The What If bit should’ve been left out of the title because not every question Randall Munroe answers in this book; mostly a compilation of posts from his popular internet blog, also erroneously titled; is a what-if one. He should’ve also left out the word “Absurd”. A hypothetical question like “From what height would you need to drop a steak for it to be cooked when it hit the ground” may be loaded, but I don’t think the gist is absurd at all.

These are logical, if uncommonly inquisitive, questions; the type I often wonder to myself. I usually don’t have the answers and I’m smart enough not to assume Randall Munroe’s claims are accurate, but, while bits of humor go against the Serious claim and the existence of this book is probably nothing more than a way to further monetize his (xkcd.com) site, I appreciate him taking the time to answer them in a scientific manner.

my rating : 4 of 5

2014