Is hell exothermic or endothermic interesting find

AI Thread Summary
Students were tasked with determining whether hell is exothermic or endothermic, leading to a notable response that explores the implications of souls having mass. The argument posits that if souls exist, they must have mass, and thus the number of souls entering hell will increase exponentially, as many religions claim non-adherents will go to hell. Since no souls leave hell, the volume of hell must change in relation to the mass of souls. According to Boyle's Law, if hell expands slower than the influx of souls, temperature and pressure will rise, while a faster expansion would lead to a decrease. The conclusion drawn humorously suggests that hell is exothermic, based on the premise that it cannot be "a cold night in hell." This response was well-received, earning the student an A in the course. The discussion also touches on the joke's history and mentions similar humor circulating in emails and online forums.
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Apparently students were given an assignment to prove whether hell obeyed the laws of thermodynamics and if it was endothermic or exothermic. The most interesting response is given below.

The Thermodynamics of Hell said:
First, we postulate that if souls exist, then they must have some mass. If they do, then a mole of souls can also have a mass.

So, at what rate are souls moving into hell and at what rate are souls 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 souls 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 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 in the volume of hell. Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in hell to stay the same, the ratio of the mass of souls and volume needs to stay constant.

So, 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.

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.

http://wfhummel.cnchost.com/hell.html

author unkown.
 
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This assumes hell is within the bounds of physics as we know it.
 
This is OLD. I posted it in Science jokes 4 years ago and I had gotten it from a friend 4-5 years before that. My version is from about 9 years ago. This, I believe, is the original, and IMO, best version.

Subject: The Nature of Hell

Thermodynamic Question: Is Hell Exothermic or Endothermic?

If you don't know the answer, then please read the following response. Dr.Schambaugh, of the Oklahoma School of Chemical Engineering, is known for asking questions such as "why do airplanes fly?" on his final exams. His one and only final exam question in May 1997 for his Momentum, Heat and Mass Transfer II course was "Is Hell exothermic or endothermic? Support your answer with proof."

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we postulate that if souls exist, then they must have some mass. If they do, then a mole of souls can also have a mass. So, at what rate are souls moving into Hell and at what rate are souls leaving? I think we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for souls 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, then you will go to Hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and people do not belong to more
than one religion, we can project that all people and 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 in volume in Hell. Boyle's Law states that in order for the
temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the ratio of the mass of souls and volume needs to remain constant.

Two options exist:

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.

or,

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until all Hell freezes over.

So which is it? If we accept the quote given to me by Theresa Manyan during Freshman year, "that it will be a cold night in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account that I have still not succeeded in having sexual relations with Theresa, then Option 2 cannot be true.

Thus, hell is exothermic.

The student got the only A in the course.

I wish had had the guts and wherewithal to write exam essays like that student in Oklahoma.

Whew, that was a lot of work for a laugh...you guys did laugh, didn't you?

Schouweiler
 
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First, we postulate that if souls exist, then they must have some mass. If they do, then a mole of souls can also have a mass. So, at what rate are souls moving into Hell and at what rate are souls leaving? I think we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for souls 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, then you will go to Hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and people do not belong to more

Have you not heard of hellkings radiation?
 
ahah well most jokes are rehashed versions of older ones - it was funny nontheless
 
wolram said:
Have you not heard of hellkings radiation?

no what is it? I looked on wiki but can't find it do go on...

It is v.strange; when i search for hellkings radiation in google all I get is this topic.

Mental?!
 
Yeah...this is a really old joke. I remember my dad telling me about getting this in an email. And that was WAY back in the day when the concept of email was just catching on.
 
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