What If?

What If? has become one of my favorite web sites. Written by xkcd author Randall Monroe, it attempts to answer questions using science.

What makes it fun are the ridiculous questions, and the ridiculous answers he comes up for them. Some examples,

As a writer, I’m wondering what would be the cumulative energy of the hundreds of thousands of keystrokes required to write a novel.

How long could the human race survive on only cannibalism?

If a T-rex were released in New York City, how many humans/day would it need to consume to get its needed calorie intake?

What would happen if all the bodies of water on Earth magically disappeared?

If you want a good example to get started, here’s one of my personal favorites:

What would happen if a hair dryer with continuous power was turned on and put in an airtight 1x1x1 meter box?

Every wondered what would happen if you had a hairdryer that put out 1.875 terrawatts? Wonder no more…