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What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

Randall Munroe · 42 HN points · 0 HN comments
HN Books has aggregated all Hacker News stories and comments that mention "What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions" by Randall Munroe.
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Amazon Summary
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 everyone’s freezer door 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-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 Randall’s signature stick-figure comics, What If? 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages.
HN Books Rankings
  • Ranked #27 this year (2024) · view

Hacker News Stories and Comments

All the comments and stories posted to Hacker News that reference this book.
Jan 30, 2022 · 42 points, 6 comments · submitted by mccorrinall
BizarroLand
I'm glad for the new book (I have his other 3, plus a signed copy of What if?) but I sort of wish Randall had trickled a few of those to the website.

It was very odd seeing What If not being updated for years, wondering if he gave up on it completely, only to find out he's putting it into a new book.

His time is his own, but I wish it had gone a bit differently.

mccorrinall
There has been a timer for a month in his website. No one knew what is is for.

None it looks like amazon leaked it. :)

https://xkcd.com/

abracadaniel
I usually use the mobile version of the site, which didn’t render the countdown. Been so confused by the slowly revealed image.
samb1729
Thanks for ruining the surprise :(
2OEH8eoCRo0
What if all estimated remaining fossil fuels on the planet were burned simultaneously?
emj
The book cover made me think of Matt Parkers, Humble Pi, I guess there is a similarity in content on some level.

https://www.amazon.com/Humble-Pi-Comedy-Maths-Errors/dp/0141...

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