What If? 2. Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If ? 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 thermodynamic, 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.
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, 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.
As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances.