Stuff You Need to Know virtually overflows with illustrations and information about 28 activities and objects from everyday life. In fact, the book is so jam-packed that eight gatefolds provide the extra room needed to explain complex activities.

Each item is on a double-page spread filled edge to edge with informative text in numbered sequence. Accurate, lighthearted illustrations reveal everything a step at a time.

The "stuff" ranges from taking out the garbage to launching a rocket. Here are some examples:

Electricity -- Steam power, turbine, magnet, generator, current, transformer, mains, fuse, meter
Making a Pizza (gatefold): How does a pizzeria deliver a pizza so quickly? Ingredients for the pizza base and topping, what they are, and where they come from.
Microwave Oven -- Molecules, waves, cross-section of a microwave oven, protective layer, timer
3D Printer -- 3D model, CAD, programming in sections, nozzles, layers, spool, nozzle, acetone
Setting Up a Satellite (gatefold) -- SatNet, geostationary, ACTS, transponder, thrusters, parabolic antennae
Solar Panels -- Thermal energy, photo voltaic panels, pump, solar energy, solar power stations
Toilet Tank -- Float, siphon ta...