What If?2

Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

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What If?2

By: Randall Munroe

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

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About this listen

WHAT IF... one man decided to answer all the unanswerable questions, using science.
The Sunday Times-bestselling author and xkcd creator, Randall Munroe is here to provide the best answers yet to the important questions you probably 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.

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 doors 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-storey building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? Okay, if you insist.

Welcome (back) to the mind-blowing world of What If?

Unfazed by absurdity, Randall consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airplane-catapult design to clearly and concisely answer his readers' questions. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances.

Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randall's signature stick-figure comics, What If? 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages.

(P)2022 Penguin Random House Audio©2022 xkcd inc

Physics

Science

Social Sciences

Astronomy

Critic Reviews

PRAISE FOR WHAT IF?

Nerd royalty (BEN GOLDACRE)

Brilliant

With this book you're a kid with a chemistry set all over again...required reading for grown-ups

Smart answers to silly questions: Randall Munroe reveals all

PRAISE FOR WHAT IF? 2

Randall Munroe [is] the guru of absurd science questions . . . What If ?2 is stuffed with questions that are fanciful in the asking, but perfectly - and playfully - informative in the answering. The questions throughout are equal parts brilliant, gross, and wonderfully absurd and the answers are thorough, deeply researched, and great fun. Do you need any of this information? No. Are you happy - indeed, delighted - to have it? Almost certainly yes. Science isn't easy, but in Munroe's capablehands, it surely can be fun. (Jeffrey Kluger)

One of my favourite books of the year. (Tim Harford)

Head-scratching . . . seemingly simple conundrums lead to the most fascinating of rabbit holes.

*Staff's Favourite Books of 2022* A dense litany of thoroughly researched explanations of intensely silly hypotheticals. Perfect if you enjoy it when stuffy figures of authority crack a smile. Or if you like it when black holes form. That happens a lot.

One of my favourite books of the year (Tim Harford)

Most relevant

Loved this just as much as the first book. The narration is perfect. I only wish there was a third book 😁