53 pages • 1 hour read
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, written by Randall Munroe and published in 2014, is a collection of humorous yet sound answers to unusual queries about science. From how many laser pointers it would take to light up the Moon to how many LEGO bricks would be needed to bridge the Atlantic Ocean, What If? bravely answers dozens of weird inquiries with answers that, though true, are often stranger than the questions they resolve.
Author, cartoonist, and engineer Randall Munroe is the creator of the popular web comic xkcd, whose stick figures also illustrate the text of What If? After earning a degree in physics, Munroe worked for NASA as the Langley Research Center in Virginia. For his work on xkcd, he was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist in 2011 and 2012, then won the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story in 2014. An asteroid is named in his honor.
The ebook version of the original 2014 edition forms the basis for this study guide. Readers are cautioned that some of the descriptions of unusual physical effects on humans are slightly gruesome.
Summary
Munroe warns readers not to try the activities described in the book, most of which are dangerous or lethal, illustrating the physics of extreme situations.
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