05-07-2004, 10:31 PM
A theromodynamics professor had written a take-home exam for his graduate students. It had one question: "Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Support your answer with proof.
Most of the students wrote their proofs of thier beleifs using Boyle's Law (gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:
First we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So, we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell, and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul get to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving Hell.
As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell.
Since there are more than one of these religions and since most people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all people and all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.
Second, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand as souls are added. This gives us two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expnading at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. Of course, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Miss Theresa Baynan during my freshman year that "hell will freeze over before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I have still not succeeded with her, then #2 cannot be true, and therefore, Hell is exothermic.
The student received the only A
___________________________________________________________________
PS - How do I know, as a new member, if something has been posted before and I am repeating it? Will you just direct curses my way?
Most of the students wrote their proofs of thier beleifs using Boyle's Law (gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:
First we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So, we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell, and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul get to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving Hell.
As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell.
Since there are more than one of these religions and since most people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all people and all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.
Second, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand as souls are added. This gives us two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expnading at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. Of course, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Miss Theresa Baynan during my freshman year that "hell will freeze over before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I have still not succeeded with her, then #2 cannot be true, and therefore, Hell is exothermic.
The student received the only A
___________________________________________________________________
PS - How do I know, as a new member, if something has been posted before and I am repeating it? Will you just direct curses my way?
