3248: 182.8 Meters
The article discusses the concept of false precision in measurements, particularly in the context of converting units. It highlights a humorous example involving the depth of a bay measured in fathoms and converted to meters. The piece emphasizes the importance of understanding the limitations of precision in casual measurements.
- ▪The depth of the bay was measured as greater than 100 fathoms, which converts to 182.8 meters.
- ▪Rounding down to 182.8 meters was done to avoid implying a false precision that could lead to incorrect statements.
- ▪The article illustrates how approximations in measurements can lead to misunderstandings when converted between different systems.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
182.8 Meters|<< Prev#3248 (May 20, 2026) Title text: They rounded down to 182.8 instead of rounding up to 182.9 because 182.9 might make the statement incorrect.|<< PrevRandom Explanation Explanation[edit] This is one of 45 incomplete explanations:This page was created recently by a 1.8288 meter high individual. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! This is a comic in the My Hobby series — the hobby here being reverse-engineering original units from oddly specific measurements in another unit. Unlike many of the My Hobby comics, where Cueball's hobby is something eccentric, prankish or dangerous, in this situation he uses his hobby simply to understand the origin of someone else's unusual phrasing.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Explain xkcd.