What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

Randall Munroe applies rigorous laws of physics, chemistry, and biology to scenarios that would never occur in reality. The text provides technical calculations for events such as a baseball pitched at 90% the speed of light, the logistics of building a bridge made of humans, and the physical consequences of a localized periodic table where the elements are organized into actual bricks. Using stick-figure illustrations and dry wit, Munroe calculates energy outputs, mortality rates, and thermodynamic limits to find definitive answers for queries submitted by readers of his webcomic, xkcd.

This book serves curious minds and amateur scientists who enjoy testing the boundaries of logic and natural law. Readers gain a functional understanding of complex principles, like relativistic speeds or orbital mechanics, through the lens of extreme thought experiments. It appeals to those who appreciate technical precision paired with dark, analytical humor. By the final page, the reader possesses a collection of strange facts and a clearer framework for using scientific methodology to deconstruct any problem, no matter how ridiculous.

Outward-looking; a moderate read.

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