The Interface between Physics and Religion

This is an actual question given in a recent University of Washington chemistry midterm exam:

"Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Support your answer with proof."

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law, discussing how gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed, or some variant of this line of argument.

However, one student 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 at which 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, 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. With birth and death rates increasing as they are, larger and larger numbers are being born and dying in the wrong religion, and so we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.

Now, we must look at the rate of change of the volume of Hell, because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and the 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) 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. Theresa Banyan during my Freshman year, that "it will be a cold night in Hell before I sleep with you", and take into account the fact that this event has still not taken place, then (2) cannot be true.

And so, Hell is exothermic.

The student was awarded the only A grade in the exam.