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__NOTOC__{{DISPLAYTITLE:explain xkcd}} | __NOTOC__{{DISPLAYTITLE:explain xkcd}} | ||
<center> | <center> | ||
− | <font size=5px>''Welcome to the '''explain [[xkcd]]''' wiki!''</font> | + | <font size=5px>''Welcome to the '''explain [[xkcd]]''' wiki!''</font><br> |
− | + | We have an explanation for all [[:Category:All comics|'''{{#expr:{{PAGESINCAT:All comics|R}}-1}}''' xkcd comics]], | |
− | We have an explanation for all [[:Category: | + | <!-- Note: the -1 in the calculation above is to discount "comic" 404, |
− | <!-- Note: the - | + | which is not really a comic, even though we've categorised it so. --> |
− | + | and only {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} | |
− | + | ({{#expr: {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} / {{LATESTCOMIC}} * 100 round 0}}%) [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|are incomplete]]. Help us finish them! | |
− | |||
− | and only {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete | ||
− | ({{#expr: {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete | ||
</center> | </center> | ||
== Latest comic == | == Latest comic == | ||
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<span style="float:right;">[[{{LATESTCOMIC}}|'''Go to this comic explanation''']]</span> | <span style="float:right;">[[{{LATESTCOMIC}}|'''Go to this comic explanation''']]</span> | ||
<br clear="right"> | <br clear="right"> | ||
− | {{:{{LATESTCOMIC}} | + | {{:{{LATESTCOMIC}}}}</div> |
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− | }}</div> | ||
<small>''Is this out of date? {{Purge|Clicking here will fix that}}.''</small> | <small>''Is this out of date? {{Purge|Clicking here will fix that}}.''</small> | ||
== New here? == | == New here? == | ||
− | <div style="float:right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em">{{Special:ContributionScores/10/7/nosort,notools}}<div style="font-size:0.85em; width:25em; font-style:italic">[[Special:ContributionScores|Lots of people]] contribute to make this wiki a success. Many of the recent contributors, listed above, have just joined. You can do it too! Create your account [[Special:UserLogin/signup|here]].</div></div> | + | <div style="float:right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em">{{Special:ContributionScores/10/7/nosort,notools}}<div style="font-size:0.85em; width:25em; font-style:italic">[[Special:ContributionScores|Lots of people]] contribute to make this wiki a success. Many of the recent contributors, listed above, have [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special%3AContributions&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|sign up for an account]] and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|comics]], [[:Category:Characters|characters]], [[:Category:Comics by topic|themes]] and [[:Category:Meta|everything in between]]. If it is referenced in an [[xkcd]] web 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 [[mw:Help:Editing pages|how to edit wiki pages]]. There's also a handy {{w|Help:Cheatsheet|wikicode cheatsheet}}. | |
− | * | + | * Discussion about the wiki itself happens at the [[explain xkcd:Community portal|Community portal]]. |
− | * | + | * You can browse the comics from [[List of all comics]] or by navigating the category tree at [[:Category:Comics]]. |
− | * | + | * There are incomplete explanations listed [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|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. | If you want to talk about a specific comic, use its discussion page. | ||
− | Please only submit material directly related to | + | Please only submit material directly related to (and helping everyone better understand) 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 [[explain xkcd:Administrators|admin]], post a message to the [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests|Admin requests]] board. | If you need assistance from an [[explain xkcd:Administrators|admin]], post a message to the [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests|Admin requests]] board. | ||
[[Category:Root category]] | [[Category:Root category]] |
Latest revision as of 07:50, 17 April 2024
Welcome to the explain xkcd wiki!
We have an explanation for all 2923 xkcd comics,
and only 5
(0%) are incomplete. Help us finish them!
Latest comic
Scary Triangles |
Title text: Concealed mostly beneath the surface, sharks are the icebergs of the sea. |
Explanation
This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by the Bermuda Triangle of the sea - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon. |
Cueball is giving a marine biology lecture about sharks and seems to have mixed up icebergs with the topic.
In pop culture, sharks will often approach prey or people with only their front dorsal fin visible, which looks like a triangle, above the water. As far as prey are concerned, this is inaccurate, as most sharks will attack from below to keep the element of surprise.
In the comic the joke is that Cueball reveals that marine biologists have only recently learned that the triangle is only a small part of a shark. Until this revelation people were only aware of the visible portion, and the fact that death and injury often occurred when they arrive, causing them to be known as 'scary triangles'. Finally the community has learned that more than 90% (i.e. the rest of the shark's body) is hidden beneath the surface. (In most, if not all, cases it would actually be significantly more than 90%.)
The 90% is borrowed from an often cited factoid about icebergs: that 90% of their volume is underwater. (This would be true for clean ice in freshwater, but in reality icebergs are filled with air cavities and float in salt water, so although most of an iceberg is beneath the surface, it is somewhat less than 90%.) Having learned that a similar fact is true of sharks, Cueball has drawn a dotted outline of the shark's body, equivalent to that often depicted in diagrams of icebergs, beneath the scary triangular fin, to show what a shark looks under the surface.
The title text continues the joke explicitly, saying that sharks are the "icebergs of the sea." However, icebergs are already in, and thus also "of," the sea.
Transcript
- [Cueball points with a stick to a poster hanging behind him to the left. The poster has a diagram of a shark. The dorsal fin is shown above a wavy surface of water. The part of the outline of the shark that are under water are drawn in dashed lines. There are unreadable text in the top and bottom left corner, and two labels with lines that points to its dorsal fin and its gills. Cueball's stick points to the label near the gills]
- Cueball: Today's marine biology lecture is on sharks. We all know them as the scary triangles of the sea, but recent research has revealed that the triangle is only a small portion of the shark - over 90% of it is hidden beneath the surface.
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You can read a brief introduction about this wiki at explain xkcd. Feel free to sign up for an account and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for comics, characters, themes and everything in between. If it is referenced in an xkcd web 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 List of all comics or by navigating the category tree at Category:Comics.
- There are incomplete explanations 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 (and helping everyone better understand) 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.