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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

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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)
All stars
Most relevant
the weird and worrying question section had so many good questions that could have been answered over some of the actual answers, but well worth the listen... Will Wheaton wasn't as bad as people seem to think though

Good but the first was better

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Generally fab, but a few questions are given unnecessarily blunt dismissals, or the clear subtext of the question misinterpreted.

Generally excellent

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Very good i got it for my child and he loves it. He ask for the next book.

Very interesting book

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Myself and my 7YO absolutely loved it , Wil does a great job at reading with energy and a great balance of subtle tongue in cheek but also taking the question seriously and not condescending at all. He made the listening enjoyable even through the ocasional formulae-heavy sentences and making up for the lack of imagery.
Ironically it has been a great bedtime material… my girl loves and chuckles at the provocative questions and at the deadpan explanations of the consequences (eg why a billion floor building is not possible) … but after a couple of questions it seems her brain has enough of science and switches off to sleep pretty quickly, with the added bonus that it makes the “dozing” chapter yield longer as I can replay it the following night :))) What is not to like
“What if 3”any time soon?

Fascinating and fun

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Crazy ideas carried remorselessly through to logical conclusions.
Highly entertaining, thought-provoking and humorous too.

Brilliant book!

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