“What if somebody put a hair dryer with continuous power into an airtight 1x1x1 meter box?” Eventually, the box would become so hot that it could cook breakfast!
This is just the kind of question you find in the popular book What If? that provides serious scientific answers to crazy hypothetical questions.
The author Randall Munroe uses his background as a physicist and a rocket scientist to accurately explain the scenarios found in his book. Moreover, as a cartoonist, Munroe uses comics to make scientific topics entertaining, funny, and easy to understand; in fact, there is hardly a page without an illustration.
What If? is extremely informative because of its use of scientific reasoning based on real physical principles. Munroe often inserts footnotes which offer additional explanations of complex topics to make the information more digestible and understandable to anyone.
I would definitely recommend this book because of its thought-provoking questions and amusing yet knowledgeable responses. For example, at the beginning of the book, Munroe provides a disclaimer to readers: "Do not try any of these at home.” Munroe is a cartoonist, not a health or safety expert. He likes it when things catch fire and explode, which means he does not have your best interests in mind.
Books normally do not have dangerous ideas, particularly because they are aiming to avoid lawsuits. Randall Munroe does not seem concerned about this, which is another reason why he is so funny.
The questions in What If? are sent to Munroe by his fans. Since readers’ questions are unusual, so are the answers. In a question about pitching a baseball at the speed of light, Munroe wrote a long passage analyzing the physics of how baseballs fly. His answer was so intriguing that I made my dad read the book, and we ended up having long discussions about the science of baseball.
Another question asks how a plane can fly on Venus. He answers, "Your plane would fly pretty well, except it would be on fire the whole time, and then it would stop flying, and then stop being a plane." While this explanation is hilarious, it also made me wonder how science works on other planets.
Five stars may not be enough for this book. I have read it almost three times now, and every time I learned something new. What If? is a perfect blend of comedy, science, and cartoons of things blowing up that anyone without a science background can enjoy. For those who love science and comic relief, this book will make their day.