2012-06-01
Explanation
This comic plays on the phrase "quantum leap," which in everyday language is used to mean a huge, dramatic advance or breakthrough. In the first panel, a frantic aide asks for "a term that actually means something very small, but which people think means something large and significant." In the second panel, a politician declares: "This policy represents a quantum leap in education reform!"
The joke hinges on the scientific meaning of "quantum leap" versus its popular usage. In physics, a quantum leap (or quantum jump) refers to the movement of an electron from one energy level to another -- a change that is, by definition, the smallest possible discrete change in a system. It is literally the tiniest jump that can occur. However, in common parlance, the phrase has come to mean exactly the opposite: a massive, transformative change. The comic cleverly imagines a politician who is aware of this disconnect and deliberately exploits it -- using a term that sounds impressive to the public while technically describing their policy change as the smallest possible improvement. It is a sharp satire of political rhetoric and the way scientific terminology gets co-opted and misused in public discourse.