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

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After a fair share of assumptions and equations, it’s blatantly obvious that Yoda is a much better power source than Luke Skywalker. But a word of caution before we change our power grid to Yoda-based: “So Yoda sounds like our best bet as an energy source. But with world electricity consumption pushing 2 terawatts, it would take a hundred million Yodas to meet our demands. All things considered, switching to Yoda power probably isn’t worth the trouble—though it would definitely be green.”

The book is like a box of assorted chocolates. You can never tell what you’ll find inside one. It might be scary, it might be funny; it might be just plain fascinating, you might learn something really strange. You very well might want to read parts of it to your partner (share the candy). Any or all, as well as other flavors not mentioned. If you suddenly began rising steadily at 1 foot per second, how exactly would you die? Would you freeze or suffocate first? Or something else?

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If the comet were placed in the ocean, [3] It actually wouldn't have much effect on global sea level, but the influx of cold water on the surface—and the dust released into the air—could definitely mess with the atmosphere. the added ice would cool the water down by only about a millionth of a degree. If you set the comet on land, it would soak up heat from the atmosphere—which contains much less stored heat than the oceans—briefly cooling the air by an average of one or two thousandths of a degree.

The book is easy to understand and studded with comics, which keeps things light, even though the subject matter frequently leads to the Earth being rapidly destroyed, most impressively in "what if the Earth was made completely of protons and the Moon was made completely of electrons?" but also in "what if Niagara Falls were sent through a straw?" and several others. A warts-and-all portrait of the famed techno-entrepreneur—and the warts are nearly beyond counting. stars for ending the book on a happy note, "Sometimes it's nice not to destroy the world for a change." Ars sat down with Munroe to learn more. Bonus: today's xkcd is a fun flow chart guide for those who acquire a copy of What If? 2.There are even a few proposed experiments that DO NOT result in the destruction of our planet. My favorite involves the speed of the International Space Station AND the 1988 song by the Proclaimers, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqq4B... Shankland, Stephen (2015-12-01). " 'Thing Explainer': Fun if you enjoy puzzles, annoying if you just want to learn". CNET. Archived from the original on 2016-06-06. It’s an absolute delight! It’s the coolest way to learn how the world actually works.”—Hank Green (on the Dear Hank & John podcast) a b "What if? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions". xkcd.com . Retrieved 2022-09-26.