273: Electromagnetic Spectrum - Revision history

Lettherebedarklight: /* Trivia */ add Category:Comics with a Spanish translation

2025-12-15T09:00:44Z

‎Trivia: add Category:Comics with a Spanish translation

Lp0 on fire: removed Category:Science; added Category:Physics using HotCat

2025-11-27T16:59:20Z

removed Category:Science; added Category:Physics using HotCat

Firestar233: Gal is for the galileo, while gal is for the gallon

2025-02-08T06:31:37Z

Gal is for the galileo, while gal is for the gallon

FaviFake: Doesn't fit description of large drawing (no 2x version and not long) Undo revision 364713 by 162.158.193.162 (talk)

2025-02-06T15:45:09Z

Doesn't fit description of large drawing (no 2x version and not long) Undo revision 364713 by 162.158.193.162 (talk)

162.158.193.162 at 04:55, 6 February 2025

2025-02-06T04:55:33Z

1234231587678 at 20:32, 26 March 2024

2024-03-26T20:32:46Z

1234231587678 at 20:31, 26 March 2024

2024-03-26T20:31:53Z

172.69.195.120 at 14:35, 4 December 2023

2023-12-04T14:35:05Z

172.71.182.47: Don't know why it didn't work before

2023-12-02T07:22:08Z

Don't know why it didn't work before

172.69.150.174: Incomplete

2023-12-02T07:17:32Z

Incomplete

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:00, 15 December 2025
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	[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]		[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]
	[[Category:Aliens]]		[[Category:Aliens]]
		+	[[Category:Comics with a Spanish translation]]

@@ Line 96: / Line 96: @@
 [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 [[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
-[[Category:Science]]
+[[Category:Physics]]
 [[Category:SETI]]
 [[Category:Comics with color]]

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 This panel is a play on the {{w|Electromagnetic spectrum}}, showing a large piece of the spectrum and examples of phenomena that absorb or emit light along the spectra. Such spectra are commonly used in physics or astronomy education contexts when discussing the nature of light. This comic extends it to absurd lengths by including examples that may be variously hyper-specific, humorous, or non-EM phenomena.
-The first two scales at the bottom show the wavelength λ (in meters) and the frequency f (in Hertz) of the wave. The values are related as λ=c/f, where c is the speed of light. The last line showing Q(Gal²/Coloumb) is nonsense; Gal ({{w|Gallon}}) is a unit of liquid volume measurement, and Coloumb is a likely typo for {{w|Coulomb}}, the SI unit of electric charge. Photons do not have volume in the traditional sense of the word, and are electrically neutral (thus carrying no charge).
+The first two scales at the bottom show the wavelength λ (in meters) and the frequency f (in Hertz) of the wave. The values are related as λ=c/f, where c is the speed of light. The last line showing Q(Gal²/Coloumb) is nonsense; Gal ({{w|Gal (unit)|galileo}}) is a unit of acceleration (1 cm/s²), and Coloumb is a likely typo for {{w|Coulomb}}, the SI unit of electric charge. Photons do not have acceleration in the traditional sense of the word, and are electrically neutral (thus carrying no charge).
 In 1887, the {{w|Michelson–Morley experiment}} proved for the first time that the {{w|aether theory}} was wrong. The year (1897) cited underneath the comic title may be an incorrectly-dated reference to this experiment. Nevertheless, after that time, many physicists like {{w|Hendrik Lorentz}} or {{w|Joseph Larmor}} were still working on some aether theories. {{w|Albert Einstein}}'s theory of {{w|Special Relativity}} in 1905 helped explain the theoretical basis for the lack of aether and was a definitive step in discarding previous work.

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:45, 6 February 2025
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	[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]		[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]
	[[Category:Aliens]]		[[Category:Aliens]]
−	~~[[Category:Large drawings]]~~

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:55, 6 February 2025
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	[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]		[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]
	[[Category:Aliens]]		[[Category:Aliens]]
		+	[[Category:Large drawings]]

@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 :*The wave [A row of people does a wave.]
-:[Three parallel scales are across the bottom. The first is lambda (m), ranging from 100Mm to 100fm; second is f (Hz), which starts at 1 Hz and reaches 100 THz about 2/3 of the way along, after which the labels read "other entertaining greek prefixes like peta- exa- and zappa-;" last is Q (Gal^2/Coloumb), whose labels are 17, 117, pi, 17, 42, phi, e^pi-pi, -2, 540^50, and 11^2. Above the scales and lined up accurately with the first two are the following:]
+:[Three parallel scales are across the bottom. The first is lambda (m), ranging from 100Mm to 100fm; second is f (Hz), which starts at 1 Hz and reaches 100 THz about 2/3 of the way along, after which the labels read "other entertaining greek prefixes like peta- exa- and zappa-;" last is Q (Gal²/Coloumb), whose labels are 17, 117, pi, 17, 42, phi, e^pi-pi, -2, 540^50, and 11². Above the scales and lined up accurately with the first two are the following:]
 :*Power & Telephone (100Mm to 1km)

