Munroe has worked full-time on the comic since late 2006. He is the author of the popular webcomic xkcd, the science question-and-answer blog What If, and. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances. Randall Patrick Munroe (born October 17, 1984) is an American cartoonist, author, and engineer best known as the creator of the webcomic xkcd. In 2006, he left NASA to draw comics on the internet full-time.

Unfazed by absurdity, Munroe consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airliner catapult–design to answer his readers’ questions, clearly and concisely, with illuminating and occasionally terrifying illustrations. rex, or fill every church with bananas, be sure to consult this practical guide for impractical ideas. Small chunks of ice falling from space disintegrate and boil away.

If you built an icy waterfall from space, the water would arrive at the bottom as a river of superheated steam. 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.īefore you go on a cosmic road trip, feed the residents of New York City to a T. A chunk of ice from space that falls to Earth gains enough energy to warm the ice up, melt it, boil it into vapor, and then heat the vapor to thousands of degrees. 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. Planning to ride a fire pole from the Moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing. Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help.

The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of What If? and How To answers more of the weirdest questions you never thought to ask

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