"Roger Nelson" wrote to "All" (28 Jun 03  07:10:10)
 --- on the topic of "A question"

 RN> Is Hell exothermic or endothermic?

  Dr. Schlambaugh, a senior lecturer at the Chemical Engineering
  Department,University of Oklahoma, is known for posing questions on
  final exams like: "Why do airplanes fly?"

  In May a few years ago, the "Momentum, Heat and Mass Transfer " exam
  paper contained the question:

  "Is Hell exothermic or endothermic? Support your answer with proof."

  Most students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law or
  similar.  One student, however, wrote the following:

  First, we must postulate that if souls exist, they must have some mass.
  If they do, then a mole of souls also must have a mass. So, at what rate
  are souls moving into hell and at what rate are souls leaving?  I think
  we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it does not leave.
  Therefore, no souls are leaving.

  As for souls entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that
  exist in the world today.  Some religions say 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 people do not belong to more than one
  religion, we can project that all people and all souls go to Hell.  With
  the birth and death rates what they are, we can expect the number of
  souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of
  change in the volume of Hell. Boyle's Law states that in order for the
  temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the ratio of the mass
  of the souls and volume needs to stay constant.

  [Answer 1] So, if Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at
  which souls enter Hell, then the temperature in Hell will increase until
  all Hell breaks loose.

  [Answer 2] Of course, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the
  increase in 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 Banyan
  during freshman year) that "it'll be a cold day in Hell before I sleep
  with you", and taking into account that I still have not succeeded in
  having sexual relations with her, then [Answer 2] cannot be correct;
  ......  thus, Hell is exothermic.

  The student got the only A.

  ===============


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