This is not a joke
Posted: June 2nd, 2007, 3:43 pm
> The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington
> chemistry mid-term.
>
> The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it
> with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have
> the pleasure of enjoying it as well :
>
> Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic
> (absorbs heat)?
>
> Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law
> (gas cools when it expands and heats 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 at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at
> which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul
> gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for
> how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions
> that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you
> are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is
> more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more
> than one religion, we can project that 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. Now, 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
> proportionately as souls are added.
>
> This gives two possibilities:
>
> 1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls
> enter Hell, then the temperature and pres sure in Hell will increase until
> all Hell breaks loose.
>
> 2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in
> Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
>
> So which is it?
>
> If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year
> that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take
> into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two
> must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already
> frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen
> over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore,
> extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a
> divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my
> God."
>
>
> THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A"
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> chemistry mid-term.
>
> The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it
> with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have
> the pleasure of enjoying it as well :
>
> Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic
> (absorbs heat)?
>
> Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law
> (gas cools when it expands and heats 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 at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at
> which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul
> gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for
> how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions
> that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you
> are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is
> more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more
> than one religion, we can project that 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. Now, 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
> proportionately as souls are added.
>
> This gives two possibilities:
>
> 1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls
> enter Hell, then the temperature and pres sure in Hell will increase until
> all Hell breaks loose.
>
> 2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in
> Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
>
> So which is it?
>
> If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year
> that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take
> into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two
> must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already
> frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen
> over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore,
> extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a
> divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my
> God."
>
>
> THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A"
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