Is hell exothermic or endothermic?

Two Goth Geeks · Post by **Two Goth Geeks** » 13 July 04 3:24 pm

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.

Mind Socket · Post by **Mind Socket** » 14 July 04 10:21 am

I'm wondering if we need to have a non-geocaching specific forum area for the off-topic stuff?

I don't mind the posts, they just clutter up the geo-talk a little, imho.

- Rog

dcr · Post by **dcr** » 14 July 04 3:40 pm

Or even an OT / Jokes thread that these go into rather than creating a new thread for each joke?

swampgecko · Post by **swampgecko** » 14 July 04 6:30 pm

From the forum index page

General Chit-Chat
For all your general chit chat, caching or not.
Update your stars!

This is the right area for Off Topic posts, but I can see the need for a Off Topic Area. It would save wasting time filtering out all the misc. topics from the geocaching related stuff. But until when PK and the i!boys make an OT/Joke thread I'll keep posting OT in here

gunnell&pandaabear · Post by **gunnell&pandaabear** » 14 July 04 11:30 pm

Where is Hell? I cant find it on any of my maps????? Should I be looking at a topographical or astrological????

dcr · Post by **dcr** » 15 July 04 12:13 am

Someone wrote:Hell is other people.

Perhaps a phone directory?

Rabbitto · Post by **Rabbitto** » 15 July 04 1:46 pm

gunnell&pandaabear wrote:Where is Hell? I cant find it on any of my maps????? Should I be looking at a topographical or astrological????

<p>

For the record - Hell is here -<p>

<a href="http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?co ... ress">Hell, Michigan USA</a><p>

You may need to zoom in.

Team Stargazer · Post by **Team Stargazer** » 20 July 04 7:44 pm

... it's over there ---------------->