Editing 3058: Tall Structures

{{comic
| number    = 3058
| date      = March 3, 2025
| title     = Tall Structures
| image     = tall_structures_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x430px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = Briefly set a new record for tallest human-made structure by getting my knit sweater snagged on the skydiving plane door as I jumped and not noticing until I'd landed.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Don't remove the table again, discuss in the talk page. Also, what's happening in the [[#Trivia]] section?}}

This is a comparison of various tall buildings and structures, ranging from a {{w|pyramid of Giza}} to the {{w|Burj Khalifa}}. [[Randall]]'s definition of a structure apparently involves a selection of those artificial objects that have continuous extent from the ground to some height.

The structures are sorted by height. The tallest (under Randall's terms) is an {{w|aerostat}} balloon, which significantly exceeds the height of the Burj Khalifa.

An aerostat is a lighter-than-air aircraft that can be tethered to the ground. A {{w|kite balloon}} (or {{w|kytoon}}) is a variant of the aerostat where the balloon body includes a lifting-body or kite design for additional lift. It is more stable than a balloon in winds and tends to hold its position above the tether. This is the main joke of the comic, since as long as it is tethered to the ground and is higher than the Burj Khalifa, it could be considered the tallest man-made structure, though most people would probably not think it would qualify. The comic doesn't accurately depict the world record for how high tethered aerostats can actually fly (4880&nbsp;meters, achieved on 23 September 2014, close to 6 times the height of Burj Khalifa), which would either dwarf the other buildings or make the comic very tall, but since it is just some random aerostat flying at that time that is shown, this may be at a much lower height.

The joke in the title text is that Randall once skydived out of an airplane wearing a knit sweater. The sweater caught on the airplane door, and presumably unraveled as he descended. When he reached the ground, the long thread that extended up to the plane (typically 8,000 to 14,000 feet, or 2,400 to 4,300 m, above the ground) set a temporary record for the tallest structure. This is not realistically feasible, since knit tops usually only use around 1000 m (3280 ft) of yarn if knit using thin fingerling weight yarn. However, a sweater knit at a T-shirt density could in fact use over 2000 m (6561 ft) of yarn, which (assuming it hasn't started felting) is enough to extend to skydiving height.

===Table of structures in the comic===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name !! Height !! {{w|List_of_tallest_buildings_and_structures#History|Tallest structure}} !! Explanation
|-
| {{w|Great Pyramid of Giza|The Great Pyramid}} (Giza) || 137&nbsp;m (449.5&nbsp;ft) || style="text-align:center" data-sort-value="-2570" | c. 2570 BC–1311 AD || A famous pyramid built c. 2570 BC
|-
| {{w|The Shard}} (London) || 309.6&nbsp;m (1,016&nbsp;ft) || style="text-align:center" | – || A skyscraper with steeply angled sides, the tallest 'habitable freestanding structure' in the UK.
|-
| The {{w|Eiffel Tower}} (Paris) || 330&nbsp;m (1,083&nbsp;ft) || style="text-align:center" | 1889–1930 || A wrought-iron lattice tower named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel
|-
| The {{w|Empire State Building}} (New York) || 443.2&nbsp;m (1,454&nbsp;ft) || style="text-align:center" | 1931–1967 || An art-deco office tower often seen in media
|-
| The {{w|CN Tower}} (Toronto) || 553.3&nbsp;m (1,815&nbsp;ft) || style="text-align:center" | 1975–2007 || A communication and observation tower in Canada
|-
| {{w|The Clock Towers}} (Mecca) || 601&nbsp;m (1,972&nbsp;ft) || style="text-align:center" | – || A hotel complex featuring the largest clock in the world
|-
| {{w|KRDK-TV mast}} (North Dakota) || 630&nbsp;m (2,060&nbsp;ft) || style="text-align:center" | – || Current tallest structure in the United States ({{w|KVLY-TV mast
}} was previously taller)
|-
| {{w|Shanghai Tower}} (Shanghai) || 632&nbsp;m (2,073&nbsp;ft) || style="text-align:center" | – || Tallest skyscraper in China
|-
| {{w|Tokyo Skytree}} (Tokyo) || 634.0&nbsp;m (2,080&nbsp;ft) || style="text-align:center" | – || Tallest tower in the world
|-
| {{w|Merdeka 118}} (Kuala Lumpur) || 678.9&nbsp;m (2,227&nbsp;ft) || style="text-align:center" | – || A skyscraper with diamond-shaped facades
|-
| {{w|Burj Khalifa}} (Dubai) || 828&nbsp;m (2,717&nbsp;ft) || style="text-align:center" | 2007–present || Tallest structure in the world
|-
| Some random {{w|aerostat}} that happens to be operating today || ~1,280&nbsp;m (4,200&nbsp;ft) (Depicted)<br>{{w|Tethered Aerostat Radar System#System|~4,600&nbsp;m (15,000&nbsp;ft)}} (Actual) || style="text-align:center" | Varies || The main joke in the comic
|}

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

:[Labels below structures shown in a black silhouette, from left to right, shortest to tallest:]
:The Great Pyramid (Giza)
:The Shard (London)
:The Eiffel Tower (Paris)
:The Empire State Building (New York)
:The CN Tower (Toronto)
:The Clock Towers (Mecca)
:KRDK-TV Mast (North Dakota)
:Shanghai Tower
:Tokyo Skytree
:Merdeka 118 (Kuala Lumpur)
:Burj Khalifa (Dubai)
:Some random aerostat that happens to be operating today

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest artificial structure, but only on days when no one is flying a high-altitude kite balloon aerostat.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Aviation]]