K_Kinnison Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington Chemistry mid term. 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 Heck 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). One student wrote the following answer: First, we need to know how the mass of Heck is changing in time. So we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Heck and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Heck, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Heck, 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 Heck. 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 Heck. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Heck to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Heck because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Heck to stay the same, the volume of Heck has to expand proportionately as souls are added. This gives two possibilities: 1. If Heck is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Heck, then the temperature and pressure in Heck will increase until all Heck breaks loose. 2. If Heck is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Heck, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Heck freezes over. So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that: "it will be a cold day in Heck 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 Heck is exothermic and will not freeze. The student received the only "A" given. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tierce Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 That has to be the most interesting thing i have ever read...seriously:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyan Farlander Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Fake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jem Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Fake it is. What do you have to say for yourself K_K ?? But it's an interesting fake-story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba The Hunt Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 it loses all its effect when its a fake story... therefore I will just assume it really happened and it was just a fluke that someone had previously made up exactly the same story as a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold leader Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Fake or not, this story poses an interesting question: do souls contain mass or, according to Einstein it's equivalent, energy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylilin Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 I think I'll file this one in the "who cares" draw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 It took me a long time to figure what this was even about because someone substituted "Heck" for the perfectly acceptable (in this instance anyway) "Hell." In this case, it is a proper place name, and not used as an explitive. Other sutable options may have included "Hades", "Gehenna", or "Sheol." A few more poetic options include "The Abyss" and "The Inferno." I had to read it twice to figure out what it was talking about, the whole time thinking to myself, "What the hell?..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nute Gunray Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Gehenna is my favorite name for it. It just sounds like trouble. Golgotha is another place name in the Bible that sounds like trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K_Kinnison Posted February 13, 2003 Author Share Posted February 13, 2003 well folks, It may be false, but most fiction is based on a shread of truth. Who cares, it is kinda funny. I didn't know if the censors took out Hell or not, I didn't feel like having to edit the whole thing. Some people take offense at others metioning Hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba The Hunt Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 I think when talking about souls you are talking about a different universe, with different physical laws, I dont think energy and matter will apply in heaven or hell. I could go into the details of how heaven and hell can actually be reasoned (although you cant prove the positive) but that would just bore you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Beastie Posted February 15, 2003 Share Posted February 15, 2003 Originally posted by Nute Gunray Golgotha is another place name in the Bible that sounds like trouble. You've gotta love anything that translates to "Place of Skulls." Paradise Lost gives me my favourite place name; the Palace Pandemonium (second only to Bedlam, the [now-defunct] asylum in London). Personally though I've adopted "Quor'Toth," from Angel, just as an in-joke to my Buffy-watching friends. *slouches toward Bethlehem* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nute Gunray Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 When the Passion is read at Easter, I always envision Jesus being cruified atop a giant mountain of human skulls. Silly Romans/Jews/Hebrews/whatevers naming a place like that to create disturbing mental imagery 2000 years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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