What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Randall Munroe
2014, 303 pages
Nonfiction
What if?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is exactly as the title describes: a book that provides carefully considered, researched, scientific answers to questions that are both random and ridiculous.
Questions like, “What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent the speed of light?” or “How quickly would the oceans drain if a circular portal 10 meters in radius leading into space were created at the bottom of Challenger Depp, the deepest spot in the ocean?” are answered earnestly using technical reports, scientific journal entries, computer simulations, lecture notes, classic literature and differential equations.
Written by Randall Munroe, the creator of the popular web comic XKCD, What If? features many of the same witty stick-figure illustrations that are characteristic of XKCD.
Despite covering several mini-apocalyptic scenarios as well as a question about what would happen to a person if all their DNA disappeared, What If? is a light and fun read. Because of its question-and-answer nature, each chapter can stand alone easily, making it a great low-pressure read during those busy/hectic times of the year.
For an added bonus, check out the audiobook version on Libby/Overdrive where Wil Wheaton narrates. Though it does not have the benefit of Munroe’s amusing illustrations, Wheaton is an excellent narrator and nicely conveys Monroe’s humor throughout the book.
Amy Schleifer
Concord Public Library
Visit CPL at concordpubliclibrary.net.
