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| − | __NOTOC__ | + | __NOTOC__{{DISPLAYTITLE:explain xkcd}} |
| + | <center> | ||
| + | <font size=5px>''Welcome to the '''explain [[xkcd]]''' wiki!''</font><br> | ||
| + | <span style="font size:210%;">We have an explanation for all [[List of all comics (full)|'''{{#expr:{{PAGESINCAT:All comics|R}}}}''' xkcd comics]], and only {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} ({{#expr: {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} / {{LATESTCOMIC}} * 100 round 1}}%) are incomplete. [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|Help us finish them!]]</span><!-- Note: the -1 in the calculation above has been removed (it was there to discount "comic" 404, but we've categorized it to be a comic and so has Randall.) --> | ||
| + | </center> | ||
| + | <!-- Go to this explanation button --><span style="position: absolute; right:0; padding-top:1.4em; font-size: 100%;"><span class="no-link-underline">[[{{LATESTCOMIC}}| </span>'''Go to this explanation''']]</span> | ||
| − | < | + | =Latest comic= |
| − | + | <div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#f6f6f6; padding:1.5em;"> | |
| − | + | {{:{{LATESTCOMIC}}}} | |
| − | </ | + | ---- |
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| + | <span style="position: absolute; left:0; padding-top:1.35em; font-size: 105%;"><span class="no-link-underline"> [[File:new topic.png|21x21px|link={{LATESTCOMIC}}#Discussion]][[{{LATESTCOMIC}}#Discussion| </span>'''View comic discussion''']]</span><br><br></div> | ||
| − | == | + | == New here? == |
| + | <div style="float:right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em">{{Special:ContributionScores/10/7/nosort,notools}}<div style="font-size:0.85em; width:28em; font-style:italic">[[Special:ContributionScores|Lots of people]] contribute to make this wiki a success. Many of the recent contributors above have [{{fullurl:Special:Contributions|contribs=newbie}} just joined]. You can do it too! Create your account [[Special:UserLogin/signup|here]].</div></div> | ||
| − | + | You can read a brief introduction about this wiki at [[explain xkcd]]. Feel free to [[Special:UserLogin/signup|create an account]] and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for xkcd [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|comics]], [[:Category:Characters|characters]], [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]], and [[:Category:xkcd|everything in between]]. If it is referenced in an [[xkcd]] comic, it should be here. | |
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| − | + | * 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 [[mw:Help:Editing pages|how to edit wiki pages]]. There's also a handy {{w|Help:Cheatsheet|wikicode cheatsheet}}. | |
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| − | * | + | * Discussion about the wiki itself happens at the [[explain xkcd:Community portal|Community portal]]. |
| − | * | + | * You can browse the comics from the [[List of all comics (full)|list of all comics]] or by navigating the category tree at [[:Category:Comics]]. |
| − | * [[ | + | * The incomplete explanations are listed [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|here]]. Feel free to help out by expanding them! |
== Rules == | == Rules == | ||
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| − | + | 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 | + | 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. | |
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[[Category:Root category]] | [[Category:Root category]] | ||
Latest revision as of 19:52, 31 July 2025
Welcome to the explain xkcd wiki!
We have an explanation for all 3267 xkcd comics, and only 46 (1.4%) are incomplete. Help us finish them!
Latest comic
| Plate Flip |
 Title text: It's great for exfoliating your skin, bones, houses, cities, landscape, etc. |
Explanation
Ponytail resumes her role as a cosmic home inspector.
She asks Cueball when the last time he flipped the tectonic plates, because they look heavily eroded. This may be an allusion to the practice of turning mattresses over every few months. This was common until the 20th century, to even out the wear and tear, and prevent permanent body impressions. When modern box springs became common, the practice became unnecessary.
Flipping mattresses only makes sense because both sides are similar to each other, but the "underside" of a plate is nothing like the surface. The current side that Cueball and Ponytail are standing on is the outermost layer of the crust. However, the "underside" of the plate reaches until the solid layer of the mantle, whose temperature can reach over 1000 °C. As Cueball points out, if you could flip a continent over, the new surface would be molten rock, not a surface suitable for life. Ponytail thinks the warmth would be soothing, and that walking on it would exfoliate your feet, but at hundreds of degrees, it would do far more damage than just removing dead skin.[citation needed]
Of course, such an idea would be impossible to do. The Earth's crust is far bigger than us, and any plate-moving technologies would need an insane amount of power, much more than we have. As well as that, it would be impossible to flip the whole crust over, as the plate-moving technology would have to be on part of it! Even by doing various plates at a time, the temperature increase from moving just one of them would already be deadly. The title text also reveals that somehow the crust is to be moved without moving the numerous things on it, which would further complicate matters.
The title text expands on this joke, saying that it would "exfoliate" just about everything on the surface (which would somehow have to stay in place while the plate below it is flipped). If this flip was to somehow happen it would indeed do that, but it would also melt just about everything on the surface, which is less than ideal.[citation needed]
Transcript
- Ponytail: These tectonic plates look pretty eroded. When did you last flip them?
- Cueball: Flip them?
- Ponytail: Yeah, to use the underside of the continent.
- Cueball: ...Never?
- Ponytail: Wow. Explains the eons of weathering, debris basins, and ... is this isostatic depression?
- Cueball: It's rebounding!
- Ponytail: You should really flip it. You'll get a whole new landscape!
- Cueball: But I like this landscape!
- Ponytail: Just think how warm and fresh the other side will feel.
- Cueball: A sea of molten rock?
- Ponytail: Good for the feet. Helps exfoliate.
View comic discussionNew here?
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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.
