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What If? 2
What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions | Randall Munroe
25 posts | 9 read | 6 to read
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of What If? and How To provides his best answers yet to the weirdest questions you 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. Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help. 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 everyones freezer door at the same time? Maybe its time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, built a billion-story building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? Okay, if you insist. Before you go on a cosmic road trip, feed the residents of New York City to a T. rex, or fill every church with bananas, be sure to consult this practical guide for impractical ideas. 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 Randalls signature stick-figure comics, What If? 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages.
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annamatopoetry
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Mehso-so

I remember liking the first one, but unfortunately, no matter how funny Munroe is (which is VERY), there's just too much math and physics for me to fully enjoy this one. That said, it's absolutely not a bad book for the more math inclined of the population.

still. Soupiter.

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annamatopoetry
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The problem here is that Munroe is so consistently funny that I get distracted from the content.

Soupiter.

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Eyelit
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I‘ve always wondered this myself and totally agree with the above 😆 #themoreyouknow

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bnp
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I like ridiculous questions because nobody is expected to know the answer, which means it's okay to be confused.

#FirstLineFridays, @ShyBookOwl

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eol
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Pickpick

I needed to listen to something relaxing, and, as it turns out, funny math relaxes me. I don‘t know how much of it I internalized (not much, probably), but that wasn‘t the goal. A safe nonfiction choice. It seemed more concise than the first one. Still rambly, though—like a mantra.

3.5/5

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Finished this fun yet educational book.

#nonfiction #science

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RamsFan1963
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Pickpick

130/150 I'm glad to see that this book was as informative, if silly, as the first book. The questions are ridiculous mostly, but the author's answers do make you think about things in a different way. I highly recommend the audiobook version, narrated by the ever delightful Wil Wheaton. 4⭐⭐⭐⭐

KathyWheeler I loved the first book. I didn‘t know there was a second one. Yay! 1y
54 likes1 stack add1 comment
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rabbitprincess
Pickpick

I enjoy this combination of in-depth research and amusing cartoons. I also really like the « weird and worrying » section where Munroe presents with little or no comment questions that are too weird for him to answer ?
October 2022 #BookSpin completed in record time for me!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1y
13 likes1 comment
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keithmalek
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Pickpick

Just like the first book, this one was a blast!

But beware of the fact that if you're reading this on your phone, it ends only 66.5% of the way through due to all of the indexing and source materials.

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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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Olive Garden's breadstick "with garlic topping" is 140 calories, so in order to support your normal resting metabolism, you'd need to eat slightly less than one breadstick per hour. If you divide each breadstick into 20 bites, and chew them at a rate of 1 second per chew, and chew each bite 200 times, then you can have infinite breadsticks.

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NotCool
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Pickpick

A small child asked Randall Monroe, XYCD comic creator, what would happen if the solar system filled with soup….it turns out that much soup is too dense. A black hole would form and rip the solar system and then the Milky Way apart. This is the type of earnest, ridiculous scientific debate I live for.

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keithmalek
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Blueberry 😆 2y
9 likes1 comment
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keithmalek
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(Continued)...meters away from your window, you should put them closer than 1 meter.

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keithmalek
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keithmalek

In a broader sense, all water in the ocean has at some point been part of a dinosaur. When this water is used in photosynthesis, molecules from it become part of the fats and carbohydrates in the food chain--but a lot more of that water is in your body right now in the form of water.

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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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🤣

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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

Out tomorrow! Do you like science and laughing? If so, What If 2 is for you! Munroe gives real science answers to crazy questions from adults and kids. My favorite is the top one, where Neptune and Uranus are big problems! Another had exponentially breeding dogs, where 10^101 Dalmatians take over the universe. I loved the Q about funneling Niagara Falls into a straw, too. While I‘ve enjoyed his audiobooks, the cartoons are great in the print book!

Megabooks Thanks to @RiverheadBooks for this gifted copy! It was nice to read him in print after loving his #audiobooks. Either way is great to enjoy them. 2y
akaGingerK I really enjoyed the first What If - I‘m looking forward to this one! 2y
Megabooks @akaGingerK it is every bit as good! I hope you enjoy it! 2y
74 likes3 comments
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Megabooks
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I‘ve read Munroe‘s other books on audio, and Wil Wheaton does a fantastic job of narrating, but I‘m excited to see the cartoons this time. Thanks @RiverheadBooks !

And I‘m thinking on two book reviews…another about elder care (because it‘s on my brain) and Mercury Pictures Presents, which I didn‘t like as much as I hoped to. 🤔🤔🤔

Cinfhen Sounds fun 🤩 2y
Megabooks @Cinfhen it is so far! 2y
62 likes2 comments