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What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

About the Book

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions. What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there was a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last? In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by signature xkcd comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion.

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
by Randall Munroe

  • Publication Date: September 2, 2014
  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • ISBN-10: 0544272994
  • ISBN-13: 9780544272996