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XKCD QA (What If?): Spent Fuel Pool
Spent Fuel PoolWhat if I took a swim in a typical spent nuclear fuel pool? Would I need to dive to actually experience a fatal amount of radiation? How long could I stay safely at the surface?—Jonathan...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Interplanetary Cessna
Interplanetary CessnaWhat would happen if you tried to fly a normal Earth airplane above different Solar System bodies?—Glen ChiacchieriHere’s our aircraft:The Cessna 172 Skyhawk, probably the most...
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XKCD QA (What If?): FedEx Bandwidth
FedEx BandwidthWhen - if ever - will the bandwidth of the Internet surpass that of FedEx?—Johan ÖbrinkNever underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Hubble
HubbleIf the Hubble telescope were aimed at the Earth, how detailed would the images be?—Kyle RankinThis is a common question. The Hubble operators get it a lot, and their FAQ page answers it. The...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Ships
ShipsHow much would the sea level fall if every ship were removed all at once from the Earth's waters?—Michael TojeAbout six microns—slightly more than the diameter of a strand of spider...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Twitter
TwitterHow many unique English tweets are possible? How long would it take for the population of the world to read them all out loud?—Eric H., Hopatcong, NJHigh up in the North in the land called...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Hair Dryer
Hair DryerWhat would happen if a hair dryer with continuous power was turned on and put in an airtight 1x1x1 meter box?—Dry ParatroopaA typical hair dryer draws 1875 watts of power.All 1875 watts have...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Cornstarch
CornstarchHow much cornstarch can I rinse down the drain before unpleasant things start to happen?—Anna R., Fort Wayne, INIt depends what you consider unpleasant.If you watered down the cornstarch...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Supersonic Stereo
Supersonic StereoWhat if you somehow managed to make a stereo travel at twice the speed of sound, would it sound backwards to someone who was just casually sitting somewhere as it flies by?—Tim...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Voyager
VoyagerWith today's technology, would it be possible to launch an unmanned mission to retrieve Voyager I?—Elliott BennettVoyager I is farther from Earth than any other manmade object. After getting a...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Hockey Puck
Hockey PuckHow hard would a puck have to be shot to be able to knock the goalie himself backwards into the net?—TomThis can’t really happen.It’s not just a problem of hitting it hard enough. This blog...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Pressure Cooker
Pressure CookerAm I right to be afraid of pressure cookers? What's the worst thing that can happen if you misuse a pressure cooker in an ordinary kitchen?—Delphine LourtauThe worst thing?Pressure...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Go West
Go WestIf everybody in the US drove west, could we temporarily halt continental drift?—DerekThanks to plate tectonics, the United States is drifting west at about a centimeter per year. (The people who...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Longest Sunset
Longest SunsetWhat is the longest possible sunset you can experience while driving, assuming we are obeying the speed limit and driving on paved roads?—Michael BergTo answer this, we have to be sure...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Train Loop
Train LoopCould a high-speed train run through a vertical loop, like a rollercoaster, with the passengers staying comfortable?—Gero WalterNo.Since this is kind of a disappointing answer, I tried...
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XKCD QA (What If?): High Throw
High ThrowHow high can a human throw something?—Irish Dave on the Isle of ManHumans are good at throwing things. In fact, we’re great at it; no other animal can throw stuff like we can. It's true that...
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XKCD QA (What If?): ISS Music Video
ISS Music VideoIs this the most expensive music video ever?—Various Youtube commentersFor starters, a big welcome home to Chris Hadfield, who returned to Earth last night after a memorable stint as...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Bowling Ball
Bowling BallI've been told that if the Earth were shrunk down to the size of a bowling ball, it would be smoother than said bowling ball. My question is, what would a bowling ball look like if it were...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Alien Astronomers
Alien AstronomersLet's assume there's life on the the nearest habitable exoplanet and that they have technology comparable to ours. If they looked at our star right now, what would they see?—Chuck...
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XKCD QA (What If?): Sunset on the British Empire
Sunset on the British EmpireWhen (if ever) did the Sun finally set on the British Empire?—Kurt AmundsonIt hasn't. Yet. But only because of a few dozen people living in an area smaller than Disney...
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