I wonder if he'd have got A+ if he'd also used Fourier's law to calculate the 
heat from friction of the gnashing of teeth going on.

Cheers

Deri


On Wednesday 29 October 2008 00:32:57 Deri James wrote:
> Fantastic - really enjoyed it.
>
> Cheers
>
> Deri
>
> On Tuesday 28 October 2008 20:42:26 Heather Beaudry wrote:
> > Chemistry in Hell
> > The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington
> > chemistry midterm. 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 (gives off heat) or endothermic
> > (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs 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 gets to
> > 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 Ms. Teresa
> > Banyan 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 still
> > have not succeeded in having sexual relations with her, then, #2 cannot
> > be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and will not freeze.
> >
> > The student received the only "A" given.
>
> -----------------------
>
> To change your mail settings or leave the C-PALSY list, go here:
>
> http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?SUBED1=c-palsy

-----------------------

To change your mail settings or leave the C-PALSY list, go here:

http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?SUBED1=c-palsy