# Another "explain the xkcd strip" post **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 6, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-explain-the-xkcd-strip-post/580960 "2011-05-06T14:31:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-explain-the-xkcd-strip-post/580960/1 "2011-05-06T14:31:35Z")
[This one](http://www.xkcd.com/892/). I understand what a null hypothesis is but I’m not getting the punchline or the mouseover punchline. I do think [Wikipedia link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Null_hypothesis) is funny. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-explain-the-xkcd-strip-post/580960/2 "2011-05-06T14:38:04Z")
He thinks “_the_ null hypothesis” is a single hypothesis, which had been disproved by some experiment. The joke is he doesn’t realize that “the null hypothesis” is a different thing for every experiment. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-explain-the-xkcd-strip-post/580960/3 "2011-05-06T14:38:33Z")
[Thread from a few days ago.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=606660&highlight=XKCD) ---
**Author:** ![Lightsaber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Lightsaber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightsaber)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-explain-the-xkcd-strip-post/580960/4 "2011-05-06T14:41:16Z")
Eh. I think it’s pretending that there’s only ONE null hypothesis instead of one null hypothesis PER experiment. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-explain-the-xkcd-strip-post/580960/5 "2011-05-06T15:32:02Z")
> [@Lightsaber](#): > > Eh. I think it’s pretending that there’s only ONE null hypothesis instead of one null hypothesis PER experiment. Which is what friedo said. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-explain-the-xkcd-strip-post/580960/6 "2011-05-06T16:03:32Z")
It’s like complaining that the Soup De Jour isn’t the same as the last time you had it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-explain-the-xkcd-strip-post/580960/7 "2011-05-06T16:29:34Z")
Okay, so it’s the equivalent of: “Did you file your income tax yet?” “Sure, I did that years ago.” I guess I was just thinking the strip was saying the idea of the null hypothesis was being disproved. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-explain-the-xkcd-strip-post/580960/8 "2011-05-06T18:03:59Z")
> [@](#): > > I guess I was just thinking the strip was saying the idea of the null hypothesis was being disproved. Nope - but that’s exactly what I first thought as well. I googled one of the “explain today’s XKCD” websites. It’s one of the more clever jokes, but is easily misinterpreted when first read. The mouseover really helps this one. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-explain-the-xkcd-strip-post/580960/9 "2011-05-06T20:35:01Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > [Thread from a few days ago.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=606660&highlight=XKCD) I remember reading a thread that explained xkcd _days_ ago!