What if? : : Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

Locations
Call Number: Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / General / Munroe, Randall, 500 Mu
On Shelf At: Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / General / Munroe, Randall	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	500 Mu	4-week checkout	Due 05-19-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	500 Mu	4-week checkout	Due 05-24-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	500 Mu	4-week checkout	Due 05-06-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	500 Mu	4-week checkout	Due 05-24-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / General / Munroe, Randall	4-week checkout	Due 05-23-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / General / Munroe, Randall	4-week checkout	Due 05-20-2024
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / General / Munroe, Randall	4-week checkout	Due 05-18-2024

"Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe's iconic webcomic. His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have a large and passionate following. Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions. What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there was a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last? 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, complemented by signature xkcd comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion. The book features new and never-before-answered questions, along with updated and expanded versions of the most popular answers from the xkcd website. What If? will be required reading for xkcd fans and anyone who loves to ponder the hypothetical. "-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Summary / Annotation
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Super-Sciencey submitted by Beth Manuel on July 8, 2015, 9:47am "What if?" is intensely science-y. Written with loads of humor and sarcasm, I thought my brain was going to explode while reading it, so I had to stop. There were no questions in this book that could resolve whether a brain might truly explode if over-taxed. This is entertainment for the geekiest of geeks. I mean that in a good way.

Not as interesting as expected submitted by rachel on July 9, 2015, 12:36pm I got this for my kids but it turns out they are most interested in the answers to their own spontaneous science questions, not to other people's questions. It didn't keep their interest as well as I expected.

If you like to ponder the bizarre... submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on August 11, 2016, 7:42pm This is even worse than a book of short stories (in terms of cohesion in reading), since it isn't set up to be stories at all! (Sorry... I just wrote another review about how I don't like short stories because I read to get pulled into the content of a longer story.)

But this does exactly what it sets out to do... give real answers to ridiculous questions. It's awesome. Hilarious. Thought provoking. My husband loved it, I enjoyed it (just couldn't read it straight through because I needed a book with a story for a while in the middle there), and I'm pretty sure my going-on-12 year old is going to love it as well. If you like to ponder the bizarre... if you have a curious mind... if you are scientifically minded... or if you're a little bit twisted, then this is probably the book for you.

Enjoy!

what if submitted by KOH on August 28, 2017, 7:55pm My husband really liked it!

Funny submitted by lguenthner on June 17, 2018, 2:37pm This book is really funny. I love it when books make me laugh, and this was the one!

Yes yes yes yes submitted by charbutcool on June 19, 2018, 12:55am Seriously a good book. Combines clever humor with scientific data- a book that will really make you chuckle out loud!

absolutely hilarious submitted by jakiehl on August 31, 2019, 11:10am great book! if you read one book this summer it should be this one

Randomly Fun submitted by silviad on August 31, 2019, 8:30pm This book goes into all kinds of weird stuff, and questions I didn't know I had!

The logical extremes submitted by pfigment on July 24, 2023, 8:55pm This book stretches your brain and asks you to keep thinking random ideas all the way through until the absolute end. It reminds me of Mythbusters in the best possible way and makes you view every passing thought a little more deeply.