REFLECTOR:This is too good to not share with my Velocity Buddies!

Mon, 2 Jun 2003 22:35:03 -0700

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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Question ... <BR><BR>The following is an actual question given on a University of <BR>Washington chemistry mid-term exam. The answer by one student was so <BR>"profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, <BR>via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure <BR>of enjoying it as well. <BR><BR>*** Bonus Question *** <BR>Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? <BR><BR>Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law, <BR>gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or <BR>some variant, but fell short in producing a demonstration argument. <BR>One student, however, wrote the following: <BR><BR>"First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we <BR>need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate they are <BR>leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, <BR>it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are <BR>entering Hell, lets look at the different religions that exist in the world <BR>today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their <BR>religion, you will go to Hell. Since there are more than one of these <BR>religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can <BR>project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, <BR>we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. <BR><BR>Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's <BR>Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the <BR>same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. <BR><BR>This gives two possibilities: <BR>1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter <BR>Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all <BR>Hell breaks loose. <BR><BR>2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in <BR>Hell, then 
the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. <BR><BR>Considering then the postulate presented to me by Teresa K. during my <BR>Freshman year: that "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with <BR>you," and take into account the fact that over two years later, I still have not <BR>succeeded in having relations with her; then, #2 cannot be true, and thus I <BR>am sure that Hell is exothermic and will not freeze." <BR><BR><B>This student received the only "A".<FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Verdana color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"></B></FONT> </FONT></DIV>
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