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xkcd #3065: Square Units (xkcd.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de to c/xkcd@lemmy.world

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The biggest I've seen in a published source in the wild is an 80-fold error in a reported distance, which I think came from a series of at least three unit conversions and area/length misinterpretations.

https://explainxkcd.com/3065/

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[–] Donjuanme@lemmy.world 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

"the Louisiana purchase added 838,000 square miles to the United States, tell me, was it 1/4 the size of the United States, or the 100x the surface area of the sun?

One of those are square miles, the other is miles squared.

But I don't know why I expect you to understand this now.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 0 points 2 weeks ago

Did you mean to type "miles squared?"

Oh, you're just off your meds again.