No longer smirking, the D.A. handed the Judge a second envelope.
"What is the percentage compressibility of caesium under 45,000 atmospheres of pressure, and how do you account for it?"
Once again Cyber IX hummed and flickered into action.
And once again Professor Neustadt sat utterly still, head tilted back like an inquisitive parakeet. Then he wrote swiftly. A stopwatch clicked.
Walhfred Anderson took the answer with trembling fingers. He saw the D.A. rub dry lips together, try to moisten them with a dry tongue. A second stopwatch clicked.
The Judge compared the correct answer with the Professor's answer and the answer on the screen. All were worded differently, but in essence were the same. Hiding his emotion in a tone gruffer than usual, Judge Anderson read the Professor's answer:
"The change in volume is 17 percent. It is due to an electronic transition for a 6s zone to a 5d zone."
The Professor's elapsed time was 22 seconds. Cyber IX had taken 31 seconds to answer the compound question.
Professor Neustadt pursued his lips; he seemed displeased with his tremendous performance.
Moving with the agility of a pallbearer, the D.A. gave Judge Anderson the third question: