# ­xkcd thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [May 28, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574 "2020-05-28T00:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 96
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1903 "2022-12-20T03:53:40Z")
> **[Data Point](https://xkcd.com/2713/)** > > In general you should only include your single best data point in the paper. The rest of the data can go in the supplementary materials. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1904 "2022-12-20T14:46:20Z")
I have in fact seen some rather significant one-data-point, or even half-data-point, papers. For instance, there’s a relationship between the mass of a neutron star and its radius. Only problem is, nobody knows what that relationship is. It can be calculated from the equation of state of neutron star material, but nobody knows what that is, either. So the standard references on neutron stars all show a graph of radius vs. mass, along with a bunch of curves representing various models for the equation of state, plus a few data points with very large error bars in both directions. Well, about a decade ago, there were some astrophysicsts who came up with a very clever way to very precisely measure the mass of one particular neutron star, and came up with a mass of twice the mass of the Sun. Their method said nothing at all about the radius of that star, but most of the equation of state models said that it wasn’t even possible for a neutron star to be that massive. So that one single half-data-point, nothing but a y coordinate, managed to singlehandedly rule out most of the popular models. (to be fair, in order to get that one number, they needed to analyze a whole bunch of data points plotted on some other axes. But the end result was a single number, that would have justified a big fancy figure like that.) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1905 "2022-12-20T22:33:00Z")
That’s very interesting- thanks ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1906 "2022-12-22T08:05:00Z")
> **[Cold Complaints](https://xkcd.com/2714/)** > > Our investigation into whining-based remedies became the first study to be halted by the IRB on the grounds that the treatment group was 'too annoying.' ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1907 "2022-12-22T14:50:36Z")
But what’s the impact on overall life expectancy? ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1908 "2022-12-22T21:33:09Z")
+/- 83% ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1909 "2022-12-23T12:13:51Z")
> **[Pando](https://xkcd.com/2715/)** > > The presents under the tree are actually a single gift connected by an underground ribbon system. Had to look this up: > **[Pando (tree)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pando_(tree))** > > Pando (Latin for "I spread") is a clonal colony of an individual male quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) found to be a single living organism by identical genetic markers and assumed to have one massive underground root system. The plant is located in the Fremont River Ranger District of the Fishlake National Forest at the western edge of the Colorado Plateau in south-central Utah, United States, around 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Fish Lake. Pando occupies 108 acres (43.6 ha) and is es Pando's ... ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1910 "2022-12-23T17:05:05Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Had to look this up Thanks! I hadn’t gotten around to looking it up. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1911 "2022-12-23T19:24:02Z")
Of course, it’s always difficult to tell, with these mostly-underground mega-organisms, which one is really the biggest in the world. But the XKCD strip neatly sidesteps that: If Pando gets its miles of lights, but none of the other contenders do, then it’s still clearly the world’s largest Christmas tree. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2022, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1912 "2022-12-27T07:19:39Z")
> **[Game Night Ordering](https://xkcd.com/2716/)** > > One good trick, if you get called on a fake service, is to build a working version of it and mention it again the next week. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2022, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1913 "2022-12-27T23:06:36Z")
> **[L6 Lagrange Point](https://xkcd.com/2717/)** > > It's difficult to orbit L6 stably due to gravitational perturbation from Akron and Toledo. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2022, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1914 "2022-12-27T23:17:06Z")
Does that mean L6 is a Hellmouth? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2022, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1915 "2022-12-27T23:25:24Z")
Wait, a new one today? That’s off-schedule. And wait a moment, I’m just outside of Cleveland… ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2022, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1916 "2022-12-28T04:11:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, a new one today? That’s off-schedule. Long time ago, he used to post just after midnight on the scheduled day. Or maybe even earlier, I can’t remember for sure. Anyway, I dropped by the xkcd page just in case and this time it actually was up ahead of time. > [@Chronos](#): > > And wait a moment, I’m just outside of Cleveland… I’m aware of that. Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything clever to say about that. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1917 "2022-12-28T14:16:17Z")
Sure, but 6 PM is a far cry from “a little before midnight”. I’m curious to see whether another one drops today, or if he’s transitioning to a Tuesday-Thursday schedule, or something. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1918 "2022-12-31T14:08:03Z")
> **[New Year's Eve Party](https://xkcd.com/2718/)** > > \[Earlier, at the eye doctor\] 'No, for the last time, the numerals on the paper aren't my prescription, it's the shape I want you to make with the laser.' I don’t know when this one went up; I didn’t check the site very often yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1919 "2022-12-31T16:44:48Z")
It was some time before about 11 PM; that’s all I know. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1920 "2023-01-03T02:14:00Z")
> **[Hydrogen Isotopes](https://xkcd.com/2719/)** > > Oops, All Neutrons is also known as Neutral Quadrium, Nydnonen, and Goth Tritium. “Instant Hydrogen” was a delayed laugh for me. I thought at first it was just random absurdity, before I realized what he was doing there. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1921 "2023-01-03T02:19:03Z")
Not to kill the buzz, but could you explain for us non-sciency types? Please? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1922 "2023-01-03T02:23:05Z")
Based on the symbols he’s using for the other isotopes, Instant Hydrogen is just a neutron. Which will decay after about 15 minutes into a proton and an electron (and neutrinos that everyone just ignores). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=95) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=97)