We’re thrilled to be bringing bestselling cartoonist and author Randall Munroe to Manchester to discuss his latest book WHAT IF?2 – more hilarious and informative answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask.

About the book:

WHAT IF… one man decided to answer all the unanswerable questions, using science.

The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger.

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 doors at the same time? Maybe it’s time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics.

Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, built a billion-storey building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? Okay, if you insist.

Welcome (back) to the mind-blowing world of What If?

Unfazed by absurdity, Randall consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airplane-catapult design to clearly and concisely answer his readers’ questions. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances.

Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randall’s signature stick-figure comics, What If? 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages.

About the author:

Randall Munroe is the creator of the webcomic xkcd and bestselling author of What If?, Thing Explainer and xkcd: Volume 0. Randall was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and grew up outside Richmond, Virginia. After studying physics at Christopher Newport University, he got a job building robots at NASA Langley Research Center. In 2006 he left NASA to draw comics on the internet full time, and has since been nominated for a Hugo Award three times. The International Astronomical Union recently named an asteroid after him: asteroid 4942 Munroe is big enough to cause mass extinction if it ever hits a planet like Earth.

This event will take place at The Stoller Hall

Doors: 6.00, starts 6.30

Tickets are £8.00 or free when pre-ordering a copy of the book. What If? 2 will also be available to purchase on the night and Rabdall will be signing copies after the talk.