xkcd #3106: Farads

Title text:

‘This HAZMAT container contains radioactive material with activity of one becquerel.’ ‘So, like, a single banana slice?’

Transcript:

[Cueball holds a stick while talking with Megan and White Hat.]
Cueball: This stick is one meter long.
Megan: Cool.
White Hat: That’s a nice stick.

[Cueball holds a smallish rock.]
Cueball: This rock weighs one pound.
Megan: I’d believe it.
White Hat: Looks like a normal rock.

[Cueball holds a small battery.]
Cueball: This battery is one volt.
Megan: Seems fine.
White Hat: Might need a recharge.

[Cueball holds a capacitor while Megan and White Hat panic.]
Cueball: This capacitor is one farad.
Megan: Aaaaa! Be careful!!
White Hat: Put it down!!

Source: https://xkcd.com/3106/

explainxkcd for #3106

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    Only criticism is the use of non-metric weight units when everything else is SI-based.

    • palordrolap@fedia.io
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      6 hours ago

      Wikipedia currently says:

      the international avoirdupois pound, […] is legally* defined as exactly 0.45359237 kilograms

      So, technically, a pound is a metric weight, only a niche one whose use may or may not be permitted by local regulations.

      Similar is true* of the inch, which is defined as precisely 25.4 millimetres.

      * The US, UK and a handful of others collectively signed this into their respective laws in 1959. You might think we don’t use the pound in the UK any more but it still shows up often in informal situations. Ditto inches and feet.