What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions (Unabridged)
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4.2 • 25 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of What If? and How To answers more of the weirdest questions you never thought to ask
The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger. Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help. Planning to ride a fire pole from the Moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing. Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyone’s freezer door at the same time? Maybe it’s time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, built a billion-story building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? Okay, if you insist.
Before you go on a cosmic road trip, feed the residents of New York City to a T. rex, or fill every church with bananas, be sure to consult this practical guide for impractical ideas. Unfazed by absurdity, Munroe consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airliner catapult–design to answer his readers’ questions, clearly and concisely. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
There may be no such thing as a dumb question, but there are definitely plenty of weird ones. (Like, “Can someone eat a cloud?”) XKCD cartoonist and general science nerd Randall Munroe happily delivers the answers in this very funny and surprisingly educational book. Munroe takes on questions sent in by his fans, using math and science to solve these oddball queries. How much actual dinosaur is in a plastic dinosaur? How much value can you stuff into a shoebox? How big would a smartphone made with vacuum tubes be? Munroe finds the facts and shows his work, delivering a playful crash course in physics—and the humor is boosted by Wil Wheaton’s pumped-up narration, which is every bit as entertaining as Munroe’s words. With this book, you’ll learn almost as much as you did in your high school science classes, and you'll laugh a lot more.
Customer Reviews
Not as good as first book
Topics are less interesting and more extreme than first book, as if the author is stretching the bounds in order to fill pages. My main annoyance with this book was the irritating narrative. This was a much more theatrical presentation, more suited for a juvenile audience. In fact, I had to slow down the speed of the audio in order to make the narrative somewhat bearable. I suppose in a comedy club, this material might be acceptable, but in an audiobook format, it comes across as irritating. I skipped much of the book and finally gave up on it. I really think that this book would be acceptable as written material, but when presented as an audiobook, especially by this narrator, it misses the mark.