What If? · the Unofficial Companion to Randall Munroe’s Book With More Not-So-Absurd Questions and Their Scientific Answers

This is not the actual Randall Munroe’s book, What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. Do not purchase this book if you are looking for a full copy of Munroe’s book, What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions.

This Unofficial Companion to Randall Munroe’s What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions includes an unofficial summary and critique of questions and scientific answers, which are discussed in Munroe’s book, for the benefit of those who wish to read or study Munroe’s book in the future.

The Unofficial Companion to Munroe’s What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions also includes additional interesting and not-so-absurd questions and their scientific answers:

Question 1. Can winds really change the spin of our planet?

Question 2. Can rotation of the Earth change the Earth’s shape?

Question 3. Is it a coincidence that Olympus Mons, which is the highest volcano on Mars, is about 3 times higher than the Earth’s highest mountain?

Question 4. Is time travel possible?

Question 5. How much solar energy reaches the Earth every second?

Question 6. How much energy does the Sun radiate every second?

Question 7. What if all energy radiated by the Sun were sent directly to the Earth?

Question 8. How do we know that blue stars are hotter than red stars?

Question 9. What will happen if we launch a satellite or a submarine into the Sun’s corona, where the temperature exceeds 1 million degrees?

Question 10. How high above the Earth’s surface should you travel to be considered an astronaut?

Question 11. Can we fly from the Earth to Mars on a regular airplane?

Question 12. How do artificial satellites stay in orbit?

Question 13. Is the Earth losing its atmosphere?

Question 14. What is money made of?

Question 15. How many horsepower can you generate?

We have incorporated these questions and answers into the Unofficial Companion to Munroe’s book because they can help readers who are interested in reading Munroe’s book or any other popular science book, learn more about the science of the real world.