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3.77k reviews for:
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Randall Munroe
4.14 AVERAGE
3.77k reviews for:
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Randall Munroe
4.14 AVERAGE
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Excellent humorous scientific explanations of some fascinating questions. I was able to predict some answers and was completely wrong about others; Munroe's writing really comes through when explaining the expected phenomena and unusual minutia of what would happen if the world stopped spinning or if a baseball was thrown at 90% lightspeed. I have enjoyed his XKCD comic for years but the illustrations really are intended as a supplement here instead of the bulk of the content. I would have liked a bit more, but what we did get perfectly illustrates the principles at play.
10/10 would use as a science textbook (don't actually do that)
10/10 would use as a science textbook (don't actually do that)
funny
informative
I'm a casual follower of xkcd website but this book REALLY intrigued me. I found it not only very educational and informative, but very funny and it's presentation. Some of the absurd questions and the amazing answers really enhanced my knowledge that I assumed, or thought, I knew.
A great, fun read.
A great, fun read.
A fun exploration of impossible events, and the acien explaining the what ifs.
This was probably one of the funnest books that I have listened to in a while. A very whitty combination of the absurd and science.
funny
informative
fast-paced
Interesting answers to questions I never thought about.
It took me a long time to read this, mostly because I'd read a section or two and then forgot I owned the book. Luckily, Goodreads kept reminding me. It sat there in my "Currently Reading" column as a gentle reminder to finish it already!
Marking this book as non-fiction gives me a bit of a chuckle because the scenarios described were preposterously outrageous and read more like science fiction. In truth, I wondered how many of these questions were proposed by scifi writers because...well, they were out there. Luckily, the author's sense of humor made what could have been some very boring reading into a kind of scientific comedy.
Marking this book as non-fiction gives me a bit of a chuckle because the scenarios described were preposterously outrageous and read more like science fiction. In truth, I wondered how many of these questions were proposed by scifi writers because...well, they were out there. Luckily, the author's sense of humor made what could have been some very boring reading into a kind of scientific comedy.
This was exactly what the title promised - scientific answers to absurd questions. This isn't my normal type of read, but it was a fun & quirky book. Wil Wheaton as the audiobook narrator definitely made this so much more entertaining! I think if I read the physical book, I would've glazed over on some things, but he kept me engaged from the beginning. This was a fun & different read in the moment, but I don't think I will remember much later on.