[2018-07-25] Literary Analysis
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[2018-07-25] Literary Analysis
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/literary-analysis
So, I'm aware that we've defined an avoirdupois pound as a unit of mass (rather than merely weight), and on earth this is essentially exchangeable with a pound in terms of weight (which is not mass).
But then he goes and specifies the chipmunk's weight instead of its mass just to trigger pedants. WHY
So, I'm aware that we've defined an avoirdupois pound as a unit of mass (rather than merely weight), and on earth this is essentially exchangeable with a pound in terms of weight (which is not mass).
But then he goes and specifies the chipmunk's weight instead of its mass just to trigger pedants. WHY
Re: [2018-07-25] Literary Analysis
I'm a little disappointed the chipmunk doesn't have a wooden leg
Re: [2018-07-25] Literary Analysis
The pedant in me wants to say that the whole thing is pointless and we should be looking at relative volumes. For all I know whales are extremely dense compared to humans, so that despite the difference in mass we are exactly the same size.HikaruYami wrote:https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/literary-analysis
So, I'm aware that we've defined an avoirdupois pound as a unit of mass (rather than merely weight), and on earth this is essentially exchangeable with a pound in terms of weight (which is not mass).
But then he goes and specifies the chipmunk's weight instead of its mass just to trigger pedants. WHY
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Re: [2018-07-25] Literary Analysis
First you have to find a human willing to chomp down on a live chipmunk's leg.5jr8 wrote:I'm a little disappointed the chipmunk doesn't have a wooden leg
Re: [2018-07-25] Literary Analysis
You should be getting more triggered by the fact that the visual aspect of the comic is about volume, not physical mass.HikaruYami wrote:https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/literary-analysis
So, I'm aware that we've defined an avoirdupois pound as a unit of mass (rather than merely weight), and on earth this is essentially exchangeable with a pound in terms of weight (which is not mass).
But then he goes and specifies the chipmunk's weight instead of its mass just to trigger pedants. WHY
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- Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2016 10:22 am
Re: [2018-07-25] Literary Analysis
For all I know, humans represent an extreme diversity of density.Showsni wrote:For all I know whales are extremely dense compared to humans, so that despite the difference in mass we are exactly the same size.
Re: [2018-07-25] Literary Analysis
Or even more specifically speaking, subjective 2D visual cross section.Bleak wrote:You should be getting more triggered by the fact that the visual aspect of the comic is about volume, not physical mass.HikaruYami wrote:https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/literary-analysis
So, I'm aware that we've defined an avoirdupois pound as a unit of mass (rather than merely weight), and on earth this is essentially exchangeable with a pound in terms of weight (which is not mass).
But then he goes and specifies the chipmunk's weight instead of its mass just to trigger pedants. WHY
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Re: [2018-07-25] Literary Analysis
The comparison is actually presented using a ratio in solid angle from the eyes of the viewerBleak wrote:Or even more specifically speaking, subjective 2D visual cross section.Bleak wrote:You should be getting more triggered by the fact that the visual aspect of the comic is about volume, not physical mass.HikaruYami wrote:https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/literary-analysis
So, I'm aware that we've defined an avoirdupois pound as a unit of mass (rather than merely weight), and on earth this is essentially exchangeable with a pound in terms of weight (which is not mass).
But then he goes and specifies the chipmunk's weight instead of its mass just to trigger pedants. WHY
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- Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:58 pm
Re: [2018-07-25] Literary Analysis
That's an excellent point--an alien who has studied our mathematical systems but not our biological ones could be incredibly confused.Showsni wrote:The pedant in me wants to say that the whole thing is pointless and we should be looking at relative volumes. For all I know whales are extremely dense compared to humans, so that despite the difference in mass we are exactly the same size.HikaruYami wrote:https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/literary-analysis
So, I'm aware that we've defined an avoirdupois pound as a unit of mass (rather than merely weight), and on earth this is essentially exchangeable with a pound in terms of weight (which is not mass).
But then he goes and specifies the chipmunk's weight instead of its mass just to trigger pedants. WHY
Which is actually sort of *true*, but to be fair, we also represent an extreme diversity of, separately, volumes and heights, so assuming that the presented measurements are a sort of "estimated average" seems fine.Kit. wrote:For all I know, humans represent an extreme diversity of density.Showsni wrote:For all I know whales are extremely dense compared to humans, so that despite the difference in mass we are exactly the same size.
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Re: [2018-07-25] Literary Analysis
Try looking at human density from a sperm whale's point of view.HikaruYami wrote:Which is actually sort of *true*, but to be fair, we also represent an extreme diversity of, separately, volumes and heights, so assuming that the presented measurements are a sort of "estimated average" seems fine.Kit. wrote:For all I know, humans represent an extreme diversity of density.Showsni wrote:For all I know whales are extremely dense compared to humans, so that despite the difference in mass we are exactly the same size.
An "estimated average" human cannot even float properly, let alone dive a kilometer deep and then float back unharmed.