What If?
These are my notes about the book “what if?” by Randall Munroe.
what if?, by Randall Munroe, was published in 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Randall Munroe, of course, is the creator of the xkcd website, admired and quoted by scientists, engineers, software developers, and other smart people.
I bought this book shortly after it was published in 2014, began reading it, and got sidetracked after about 100 pages. I finally finished it yesterday, nearly twelve years later, as I work my way through my collection of unfinished books.
In what if?, Munroe answers scientific questions of the type, “if an asteroid was very small but supermassive, could you really live on it like the Little Prince?” The book is entertaining in a non-serious way, but Munroe’s answers are to the best of his effort realistic and grounded in science. The book contains responses from Munroe’s what if? website, which currently has 162 questions and answers.
One of the most dramatic answers is to the question on page 274: “What if a rainstorm dropped all of its water in a single giant drop.” Answer: The giant drop of water, measuring 0.6 km3, creates a supersonic omnidirectional jet that destroys everything for miles around.
The writing is good. There are witty quips and drawings scattered throughout the book, and several instances of unusual takes or points of attack for some of the questions. This is a fun read for anyone interested in science or engineering.
A good way to read this book is to read one question and its answer each night before going to sleep. (There are about 69 questions answered.)
Munroe has published three other books, including What If? 2.
Rating: Three stars, good.