# A question of physics **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 10, 2001, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-of-physics/49367 "2001-01-10T18:01:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vestal\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5e9695/32.png) [@Vestal\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vestal_Blue)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-of-physics/49367/1 "2001-01-10T18:01:22Z")
An oldy but a goody. It’s great to see that some Physics students haven’t lost their humor !! The Physics of Hell The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington engineering 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 over 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 Láw 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 Miss 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. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-of-physics/49367/2 "2001-01-10T21:55:20Z")
So this is still circulating at least . . . three years after it surfaced? I first saw it my junior year of high school. That was 1997. ---
**Author:** ![purrplebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/90ced4/32.png) [@purrplebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purrplebear)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-of-physics/49367/3 "2001-01-10T22:45:59Z")
Funny, in an interesting, twisted way. Food for thought. 😃 Thanks for sharing, VB. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-of-physics/49367/4 "2001-01-10T23:19:19Z")
Saw it back in 1997, still love it. Thanks for posting it, I lost my copy. Anyone who hasn’t seen this before is in for a roar. The best part is how logical the guy is. ---
**Author:** ![KJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@KJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KJ)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2001, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-of-physics/49367/5 "2001-01-11T00:31:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > \*\*The best part is how logical the guy is. \*\* Really? This doesn’t sound too logical to me; > [@](#): > > If we accept the postulate given to me by Miss 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." That is actually very illogical - saying “It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you” translates to “If I sleep with you, then it has been a cold day in Hell” NOT “If it is a cold day in hell, then I will instantly sleep with you.” Even I know that, from my 10th-grade Geometry class! Also, allow me to be the first person to mention [snopes](http://www.snopes.com/college/exam/hell.htm). Kind of takes the fun out of it, but fighting ignorance is what this is all about.