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| | ==Explanation== | | ==Explanation== |
| − | This comic plays on the idea that there is little to no consensus in the scientific community with regard to the amount of water a person should drink per day. In the first panel [[White Hat]] presents [[Cueball]] with an innocent and sensible suggestion (although controversial) that people should drink six or more glasses of water per day. In the second panel, more characters join the discussion, an off-panel voice claims the most {{w|Daily_consumption_of_drinking_water|common misconception}} of eight glasses a day, a number which is not supported by scientific research. [[Ponytail]] again goes two higher with ten highlighting the existence of a wide range of so-called 'optimum' liquid consumption 'rule-of-thumb'. Implied here is the variety of health-related books, articles, blogs or other literature published that self-proclaims an optimum drinking formula.
| + | {{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}} |
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| − | The first sign of absurdity also arises here in the second panel when [[Black Hat]] posits that we need 5 glasses of water every minute. This equates to 7200 glasses of water a day, and using an often cited "[https://www.quora.com/One-glass-of-water-is-how-many-ounces standard] | + | This comic puns on the idea that there is little to no consensus in the scientific community with regard as to the amount of water a person should drink per day. In the first panel White Hat presents us with an innocent and sensible suggestion (although controvertible) that people should drink six glasses of water per day. In the second panel, more characters joined the discussion, all with different (one of which markedly different) opinions, highlighting the existence of a wide range of so-called 'optimum' liquid consumption 'rule-of-thumb'. Implied here is the variety of health-related books, articles, blogs or other literature published that self-proclaims an optimum drinking formula. The first sign of absurdity arises here in the second panel when Black Hat posits that we need 5 glasses of water every minute. This equates to 7200 glasses of water a day, and using the standard definition of a glass equalling 8 oz, Black Hat is suggesting that we should each drink 1.7 cubic metres of water a day. This sarcastic [citation needed] statement further emphasises the undecidability of the problem at hand. |
| − | [https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061002110517AAltamZ definition] [http://www.sparkpeople.com/ma/How-many-ounces-is-a-glass-of-water?/7/1/27943956 of a glass]" being equal to 8 oz (236 ml), Black Hat is suggesting that we should each drink 1.7 cubic meters (1700 liters) of water a day, curing {{w|dehydration}} but also causing {{w|water intoxication}}. This is a typical Black Hat kind of statement that he uses to further emphasize the absurdity of the problem at hand.
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| − | Some time later [[Megan]], despite having read through all studies on dehydration (or low-grade dehydration in particular), still has not come to a solid conclusion. She becomes dizzy, admitting that she's been so focused on her work, she has ironically {{tvtropes|ForgetsToEat|forgotten to eat or drink}}. Her personal experience with dehydration prompts someone off-panel to get some water, but since she couldn't find any consensus in her research, she asks how many glasses they should bring her. Presumably to avoid the question of "how many glasses" entirely, Cueball finally suggests that she should drink straight from the tap, a (tenuously) sincere suggestion seeing her dehydration and following the good advice to drink when you are thirsty until that state has been absolved. In the title text of [[1744: Metabolism]], released less than 3 months after this one, Cueball mentions how he starts to feel bad if he refrains from drinking, just like Megan here.
| + | In the third and fourth panels, Megan, although having read through all studies on dehydration (or low-grade dehydration in particular), still could not come to a solid conclusion. She becomes dizzy and starts commenting on her own experience of dehydration due to her research on dehydration (ironically). Her personal experience with dehydration prompted someone off-panel to get some water. Cueball finally suggests that she should drink straight from the tap, a (tenuously) sincere suggestion seeing her dehydration, but mostly referring to Black Hat's sarcastic comment earlier. |
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| − | The title text contains a mix-up between two often stated intervals; drinking eight glasses of water per day (which makes no sense, see above) and changing the engine oil every {{w|3,000_mile_myth|3000 miles}} (almost 5000 km) which may be a good rule, but not a necessity. Obviously it's impossible to drink 3000 glasses of water, and changing the oil every eight miles (about 13 km) would make driving a car very impractical. | + | The title text contains a mix-up between two often stated intervals; drinking eight glasses of water per day and changing the angine oil every 3000 miles (almost 5000 km). Obviously it's impossible to drink 3000 glasses of water, and changing the oil every eigth miles would make driving a car very impractical. |
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| − | The subject of this comic has been graphed in [[715: Numbers]] and mentioned in the what if? ''{{what if|74|Soda Planet}}'':
| + | ==Transcript== |
| − | <blockquote>
| + | {{incomplete transcript}} |
| − | The question of how much water we should drink per day is the subject of furious debate—the "8 glasses" thing seems to be a myth—but the amount of water we actually drink per day seems to be about a liter.
