Talk:2852: Parameterball

added transcript and a kinda crappy explanation Me^{[citation needed]} 17:36, 8 November 2023 (UTC)

added a bit of crappy info to the explanation. also hi nqh someone, i guess^{(talk i guess|le edit list)} 17:42, 8 November 2023 (UTC)

added crappy edits. also do i have an account or… TenGolf MathHacker (talk) 19:30, 8 November 2023 (UTC)

Does the tennis court in upper right look about 50% larger than normal to anyone else? The ping-pong table definitely looks too small, about half size. Barmar (talk) 18:07, 8 November 2023 (UTC)

I'd say the the upper right is similar width to a tennis court but is 25% longer. The lower left looks to be similar width to table tennis / ping pong but is about half as long. So the explanations for those need revising. 162.158.62.51 18:13, 8 November 2023 (UTC)

I have some neat plans for that Incomplete template. Get ready for an occasional change to something random that uses anything but metric... someone, i guess^{(talk i guess|le edit list)} 18:29, 8 November 2023 (UTC)

mobile account here, first of many implemented 172.70.42.48 20:55, 8 November 2023 (UTC)

If no limits, then neutron star or black hole ball exists as much as more non lethal games. 172.71.151.139 (talk) 00:06, 9 November 2023 (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Could the title text be talking about the mass of a bowling ball, rather than then density? If the diameter of a bowling ball is 20cm and the diameter of a table tennis ball is 4cm, which is consistent with a quick Google search, than the volume of the bowling ball is around 125 times as big as the table tennis ball (because we have to cube it for three dimensions). Let's assume a bowling ball is 12 pounds, which is about average. Therefore, a ping pong ball with the density of a bowling ball would weigh much less than a pound. A 12 pound table tennis ball, however, could easily cause equipment damage. Thexkcdnerd (talk) 02:44, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

I'm sure a one-pound table tennis ball could do sufficient damage to destroy a racquet, but I guess there's really only one way to find out, and I don't know where to find a one-pound ping pong ball. Or is it pingpong? Ping-Pong? pingPong? 172.70.214.62 05:03, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

Originally "gossima", with hard rubber balls, even before "whiff-waff" (or "wiff-waff" or "whiff-whaff" or something). First properly marketed as "ping-pong", in its recognisable form though.

A snooker/pool ball would probably have similar density to a bowling ball. I can well imagine equipment (and bodily) damage playing table tennis with a snooker ball.

172.71.122.115 09:07, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

Isn't the bowling ball a reference to the 'bowling ball on a sheet' metaphor for the distortion of space-time by the gravitational fields of massive objects?172.71.123.146 09:31, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

Also, isn't the density of a bowling ball also a changing parameter in the game of ten-pin bowling? Don't have bowling balls different weights, and unlike nine-pin bowling a fixed volume/size, and thus a variable density? It doesn't really matter for the explanation but describing the end point with an item that itself is variable isn't really helpful. The entries giraffe, screwdriver and large board game board are having the same problem. "A large boulder the size of a small boulder" https://twitter.com/SheriffAlert/status/1221881862244749315 Elektrizikekswerk (talk) 12:34, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

Yes, too dense a ping-pong "ball" (e.g. a pebble) is able to damage the foam coating of a "more professional" racket models. As a kid I have had been yelled at by the PE teacher for such horseplay and I have been given a basic and inferior plywood-and-thin-rubber model (with the rubber peeling off) as a punishment. -- 162.158.102.250 13:32, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

Does the screwdriver measurement relate to the drink or the tool?172.69.194.245 09:32, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

The explanation claims that the max density depicted is that of a bowling ball. However, the balls in the first three panels look much too light for that, and the ball in the fourth would probably have crushed the player if it was that dense. I would guess a solid rubber ball would be a better estimate (although the one in the second panel is hard to judge).172.71.242.83 11:28, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

Only now have I learned that links can exist in the incomplete explanation text. It seems self-evident now,, but still. 172.68.58.142 13:55, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

Can each player choose a different raquet[sic] size? None of the examples suggest this. Also, is the construction of the racket a parameter? Tennis rackets have woven strings in the racket head, which a really tiny ball could pass through, and would have trouble controlling something marble-sized. Ping-pong paddles have a solid head with a rubber surface, which nothing larger than atomic size is likely to pass through. Barmar (talk) 14:54, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

The fact that people keep editing the EXPLANATION NEEDED template made me realize we should have an archive for that purely for the lols 172.71.30.14 15:51, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

That's a bet someone, i guess^{(talk i guess|le edit list)} 16:21, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

I didn't think anyone would actually do that, thanks! =) 172.71.30.178 16:51, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

Was actually planning on doing it earlier today, but this reminded me about it someone, i guess^{(talk i guess|le edit list)} 17:02, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

I wonder how long this will keep going. My guess is that I'll be the only one still doing it when the next comic gets released 172.71.30.178 17:04, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

I have a few more to push out (wink) someone, i guess^{(talk i guess|le edit list)} 17:06, 9 November 2023 (UTC)