What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Sep 2014 · Hachette UK
4.6star
425 reviews
Ebook
320
Pages
About this ebook
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
From the creator of the wildly popular xkcd.com, hilarious and informative answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask.
Millions visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe's iconic webcomic. Fans ask him a lot of strange questions: How fast can you hit a speed bump, driving, and live? When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British Empire? When will Facebook contain more profiles of dead people than living? How many humans would a T Rex rampaging through New York need to eat a day?
In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations and consults nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion.
From the creator of the wildly popular xkcd.com, hilarious and informative answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask.
Millions visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe's iconic webcomic. Fans ask him a lot of strange questions: How fast can you hit a speed bump, driving, and live? When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British Empire? When will Facebook contain more profiles of dead people than living? How many humans would a T Rex rampaging through New York need to eat a day?
In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations and consults nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion.
Ratings and reviews
4.6
425 reviews
Ieuan Reed
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March 4, 2016
This book is great. I think it's fair to say we have all asked at least one of these questions in our lifetime. The author tries his best to answer these silly questions in the most realistic and scientific way possible whilst maintaining a high level of humour the whole time. The end result is a book that will not only turn you into an amateur scientist, but give a few chuckles along the way.
24 people found this review helpful
Sam Clarke
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January 12, 2022
I don't usually read. at all. so this is my first book, after seeing it advertised I was intrigued by it. and I can see I have really enjoyed reading it. i would give this ago If you like science, strange questions that you don't need an answer too and easy reading 😉
Norbert Kozari
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May 28, 2015
One of the best books you can read. It is packed with interesting stuff. Not to mention it will make you love physics and math again. I would make this a mandatory book in schools to make kids interested in science. 10/10 felt smarter after reading this.
5 people found this review helpful
About the author
Randall Munroe is the creator of the webcomic xkcd and bestselling author of What If?, Thing Explainer and xkcd: Volume 0. Randall was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and grew up outside Richmond, Virginia. After studying physics at Christopher Newport University, he got a job building robots at NASA Langley Research Center. In 2006 he left NASA to draw comics on the internet full time, and has since been nominated for a Hugo Award three times. The International Astronomical Union recently named an asteroid after him: asteroid 4942 Munroe is big enough to cause mass extinction if it ever hits a planet like Earth.
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