What is the temperature when an elephant passes through the eye of a needle?

 So, if, as Christ said, it's harder for a rich person to enter heaven than for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle, then who will enter heaven: a rich Christian or a modestly content Buddhist? I thought about this and came up with the answer:

"Both can enter heaven."

God is merciful, after all. Buddha is, of course, merciful, too. So what about Christ's words? They are simply true.

Isn't that a contradiction?

No, it's not. The key is, all you need to do is get an elephant through the eye of a needle. Surely God could do it. According to those physicists who keep confusing us with complicated ideas, the universe began as a speck smaller than an atom. Who would have thought that this incredibly vast universe was just a speck smaller than an atom? When I read the book, I thought, "Hmm, I see," conceptually, but the other day, while walking along the Tama River and looking out over the Kanto Plain in the distance, I imagined this landscape condensing into a single point smaller than an atom.

"Are you trying to make a fool of me?"

I felt a surge of anger well up inside me. How dare you, scholars, say such foolish things... Well, you should just try it. First of all, don't say the universe, just the tiny moon, make it as small as a pinhole.

But those physicists did it at Los Alamos, didn't they? With the atomic bomb. They demonstrated that enormous energy is contained within tiny atoms. And if they insist that the universe can be reduced to a single point smaller than an atom, is that really true? I reluctantly admit it.

So, for an elephant to fit through the eye of a needle is a piece of cake, right? It's a piece of cake, I'm sure.

But if an elephant were to shrink to the size of a pinhole, the density of the material would increase significantly. This would reduce the distance between molecules, resulting in a much higher temperature. That's right, let's ask our trusty assistant, ChatGTP, to do the math. Here's the answer:

That's an interesting question! Simply put, it would be extremely hot—on the order of 10⁹ K (billion Kelvin). However, this is a simplified estimate. In reality, the properties of matter would fundamentally change before this happens (gas → fully ionized plasma, nuclear reactions, and in some cases, a state similar to a black hole), making the concept of "temperature" no longer applicable. Below are the calculations and assumptions:

Assumptions

Let's assume the elephant's mass is m = 5000 kg (about the size of an adult African elephant).

Let's assume the average density of an elephant is the same as that of water, ρ = 1000 kg/m³ (volume: (V_0=m/ρ=5\ \mathrm{m^3})).

"About the size of a pinhole" is interpreted as a diameter of approximately 1 mm, and is approximated as a sphere with a radius of (r=0.5\ \mathrm{mm}=5\times10^{-4}\ \mathrm{m}) (volume (V_f=\tfrac{4}{3}\pi r^3)).

Compression is adiabatic, and the substance is treated as a monatomic gas, using a specific heat ratio (\gamma=5/3) (a rough physical model).

The initial temperature is assumed to be body temperature, T₀ ≈ 310 K (approximately 37°C).

Calculation (approximate):

Initial volume (V_0=5.0\ \mathrm{m^3}).

Final volume (sphere with a radius of 0.5 mm) (V_f \approx 5.24\times10^{-10}\ \mathrm{m^3}).

The volume reduction ratio is (V_0/V_f \approx 9.55\times10^{9}).

Due to adiabatic compression, the temperature is (T_f = T_0,(V_0/V_f)^{\gamma-1}), where (\gamma-1=2/3).

The calculation yields

[

T_f \approx 310\ \mathrm{K}\times(9.55\times10^{9})^{2/3}\approx 1.4\times10^{9}\ \mathrm{K}.

]

Interpretation and Notes

Approximately (1\times10^9) K (billion kelvin). This is much higher than the temperature at the center of the Sun (approximately (1.5\times10^7) K).

However, this result is a "prediction from a simple model." In reality, the following occurs first:

Atoms are completely ionized and become plasma. We enter a region where electron degeneracy and quantum mechanical effects become dominant.

Radiation (photon) pressure becomes important, and heat transport is dominated by radiative transport.

At sufficiently high densities, nuclear reactions (melting and burning) and chain reactions may occur.

At even more extreme compression, general relativistic effects (black hole creation) may have to be taken into account.

In other words, the value "temperature = 1.4×10⁹ K" is only a rough estimate; actually applying such compression to a substance would fundamentally change the macroscopic and microscopic state of the substance, making "temperature in the ordinary sense" no longer applicable.

If you want an estimate based on different assumptions (such as the mass of an elephant, the size of a pinhole, the initial temperature, or heat escape rather than insulation), I can recalculate using those assumptions and come up with a rough estimate. What do you want to do?

No, no, that's fine. I got a compliment, "That's an interesting question!" It seems a little hotter than the sun. That means you'd be burned in hellfire. But whatever. If you can just get through this, you can get into heaven. But first, you'll just get a little hot. It's like a rite of passage to heaven.

So, we know that rich Christians can happily enter heaven, but what about Buddhists who are content with moderation? They'll be fine, too. If God can't take them, Buddha can take them to the Pure Land. However, I believe that God and Buddha refer to the same light source, so those who go to heaven and those who go to paradise(Buddhism heaven) will likely feel something like this:

"Hey, we meet again! What a coincidence! How were you?"

"Hmm, it was a little hot in the middle, though."

They're in the same place, after all. But, if possible, you'd want to enter heaven with a cool head. So, I think it's safer not to become "rich" after all...

Follow the guidance of love and mercy.

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