Category Archives: What If? Rejects

What If? Rejects 2 Warm-Up

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Alex R. Howe

So, a few years ago, I wrote a series of posts on this blog called “What If? Rejects.” (You can read that series from the beginning starting here.) This series was based on the book What If? by Randall Munroe, … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #12.2: Resonant Frequency

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Alex R. Howe

Previous post in this series: Ticks And here it is! The final rejected question from xkcd writer Randall Munroe’s book, What If? It’s been a crazy ride. Q: Assuming a relatively uniform resonant frequency in a passenger jet, how many … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #12.1: Ticks

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Alex R. Howe

Previous post in this series: Fire Tornados! Next post in this series: Resonant Frequency Q: What if I swallow a tick that has Lyme disease? Will my stomach acid kill the tick and the borreliosis, or would I get Lyme … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #11.2: Fire Tornadoes!

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Alex R. Howe

Previous post in this series: Moving an Island Next post in this series: Ticks Q: Are fire tornadoes possible? Randall’s response: “YES. Fire tornadoes are a real thing that actually happens. Nothing I say could possibly add to this.” My … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #11.1: Moving an Island

Posted on December 10, 2017 by Alex R. Howe

Previous post in this series: Turkey Day Next post in this series: Fire Tornadoes! Q: What if everyone in Great Britain went to one of the coasts and started paddling? Could they move the island at all? Randall’s response: “NO.” … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #10.3: Turkey Day

Posted on November 22, 2017 by Alex R. Howe

Previous post in this series: Stunt Bike Next post in this series: Moving an Island Q: What if every day, every human had a 1 percent chance of being turned into a turkey, and every turkey had a 1 percent … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #10.2: Stunt Bike

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Alex R. Howe

So it turns out some people are actually crazy enough to try this.Previous post in this series: Knife Wounds Next post in this series: Turkey Day Q: If I were on a motorbike and do a jump off a quarter … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #10.1: Knife Wounds

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Alex R. Howe

Previous post in this series: Everyone Knows It’s Slinky Next post in this series: Stunt Bike Q: What is the probability that if I am stabbed by a knife in my torso that it won’t hit anything vital and I’ll … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #9.2: Everyone Knows It’s Slinky

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Alex R. Howe

Previous post in this series: Tidal Waves Next post in this series: Knife Wounds Q: If you are in free fall and your parachute fails, but you have a Slinky with extremely convenient mass, tension, etc., would it be possible … Continue reading →

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What If? Rejects #9.1: Tidal Waves

Posted on October 14, 2017 by Alex R. Howe

Previous post in this series: The Little Shop of Horrors Next post in this series: Everyone Knows It’s Slinky Q: Could you survive a tidal wave by submerging yourself in an in-ground pool? Randall’s response: A chart demonstrating that this … Continue reading →

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