Important Notice: this service will be discontinued by the end of 2024 because for multiple years now, Plume is no longer under active/continuous development. Sadly each time there was hope, active development came to a stop again. Please consider using our Writefreely instance instead.

xkcd 2520

Symbols and what they mean

xkcd 2520

Symbols and what they mean

xkcd 2520 - https://xkcd.com/2520/ (xkcd alt-text) — “röntgen” and “rem” are 20th-century physics terms that mean “no trespassing.”

  • d⁄dx — An undergrad is working very hard
  • ∂⁄∂x — A grad student is working very hard
  • — Oh wow, this is apparently a quantum thing
  • Rₑ — Someone needs to do a lot of tedious numerical work; hopefully it not you
  • (Ta⁴−Tb⁴) — You are at risk for skin burns
  • Nᴀ — You’re probably about to make an incredibly dangerous arithmetic error
  • — Careful, that equipment is expensive.
  • mK — Careful, that equipment is VERY expensive
  • — Don’t shine that in your eye
  • — DEFINITELY don’t shine that in your eye
  • m㏜ — You’re about to get in an internet argument
  • ㎎⁄㎏ — Go wash your hands
  • ㎍⁄㎏ — Go get in the chemical shower
  • π or τ — Whatever answer you get is going to be wrong by a factor of exactly two

https://xkcd.com/2520/ (xkcd alt-text) — “röntgen” and “rem” are 20th-century physics terms that mean “no trespassing.”