>> > 
>> > > > Actual question on a University of Washington chemistry
midterm:
>> > > >
>> > > > "Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs
heat)?
>> > > > Support your answer with a proof."
>> > > >
>> > > > Most of the students' proofs involved Boyle's Law (gas cools
when it
>> > > > expands and heats up when 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 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, let's 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 people and 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 of 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.
>> Therese
>> > > > Banyan during my Freshman year, that "it will be a cold night
in
>> Hell
>> > > > before I sleep with you," and taking into account the fact
that I
>> > still
>> > > > have not  succeeded in that area, then 2) cannot be true, and
so
>> Hell
>> > > is
>> > > > exothermic.
>> > > >
>> > > > The student got the only A.