Main Page
Welcome to the explain xkcd wiki!
We have an explanation for all 3173 xkcd comics, and only 53 (1.7%) are incomplete. Help us finish them!
Latest comic
| Metric Tip |
Title text: The package weighs 7 kg 9 oz. |
Explanation
This comic parodies the common advice for people converting between one system of measurement and another, which is to 'do it in steps'. In this case, instead of doing it normally (i.e. converting each part of the measurement to metric, combining them, and then saying the complete converted measurement), Cueball's response is to give the first part of the measurement in the imperial system (or the practically equivalent United States customary units), and then the second part in metric. This is worse than saying it all in one single system, as it is much more awkward and confusing for the receiver.
The title text gives another example of Cueball's conversion system, in which he gives the weight (or perhaps mass) of a package as being seven kilograms and nine ounces, converting between metric and imperial partway through the statement (rather than starting with imperial and ending with metric). However, this is technically worse, as kilograms are strictly a unit of mass whereas ounces can be a unit of mass but are usually effectively either one of a number of measurements of weight or (in line with popular US usage) a volume measurement. In this case, 7 kg 9 oz is approximately 16 lbs or 265 ounces (which in turn would be exactly 0.008 short tons; or about 0.00714 long tons, 7.255 kg, 37,588.652 carats, 333,415,012.56 Planck masses, etc).
A strategy for transitioning to the metric system was also mentioned in 526: Converting to Metric, although in that case the strategy was a practical one, unlike this comic.
This is also the first comic to give a height for Cueball, at 5'9" (176 cm), the average for a male adult in the United States.
Transcript
- [White Hat and Cueball are standing and facing each other.]
- White Hat: How tall are you?
- Cueball: 5ft 24cm
- [Caption below the panel:]
- When switching to metric, make the process easier by doing it in steps.
New here?
Last 7 days (Top 10) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
You can read a brief introduction about this wiki at explain xkcd. Feel free to create an account and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for xkcd comics, characters, What If? articles, and everything in between. If it is referenced in an xkcd comic, it should be here.
- If you're new to wiki editing, see the explain xkcd:Editor FAQ for a specific guidance to this wiki and the more general help on how to edit wiki pages. There's also a handy wikicode cheatsheet.
- Discussion about the wiki itself happens at the Community portal.
- You can browse the comics from the list of all comics or by navigating the category tree at Category:Comics.
- The incomplete explanations are listed here. Feel free to help out by expanding them!
Rules
Don't be a jerk!
There are a lot of comics that don't have set-in-stone explanations; feel free to put multiple interpretations in the wiki page for each comic.
If you want to talk about a specific comic, use its discussion page.
Please only submit material directly related to xkcd and, of course, only submit material that can legally be posted and freely edited. Off-topic or other inappropriate content is subject to removal or modification at admin discretion, and users who repeatedly post such content will be blocked.
If you need assistance from an admin, post a message to the Admin requests board.
