What If? [Paperback]

Marshall Brain (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764566571 | ISBN-13: 978-0764566578 | Publication Date: September 13, 2002 | Edition: 1

If you've ever scratched your head and thought, "What If you got struck by lightning? What If you stopped paying Taxes? What If we lived on the Moon? What If I did put aluminum foil in the microwave? then you'll be absolutely bowled over by this intriguing guide. With more than seventy captivating, "What If" scenarios than you could ever imagine, this engaging and exciting guidebook answers questions that are serious, fanciful, and well just plain odd. Touching on categories such as: Air and Space, Earth and Sea, On the Move, Body and Mind, Survival Guide, Finance, Breaking the Rules, and more! Turn the page to discover the answers to these and many other intriguing, fun questions today!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

THE AWARD-WINNING TEAM AT HOWSTUFFWORKS HAS DONE IT AGAIN!

If you’re intrigued by the world around you, you’ll be fascinated with the compelling answers to 75 What If? questions. This latest book from Marshall Brain and the team at HowStuffWorks covers everything from gravity to the Great Pyramids, oxygen to exoskeletons.

In Marshall Brain’s signature style, you’ll learn the cause and effect of such actions as swimming after eating a big meal, firing a gun at a television set, and purchasing ten shares of Microsoft stock when the company went public. You won’t be able to put down this fun and captivating book!

Have you ever wondered . . .

What if I was struck by lightning?
What if people had gills?
What if an asteroid hit the earth?
What if I put aluminum foil in the microwave?
What if the polar ice caps melted?
What if I threw a penny off the Empire State Building?

About HowStuffWorks.com

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About the Author

Residence: Raleigh, North Carolina
Employment: CEO, Chairman of the Board: How Stuff Works
Additional credentials: Degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a MS in Computer Science from NCSU.
Media exposure: How Stuff Works and Marshall Brain have and continue to gain nation-wide PR and Marketing exposure

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 13, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764566571
• ISBN-13: 978-0764566578
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,175,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just plain fun, May 11, 2003

By 

J. J. Kwashnak "voracious reader" (Monroe, LA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What If? (Paperback)

Marshal Brain has created a niche for taking questions that children and adults come up with that go beyond the normal range of books. Here, he contemplates and answers questions ranging from the scientific "What if someone shot a gun off in an airplane?" to the practical "What if I had to file bankruptcy?" to the just plain strange "What if I tied 150 helium balloons to my Jack Russell terrier that weighs only 10 pounds - would she float away in the air?" Urban myths are addressed also; for example looking at what really would be the result of tossing a coin off the Empire State Building. Each question is treated matter of factly and this dry tone makes reading a few pages enjoyable, but you wouldn't really want to sit down and just read cover to cover. I suspect that this book will appear in many bathrooms, where short span reading is valued. Brain notes his favorite questions, as well as perennial favorites at his web site. It sometimes shows that he puts in more love to his favorites but works he works hard on all his questions. Overall, you may walk away having learned something as well as being entertained. Wonderful for curious children of all ages.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for all ages, August 7, 2008

By 

Jane Palmer (Redmond, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What If? (Paperback)

My 9 year old loves this book. I love this book. What more can I say?

3.0 out of 5 stars Tiny Book That Is Just Not Long Enough to Make It Worth Buying, March 29, 2009

By 

Mediaman "TVviewer" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What If? (Paperback)

This book proposes to answers to questions people have always wondered about, such as "What if I threw a penny off the Empire State Building?" And it does so some of that--but at 128 pages the reader is paying $13 for answers to only about 75 questions based on information most could look up themselves online.

Each answer is only a few paragraphs long and often doesn't give you enough of a detailed explanation. Sometimes the authors make things up or guess when they don't know.

And some of the questions are not "intriguing" as claimed in the title but rather are inanely common sense, such as "What if I save a quarter every day of my life?" Huh? Just do the math! Or "What if I looked straight at an eclipse of the sun?" Is this a book for dummys? Much of it is just too obvious.

So it's a mixed bag--a few interesting tidbits that may make it worth picking up the book for a quarter at a garage sale, but certainly not worth the $2 I paid for it at a used book store.