What If? #2

Publisher details

Author
Randall Munroe
Publisher
Hachette
Genre
Non Fiction
Released
13 September, 2022
ISBN
9781473680630

What If? #2

Buy now

Retail partners

Synopsis

The Sunday Times-bestselling author and xkcd creator, Randall Munroe is here to provide the best answers yet to the important questions you probably never thought to ask

The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger.

Planning to ride a fire pole from the moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing.

Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyone's freezer doors at the same time? Maybe it's time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics.

Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, built a billion-storey building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? Okay, if you insist.

Welcome (back) to the mind-blowing world of What If?

Unfazed by absurdity, Randall consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airplane-catapult design to clearly and concisely answer his readers' questions. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances.

Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randall's signature stick-figure comics, What If? 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages.

Randall Munroe
About the author

Randall Munroe

Randall Munroe is the creator of the webcomic xkcd and bestselling author of What If?, Thing Explainer and xkcd: Volume 0. Randall was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and grew up outside Richmond, Virginia. After studying physics at Christopher Newport University, he got a job building robots at NASA Langley Research Center. In 2006 he left NASA to draw comics on the internet full time, and has since been nominated for a Hugo Award three times. The International Astronomical Union recently named an asteroid after him: asteroid 4942 Munroe is big enough to cause mass extinction if it ever hits a planet like Earth.

Books by Randall Munroe

Related articles

PODCAST: Hannah Richell & Michelle Prak on Their Favourite Phases When Writing

Podcast

20 July 2026

PODCAST: Hannah Richell & Michelle Prak on Their Favourite Phases When Writing

    Vote Now to Win Australia's Favourite 100 New Books

    News

    15 July 2026

    Vote Now to Win Australia's Favourite 100 New Books

      Podcast: Holden Sheppard & Peter Polites on Their Unique, Diverse Backgrounds

      Podcast

      13 July 2026

      Podcast: Holden Sheppard & Peter Polites on Their Unique, Diverse Backgrounds

        PODCAST: Libby Trainor Parker on Finding Healing Through Advocacy

        Podcast

        6 July 2026

        PODCAST: Libby Trainor Parker on Finding Healing Through Advocacy

          PODCAST: Sarah Trad on Hospitality and Building Her Dream House

          Podcast

          29 June 2026

          PODCAST: Sarah Trad on Hospitality and Building Her Dream House

            Vote for the Better Reading Kids' Top 50 and go in the draw to win

            News

            26 June 2026

            Vote for the Better Reading Kids' Top 50 and go in the draw to win

              PODCAST: Joan Sauers on Film and Mysteries

              Podcast

              22 June 2026

              PODCAST: Joan Sauers on Film and Mysteries

                PODCAST: Victoria Purman on Journalism, Publishing and Vintage Books

                Podcast

                15 June 2026

                PODCAST: Victoria Purman on Journalism, Publishing and Vintage Books

                  Q&A: Maya Linnell, Author of Sunrise at Sunny Cross Farm

                  News | Author Related

                  8 June 2026

                  Q&A: Maya Linnell, Author of Sunrise at Sunny Cross Farm

                    PODCAST: What Are You Reading? The App with Caroline Overington

                    Podcast

                    8 June 2026

                    PODCAST: What Are You Reading? The App with Caroline Overington

                      COMMENTS

                      Leave a Reply

                      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *