If you were bored to tears in high school science classes, these could be the books you wish you had.
On March 21, the New York Times reported that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is publishing a flotilla of high school science textbooks that will feature webcomics by xkcd creator Randall Munroe.
Specifically, the illustrations will come from Munroe's book "Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words."
Peggy Smith-Herbst, senior vice-president of the publishing house's Math and Science Studios, told the Times that she had an "a-ha moment" while looking at proofs for "Thing Explainer," also published by the company.
It's pretty easy to see why the simple illustrations might appeal to high schoolers.
For example, see how this brief-but-brilliant diagram explains what we know about exoplanets:
Ars Technica reported that the illustrations will include "Pieces Everything is Made Of," about the periodic table.
It will also include "Tiny Bags of Water You're Made Of," which explains cells:
The comics, done in Munroe's distinctly simple, humorous, and somewhat absurd style, will appear in chemistry, biology, and physics textbooks, according to Mashable.
Check out the PDFs of the pages here. Trust us, they're worth your time — even if high school is a distant memory. (You might even learn something.)
Munroe is a former NASA physicist-turned-cartoonist also wrote the bestselling "What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions," which is a great read if you've ever wondered about the physics of Yoda.
The textbooks are set to be released in 2017.