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 In 1887, the {{w|Michelson–Morley experiment}} proved for the first time that the {{w|aether theory}} was wrong. The year (1897) cited underneath the comic title may be an incorrectly-dated reference to this experiment. Nevertheless, after that time, many physicists like {{w|Hendrik Lorentz}} or {{w|Joseph Larmor}} were still working on some aether theories. {{w|Albert Einstein}}'s theory of {{w|Special Relativity}} in 1905 helped explain the theoretical basis for the lack of aether and was a definitive step in discarding previous work.
-The wavelength starts at high values on the left and decreases in a {{w|logarithmic scale}} to the right. As a result of the inverse relationship between frequency and wavelength, the frequency scale starts at low values and increases logarithmically. The nonsense ''Q'' parameter does not change monotonically with either frequency or wavelength. Both scales are labeled with powers of ten and with {{w|metric prefix}}es. For frequencies above 100 {{w|tera-}}Hertz, it just says "other entertaining Greek prefixes like {{w|peta-}} and {{w|exa-}} and zappa-." The last prefix should be {{w|zetta-}} (denoting a factor of 10<sup>21</sup>), but is intentionally mislabelled, referencing musician {{w|Frank Zappa}}.
+The wavelength starts at high values on the left and decreases in a {{w|logarithmic scale}} to the right. As a result of the inverse relationship between frequency and wavelength, the frequency scale starts at low values and increases logarithmically. Both scales are labeled with powers of ten and with {{w|metric prefix}}es. For frequencies above 100 {{w|tera-}}Hertz, it just says "other entertaining Greek prefixes like {{w|peta-}} and {{w|exa-}} and zappa-." The last prefix should be {{w|zetta-}} (denoting a factor of 10<sup>21</sup>), but is intentionally mislabelled, referencing musician {{w|Frank Zappa}}. The nonsense ''Q'' parameter does not change monotonically with either frequency or wavelength. On the scale, there is 17, an unlucky number in Italy. Next to it, Randall seems to offer an alternative, 117. After that, {{w|pi}}, a mathematical constant, is followed by another 17 and then by 42, the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything. Then, there is {{w|Golden Ratio|phi}}, another mathematical constant, followed by e to the pi minus pi, a joke referencing [[217: e to the pi Minus pi]]. To make this scale even more absurd, Randall adds -2, 540^50, 12 and 11² to the end of the scale.
 ;Other waves

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:35, 4 December 2023
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
−	~~{{incomplete\|Many things in this comic, with the most notable being the absorption spectra, are not in the explanation.}}~~
	This panel is a play on the {{w\|Electromagnetic spectrum}}, showing a large piece of the spectrum and examples of phenomena that absorb or emit light along the spectra. Such spectra are commonly used in physics or astronomy education contexts when discussing the nature of light. This comic extends it to absurd lengths by including examples that may be variously hyper-specific, humorous, or non-EM phenomena.		This panel is a play on the {{w\|Electromagnetic spectrum}}, showing a large piece of the spectrum and examples of phenomena that absorb or emit light along the spectra. Such spectra are commonly used in physics or astronomy education contexts when discussing the nature of light. This comic extends it to absurd lengths by including examples that may be variously hyper-specific, humorous, or non-EM phenomena.

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-{{incomplete||Many things in this comic, with the most notable being the absorption spectra, are not in the explanation.}}
+{{incomplete|Many things in this comic, with the most notable being the absorption spectra, are not in the explanation.}}
 This panel is a play on the {{w|Electromagnetic spectrum}}, showing a large piece of the spectrum and examples of phenomena that absorb or emit light along the spectra. Such spectra are commonly used in physics or astronomy education contexts when discussing the nature of light. This comic extends it to absurd lengths by including examples that may be variously hyper-specific, humorous, or non-EM phenomena.

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:17, 2 December 2023
Line 8:		Line 8:

	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
		+	{{incomplete\|\|Many things in this comic, with the most notable being the absorption spectra, are not in the explanation.}}
	This panel is a play on the {{w\|Electromagnetic spectrum}}, showing a large piece of the spectrum and examples of phenomena that absorb or emit light along the spectra. Such spectra are commonly used in physics or astronomy education contexts when discussing the nature of light. This comic extends it to absurd lengths by including examples that may be variously hyper-specific, humorous, or non-EM phenomena.		This panel is a play on the {{w\|Electromagnetic spectrum}}, showing a large piece of the spectrum and examples of phenomena that absorb or emit light along the spectra. Such spectra are commonly used in physics or astronomy education contexts when discussing the nature of light. This comic extends it to absurd lengths by including examples that may be variously hyper-specific, humorous, or non-EM phenomena.