What If?

Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

by Randall Munroe

Paperback, 304 pages

English language

Published July 26, 2015 by H&S, imusti.

ISBN:: 978-1-84854-956-2
Goodreads:: 26864936

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(28 reviews)

Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD 'a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math and language' which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It now has 600,000 to a million page hits daily. Every now and then, Munroe would get emails asking him to arbitrate a science debate. 'My friend and I were arguing about what would happen if a bullet got struck by lightning, and we agreed that you should resolve it . . . ' He liked these questions so much that he started up What If.

If your cells suddenly lost the power to divide, how long would you survive?

How dangerous is it, really, to be in a swimming pool in a thunderstorm?

If we hooked turbines to people exercising in gyms, how much power could we produce?

What if …

If your cells suddenly lost the power to divide, how long would you survive?

How dangerous is it, really, to be in a swimming pool in a thunderstorm?

If we hooked turbines to people exercising in gyms, how much power could we produce?

What if everyone only had one soulmate?

When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British empire?

How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live?

What would happen if the moon went away?

In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, studded with memorable cartoons and infographics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion. Far more than a book for geeks, WHAT IF: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel much the smarter for having read.

14 editions

Doc Kinne reviewed What if? by Randall Munroe

Review of 'What if?' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Monroe's book answers that old question, "Is there such a thing as a stupid question?" It turns out the answer is "yes." But that doesn't lessen the enjoyment of the book!

It also is a book that graphically (!) shows that it's not always obvious what happens to something if it is taken to a physical extreme. The results are fascinating!

Monroe is writing "what if? Two: Science Boogaloo." And that's a good thing

Rev. Dr. Sir Wayne Murillo III reviewed What if? by Randall Munroe

Review of 'What If?' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

If the general doom of the world is getting you down, you might need a pick-me-up book. I highly suggest #WhatIf by Randall Munroe, the cartoonist behind @xkcd. If you read #TheMartian by @andyweirauthor or watched @MythBusters, you may already know some version of the glorious comedy of intelligent people having fun with math and science. Answering questions that only the strange ask, Munroe tackles how high a steak would need to fall before it was cooked, what would happen if everyone in the world went to the same spot and jumped, and if you could use guns to make a jetpack. Pick this up to laugh and stretch your imagination.