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| − | </blockquote>
| + | Dehydration |
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| | + | All but the second of the four panels have a black outline. |
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| | + | White hat says to Cueball: "Many people are mildly dehydrated. And don't realize it. You should drink at least six glasses of water per day." |
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| | + | Off-pane, left: "No, EIGHT glasses!" |
| | + | Ponytail says: "I heard ten." |
| | + | Black hat says: "You need to drink at least five glasses of water per minute." |
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| | + | [Later:] |
| | + | Megan holding a book or a thick binder, says: "Okay, I just read through every study I could find to try to figure out whether low-grade dehydration is even a real thing." |
| | + | Off-panel, right: "What did you learn?" |
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| | + | Megan, with squeans above hear head: "If you spend all day doing research and forget to eat or drink, you start to feel pretty bad." |
| | + | Off-panel, right: "I'll get some water." |
| | + | Megan: "''But how many glas'' - Whoa, feeling dizzy." |
| | + | Cueball: "Maybe you should just drink straight from the tap." |
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| | + | Title text: I don't care what the research says. Everybody knows you should drink 3,000 glasses of water a day and change your oil every 8 miles. |
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| | + | {{incomplete transcript| First try at this & edit conflict. Let someone else merge it.}} |
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| | + | Pane 1: |
| | + | Whitehat & cueball standing LTR next to each other, whitehat explaining to cueball: |
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| − | Later, in the what if? ''{{what if|91|Faucet Power}}'', [[Randall]] comments on the preference for even numbers in the graph, and writes:
| + | Whitehat: "Many people are mildly dehydrated. And don't realize it. You should drink at least six glasses of water per day. |
| − | <blockquote>
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| − | The only real solid advice I've heard is that if you're thirsty, you should drink some water.
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| − | </blockquote>
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| − | ''How many glasses is "some water"'' remains an open question.
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| − | [[Beret Guy]] and Megan are participants of a thought experiment concerning glasses of water and vacuum in the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article ''{{what if|6|Glass Half Empty}}''.
| + | Pane 2: |
| | + | Whitehat & Cueball get joined by Ponytail and Blackhat |
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| − | And the six glasses of water that this comic began with is also mentioned later in [[1853: Once Per Day]].
| + | Offscreen comment: No, Eight glasses! |
| | + | Ponytail: I heard ten. |
| | + | Blackhat: You need to drink at least five glasses of water per minute. |
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| − | This is a rare example of a normal xkcd comic of few panels manages to use five of the seven [[Template:navbox characters|major characters]] who actually interact. It is the [[:Category:Characters with hats|first comic]] where Black Hat has spoken (or directly interacted) with White Hat. Until this comic, they have only appeared together in complicated/large drawings where there is no interaction between the two. The only other time this has happened is in [[1881: Drone Training]].
| + | Pane 3: |
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| − | ==Transcript==
| + | Later: |
| − | :[White Hat and Cueball standing together.] | + | one-eye-behind-her-hair-girl: Okay, I just read trough every study I could find to try to figure out wether low-grade dehydration is even a real thing. |
| − | :White Hat: Many people are mildly dehydrated. And don't realize it. You should drink at least six glasses of water per day. | + | |
| | + | Offscreen: What did you learn? |
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| | + | (one-eye-behind-her-hair-girl hereafter to be called o-e-b-h-h-g is the only one in this frame) |
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| | + | Pane 4: |
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| − | :[A voice comes from off-panel to the left as Ponytail enters from the left and Black Hat from the right in this frameless panel.] | + | o-e-b-h-h-g: If you spend all day doing research and forget to eat or drink, you start to feel pretty bad. |
| − | :Off-panel voice: No, ''eight'' glasses! | + | Offscreen: I'll get some water. |
| − | :Ponytail: I heard ten.
| + | o-e-b-h-h-g: (Italic text) ''but how many glas-'' Whoa, feeling dizzy. |
| − | :Black Hat: You need to drink at least five glasses of water per minute.
| + | (There's a few dizzy bursting bubble thingies above her head too) |
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| − | :[Megan is standing to the left holding a book or a thick binder along her side while holding up a finger with the other hand. A question comes from off-panel to the right. Above her a caption is written in a small frame that breaks the top of this panel's frame:] | + | cueball: Maybe you should just dring straight from the tap. |
| − | :Later:
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| − | :Megan: Okay, I just read through every study I could find to try to figure out whether low-grade dehydration is even a real thing.
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| − | :Off-panel voice: What did you learn?
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| − | :[Megan looking downwards, has two starbursts a circles and two dots above her head signifying dizziness. Cueball stands to the right as another voice comes from off-panel to the right.]
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| − | :Megan: If you spend all day doing research and forget to eat or drink, you start to feel pretty bad.
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| − | :Off-panel voice: I'll get some water.
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| − | :Megan: ''But how many glas'' - Whoa, feeling dizzy.
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| − | :Cueball: Maybe you should just drink straight from the tap.
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| | {{comic discussion}} | | {{comic discussion}} |
| − | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
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| − | [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
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| − | [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
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| − | [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
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| − | [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
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| − | [[Category:Scientific research]]
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