Be Specific About Books Supposing What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
| Original Title: | What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions |
| ISBN: | 0544272994 (ISBN13: 9780544272996) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Nonfiction (2014) |
Randall Munroe
Hardcover | Pages: 303 pages Rating: 4.16 | 115652 Users | 7998 Reviews
Identify Of Books What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
| Title | : | What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions |
| Author | : | Randall Munroe |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 303 pages |
| Published | : | September 2nd 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. Science. Humor. Audiobook. Physics. Comedy. Popular Science |
Narrative Conducive To Books What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD 'a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math and language' which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It now has 600,000 to a million page hits daily. Every now and then, Munroe would get emails asking him to arbitrate a science debate. 'My friend and I were arguing about what would happen if a bullet got struck by lightning, and we agreed that you should resolve it . . . ' He liked these questions so much that he started up What If.If your cells suddenly lost the power to divide, how long would you survive?
How dangerous is it, really, to be in a swimming pool in a thunderstorm?
If we hooked turbines to people exercising in gyms, how much power could we produce?
What if everyone only had one soulmate?
When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British empire?
How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live?
What would happen if the moon went away?
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, studded with memorable cartoons and infographics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion. Far more than a book for geeks, WHAT IF: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel much the smarter for having read.
Rating Of Books What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Ratings: 4.16 From 115652 Users | 7998 ReviewsJudgment Of Books What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Change.Org Petition: Despicable MunroeThe International Astronomical Union recently named an asteroid after Randall Munroe; asteroid 4942 Munroe is big enough to cause a mass extinction if it ever hits Earth.Not that he needs an asteroid to do that. He has his minions devising millions of ways to do it, on a subversive site they call xkcd.com. This book is a set of leaked manuals. It should be clear to all how dangerous this guy (and his site) really is. But all Government agencies fail to heedThis is a lot of fun from a guy who likes when things catch fire. A lot of the questions reminded me of the ones Neil Gaiman fielded after Geoff Coffey's tweet that he would donate $1 to @EFF for every person who asks @neilhimself how they can watch American Gods in their country.
I've been a reader of XKCD for ages. Not just a reader, a fan. A big goey, geeky fan. So much of a fan that when I heard about this book, I went so far as to abuse my power as an author to get an Advance Reading Copy of the book, so that I could enjoy its deliciousness sooner. And... y'know... taunt people on the internet. And it worked. I got an early copy. And I treasured it. I petted it. It was precious to me. Precious. Then life got in the way. Conventions. Promotion for my own book launch.
This book opens with the best disclaimer I have ever seen:"Do not try any of this at home. The author of this book is an Internet cartoonist, not a health or safety expert. He likes it when things catch fire or explode, which means he does not have your best interests in mind. The publisher and the author disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects resulting, directly or indirectly, from information contained in this book."That disclaimer really sets the tone for this fun book about science:
An apple fell on Newton's head."Why didn't this fall up instead of down?" Asked the scientist......And lo, the theory of gravitation was born. - Well, not really. The story is apocryphal in all probability, like George Washington and the cherry tree. But it does illustrate an important fact.Scientific enquiry starts with seemingly absurd questions.-----------------------------------Randall Munroe is a physics graduate who briefly worked for NASA: but his claim to fame is as the creator of the
I highly recommend taking the audiobook route for this one unless you absolutely love very technical science. Wil Wheaton's narration was excellent and he delivered Munroe's humor perfectly! I loved this so much I bought a hard copy for my coffee table.
Oh boy ,you are great 😂
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