Nov 15, 2022
Randall Munroe visits Google to discuss his book "What If? 2:
Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical
Questions."
The millions of people around the world who read the first "What
If?" book still have questions, and those questions are getting
stranger. Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to
help. 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 door 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-story
building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it
erupted? Okay, if you insist.
But before you go on a cosmic road trip, feed the residents of New
York City to a T. rex, or fill every church with bananas, be sure
to consult this practical guide for impractical ideas. 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. This book is
filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randall’s
signature stick-figure comics.
Randall Munroe is the author of the number one New York Times
bestsellers "How To", "What If?", and "Thing Explainer"; the
science question-and-answer blog “What If?”; and the popular web
comic xkcd. A former NASA roboticist, he left the agency in 2006 to
draw comics on the internet full time.
Visit http://g.co/TalksAtGoogle/WhatIf
to watch the video.