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submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by xkcdbot@lemmy.world to c/xkcd@lemmy.world

Title text:

Unstoppable force-carrying particles can't interact with immovable matter by definition.

Transcript:

[An arrow pointing to the right and a trapezoid are labeled as 'Unstoppable Force' and 'Immovable Object' respectively.]
[The arrow is shown as entering the trapezoid from the left and the part of it in said trapezoid is coloured gray.]
[The arrow is shown as leaving the trapezoid to the right and is coloured black.]
[Caption below the panel:] I don't see why people find this scenario to be tricky.

Source: https://xkcd.com/3084/

explainxkcd for #3084

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[-] AmidFuror@fedia.io 28 points 1 month ago

The expression as I heard included "an irresistible force."

[-] SGG@lemmy.world 28 points 1 month ago

That's on the nsfw version of xkcd

[-] Randelung@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

xkcd after dark, or xkcdad. But not pronounced xkc-dad.

[-] sxan@midwest.social 1 points 1 month ago

Yeah, irresistible force is the version I know. Now I'm wondering if there are even more versions. Are they regional deviations?

[-] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Well I'm from Utica and I've never heard the term "irresistible force"

[-] Tyoda@lemm.ee 1 points 1 month ago

Not in Utica, no. It's an Albany expression.

[-] Get_Off_My_WLAN@fedia.io 1 points 1 month ago

While not what you're asking for, but fun fact, in Asia, this sort of paradox is represented by the story of the all-piercing spear and the unpierceable shield in Chinese philosophy. So in Chinese and Japanese, the word for 'paradox' or 'contradiction' literally means 'spear-shield' (矛盾).

this post was submitted on 02 May 2025
208 points (98.6% liked)

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