface.]
[Caption below the panel:]
Bad news: NASA accidentally shrank Earth's latitude and longitude lines in the wash.
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Discussion
Randall mentioned expanding Earth in the What if? blog and book, but I suppose this is to prevent the Earth from expanding, and possibly shrink it. YZ100 11:17, 17 July 2026 (UTC)
How strong is the force from shrinking compared to the firmness of the earth? Velocifyer (talk) 00:34, 18 July 2026 (UTC) Add comment