Something funny worked its way into my inbox.
THERMODYNAMICS OF HELL
The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington
Chemistry midterm. The answer by one student was
so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the
Internet, which is, of course, 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, some 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 proportionately 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. 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 Teresa Mangimelli
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 done so, # 2 cannot be true, and thus I am sure that
Hell is exothermic and will not freeze.
The student received the only "A" given.
The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington
Chemistry midterm. The answer by one student was
so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the
Internet, which is, of course, 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, some 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 proportionately 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. 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 Teresa Mangimelli
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 done so, # 2 cannot be true, and thus I am sure that
Hell is exothermic and will not freeze.
The student received the only "A" given.
Comments
great!
no sweet booty for the science nerd.
LMFAO
Funny as hell!
Since the question is testing Boyle's Law, failure to explicitly mention souls have a volume is a critical flaw. I would give this answer a D at best.
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 proportionately as souls are added.
Since the answer does not state that souls have a volume, this restatement of Boyle's Law is incorrect.
Yeah, I know it's just a joke.
Originally posted by Existence
The answer is flawed. It does not state that souls have a volume. For all I know, souls could be bosonic leptons.
Since the question is testing Boyle's Law, failure to explicitly mention souls have a volume is a critical flaw. I would give this answer a D at best.
Since the answer does not state that souls have a volume, this restatement of Boyle's Law is incorrect.
I hate people that ruin jokes like this. Uptight snobby no fun pricks the lot of them.
Originally posted by stupider...likeafox
And since someone has already pissed on the main premise, I'll point out that claiming that Hell will never freeze simply because it hasn't frozen *yet* doesn't stand up to logic either.
Yeah, I know it's just a joke.
What about the existance of hell its self? It may be little more than an anciant ploy to scare people streight...
Originally posted by stupider...likeafox
And since someone has already pissed on the main premise, I'll point out that claiming that Hell will never freeze simply because it hasn't frozen *yet* doesn't stand up to logic either.
What's worse, Boyle's law is formulated for ideal gases. No where in Boyle's law are phase transitions relevant. This is another failure of understanding on the student's part.
I think the test question is flawed and the instructor should me reprimanded for cultural insensitivity. Not all religions have Hell and the notion of Hell as changed greatly with time. In Dante's Inferno, at the center of the Earth where Satan resides, Hell is a cold tundra where tears cannot come because of the frigitity. Thus in this case, Hell is endothermic.
I bet you're a real hit at parties.
Originally posted by murbot
Someone needs to get up off their chair-mounted butttplug and go outside.
I bet you're a real hit at parties.
You're more insensitive than the instructor who put that filth on the test. What if I am wheelchair bound? If I were disabled, by your sarcastic implication, people like me who are disabled aren't hits at parties. Thanks for being a jerk.
Uh. Jesus. I just tried again. No luck.
I have no idea what you are fucking saying. How you can get THAT from my post is pretty funny.
Originally posted by a_greer
What about the existance of hell its self? It may be little more than an anciant ploy to scare people streight...
If only bad spelling were considered a mortal sin. Perhaps we should take it up in "committy".
I am so impressed with your knowledge I will now have sex with you.
Question:
What is something nerdy thread-shitters will never hear?
Originally posted by groverat
Answer:
I am so impressed with your knowledge I will now have sex with you.
Question:
What is something nerdy thread-shitters will never hear?
What? I hear that all the time...