Difference between revisions of "3154: Physics Insight"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by an academic double standard. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
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{{incomplete|This page was created by a BOT WHO DROPPED OUT OF COLLEGE. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
the joke of this comic is that Cueball, (presumably an undergraduate) suggests that he should be considered a great physicist because he said something Einstein said, the fact that he isn't is called a double standard by White Hat [please add character links]. Now the joke is that Cueball presumably didn't come up with the theory, but was rather taught this, so he was not unique in his suggestion.
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[[Cueball]], presumably an undergraduate, suggests that he should be considered a great physicist because he said something Einstein said. the fact that he isn't is called a double standard by [[White Hat]]. The joke is that Cueball presumably didn't come up with the theory, but was rather taught this, so he was not unique in his suggestion.
  
perhaps the comic is making fun of people whom Randall views as doing this often.
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Perhaps the comic is making fun of people whom Randall views as doing this often.
  
the title test continues with the joke, but with Galileo instead of Einstein.
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The title text continues the joke, but with Galileo instead of Einstein.
  
or perhaps Cueball's idea is not impressive because he's standing on the shoulders of Giants.
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Cueball's idea is not impressive because he's standing on the shoulders of Giants.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==

Revision as of 14:10, 13 October 2025

Physics Insight
When Galileo dropped two weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, they put him in the history books. But when I do it, I get 'detained by security' for 'injuring several tourists.'
Title text: When Galileo dropped two weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, they put him in the history books. But when I do it, I get 'detained by security' for 'injuring several tourists.'

Explanation

Ambox warning blue construction.svg This is one of 52 incomplete explanations:
This page was created by a BOT WHO DROPPED OUT OF COLLEGE. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

Cueball, presumably an undergraduate, suggests that he should be considered a great physicist because he said something Einstein said. the fact that he isn't is called a double standard by White Hat. The joke is that Cueball presumably didn't come up with the theory, but was rather taught this, so he was not unique in his suggestion.

Perhaps the comic is making fun of people whom Randall views as doing this often.

The title text continues the joke, but with Galileo instead of Einstein.

Cueball's idea is not impressive because he's standing on the shoulders of Giants.

Transcript

Ambox warning green construction.svg This is one of 27 incomplete transcripts:
Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

[Cueball is talking to White Hat]

Cueball: Sure, when Einstein suggests using the Lorentz transform to explain the connection between velocity and time, people call him a genius. Cueball: But when I suggest it, it's "basic physics" and "undergraduate stuff." White Hat: Such a double standard!


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Discussion

Avrayter 9:55 am oct. 13 2025: okay, I assume you write these comments with html. can y'all please just implement the standing on the soldiers of giant joke into the first paragraph? Avrayter (talk) 13:56, 13 October 2025 (UTC)

I'm reminded of science fiction like Star Trek where children learn "advanced" physics like quantum mechanics in high school. Barmar (talk) 14:44, 13 October 2025 (UTC)

There's something to this, tbh. To use just one example, there was a time in history when NEGATIVE NUMBERS were considered a bizarre innovation to the world of mathematics, boggling even expert mathematicians (since, how can you have -3 apples? A hole in the universe where three apples ought to be? It's quite an abstract concept when you think about it!) Yet nowadays, every high school graduate is expected to understand them intuitively and use them proficiently. I really do wonder what it's doing to us, where what was "advanced" in bygone years is considered "fundamentals" today. Our brains don't evolve THAT quickly. MeZimm (talk) 17:49, 13 October 2025 (UTC)

Is the drawing of Cueball and White hat the exact same of 3148? 140.77.177.211 16:52, 13 October 2025 (UTC) divicarpe

No, the angle of Cueball's arms is slightly different... Caliban (talk) 18:20, 13 October 2025 (UTC)

Cue ball drops two weights and injures several tourists? Impressive. Fephisto (talk) 19:03, 13 October 2025 (UTC)

Maybe one of the tourists fell on someone else? Maybe people panicked and stampeded? 2600:4041:798b:a100:693e:f092:d39a:36fc (talk) 21:20, 13 October 2025 (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
You should never do just one interation of an experiment... It really needs several attempts. (Different hands for the different weights, etc.) 2.98.65.8 21:34, 13 October 2025 (UTC)
Plus the results kept getting invalidated when the objects hit people of different heights, necessitating further runs of the experiment. 82.13.184.33 08:21, 14 October 2025 (UTC)
to clear up some confusion regarding "several", see 1070. raeb 10:09, 14 October 2025 (UTC)

Did anyone else notice this comic about discovering came out on Columbus Day? 2405:9800:B560:E3E:5D49:405F:31F1:A98C 02:09, 14 October 2025 (UTC)

The person who no-one took seriously when he set out to reach asia. (And who didn't.) 2.98.65.8 13:19, 14 October 2025 (UTC)
Well, he also kept incorrectly insisting that he had actually reached Asia, unlike Amerigo Vespucci who figured out there was actually a brand new continent there. --185.223.180.2 08:13, 15 October 2025 (UTC)

As it happens, I just found out it's not the first time Randall talks about Galileo's Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment: it was the subject of a "What if?" back in March 2020 (the top illustration has Cueball dropping bobsleds off the tower while Ponytail's calling security). --185.223.180.2 08:13, 15 October 2025 (UTC)

When was anyone going to tell me about that site?! 128.4.83.81 13:34, 15 October 2025 (UTC)
Well, I agree. At first I thought IP was joking, then I realized there's a whole bunch of What If's exclusive on NY Times! Not even mentioned on What_If_(disambiguation) or What_If?_chapters! (edit: I just found that there's a page on the wiki: New York Times: Good Question) BytEfLUSh (talk) 08:10, 16 October 2025 (UTC)

"I could play "Stairway To Heaven" when I was 12. Jimmy Page didn't actually write it until he was 22. I think that says quite a lot." (Vim Fuego in "Bad News") Jeremyp (talk) 10:41, 16 October 2025 (UTC)

"Double standards" introduces the idea of two standards which are literally two different frames of reference. These two frames of reference dictate how people measure the value of applying that transformation. Was this parallel to relativity intentional?115.186.228.9 21:56, 22 October 2025 (UTC)
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