The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington
chemistry 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 (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 allows 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.