The following is an actual question given on
a mid-term. The answer was so "profound" that the professor shared it with
colleagues, which is why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic or endothermic?
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 that souls are moving
into Hell and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume
that once a soul gets into Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls
are leaving.
As for how many souls are entering Hell, lets
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 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
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 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, then the temperature and pressure
will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by
my sweetheart Alex Carrigan during my Freshman year, "...that it will be
a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you", and two years have now passed
without the desired result, then #2 cannot be true, and thus I am sure
that Hell is exothermic and will not freeze."
This student received the only "A" given.