Randall Munroe takes a bunch of silly questions tries of answer them seriously. If you jumped out of a plane with a helium tank, could you inflate enough balloons to slow your fall and survive? (Yes) How many calories would you ingest if you ate a book? (around 2300). If you’re in the mood for something completely different and scientifically accurate, What If? is the book for you. There is plenty of clever writing here. This is the perfect book for those who are scientifically inclined. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Global Windstorm 1
Relativistic Baseball 7
Spent Fuel Pool 10
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 1 14
New YorkStyle Time Machine 15
Soul Mates 23
Laser Pointer 27
Periodic Wall of the Elements 35
Everybody Jump 43
A Mole of Moles 47
Hair Dryer 52
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 2 60
The Last Human Light 61
MachineGun Jetpack 68
Rising Steadily 73
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 3 77
Orbital Submarine 78
ShortAnswer Section 83
Lightning 89
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 4 95
Human Computer 96
Little Planet 102
Steak Drop 107
Hockey Puck 112
Common Cold 114
Glass Half Empty 119
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 5 125
Alien Astronomers 126
No More DNA 131
Interplanetary Cessna 137
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 6 142
Yoda 143
Flyover States 146
Falling with Helium 150
Everybody Out 153
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 7 157
SelfFertilization 158
High Throw 168
Lethal Neutrinos 174
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 8 178
Speed Bump 179
Lost Immortals 183
Orbital Speed 187
FedEx Bandwidth 192
Free Fall 195
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 9 199
Sparta 200
Drain the Oceans 204
Part II 210
Twitter 217
Lego Bridge 222
Longest Sunset 228
Random Sneeze Call 233
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 10 236
Expanding Earth 237
Weightless Arrow 244
Sunless Earth 248
Updating a Printed Wikipedia 252
Facebook of the Dead 255
Sunset on the British Empire 259
Stirring Tea 262
All the Lightning 266
Loneliest Human 270
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 11 273
Raindrop 274
SAT Guessing 278
Neutron Bullet 280
Weird and Worrying Questions from the What If? Inbox 12 289
Richter 15 290
Back Matter 297
Copyright
George, there is virtually no end to the “What if?” question, absurd or otherwise, so I wonder how the author decided on his list. We’ll never hear the end of hair dryer and lightning while Facebook of the dead raises my curiosity.
Prashant, some of the questions were sent to the author. WHAT IF is a fascinating book!
And have a sense of humor.
Patti, some of these questions are pretty funny. And the author has a humor approach to his answers.
OK, I reserved it. It is definitely my kind of book.
Jeff, you will enjoy WHAT IF and it’s wacky questions. There are a lot of strange people out there.
What if the Bills won the Super Bowl?
Rick, it might be scientifically impossible until the Bills finally get an elite quarterback.
George, thanks for solving my Christmas-gift problem: what to get my brother-in-law who is a physics professor with two small children!