Xkcd's take on representing money.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ryan_m_b
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Money
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the xkcd comic titled "Money Chart" (http://xkcd.com/980/), which presents striking comparisons of financial statistics. Participants highlight the staggering fact that the derivatives market is valued at five times the total of the world's liquid assets, while the cost of the Iraq War is negligible in comparison. The comic serves as a thought-provoking visual representation of economic disparities and the value of various expenditures. Users express both fascination and a sense of disillusionment regarding the implications of these statistics.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of financial markets, particularly derivatives.
  • Familiarity with economic concepts such as liquid assets.
  • Basic knowledge of the Iraq War's financial implications.
  • Ability to interpret visual data representations.
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the implications of the derivatives market on global economics.
  • Research the financial costs associated with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
  • Learn how to analyze economic data visualizations effectively.
  • Investigate the impact of large-scale financial statistics on public perception.
USEFUL FOR

Economists, financial analysts, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the complexities of global finance and the implications of large expenditures.

Ryan_m_b
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
Insights Author
Messages
5,963
Reaction score
727
I'd put this in the thread but it would stretch it from here to Mars;

http://xkcd.com/980/

Well worth a look for some interesting comparisons.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I couldn't zoom it enough to read it. http://www.explainxkcd.com/2011/11/21/money-chart/" "embiggens" enough to read all of the detail. A very interesting poster!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You can click on the xkcd one to enlarge it. Very interesting indeed, I particularly had (somewhat depressing) fun totalling up the cost of things like the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and looking up what I could buy with it.
 
Wow. There is a lot of info there.

I didn't find the punch line yet, unless it was to the gut.
 
S_Happens said:
I didn't find the punch line yet, unless it was to the gut.

Really? I found a lot! How about the fact that the derivatives market holds five times more value than the entire world's combined liquid assets. And that, when compared to the same derivatives market value, the entire Iraq War works out to a rounding error.
 
FlexGunship said:
Really? I found a lot! How about the fact that the derivatives market holds five times more value than the entire world's combined liquid assets. And that, when compared to the same derivatives market value, the entire Iraq War works out to a rounding error.

Dang. I thought for sure it was J.K. Rowling's salary as a rapper.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • · Replies 41 ·
2
Replies
41
Views
6K
  • · Replies 26 ·
Replies
26
Views
4K
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
4K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K
  • · Replies 107 ·
4
Replies
107
Views
32K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
4K
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
4K
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
2K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
10K