"In twenty-five words or less, state the Nernst Law of thermodynamics."
This was clearly a trick question, designed to trap a human mind in its own verbiage.
Cyber IX won, in eighteen seconds. But in just two-fifths of a second more; Professor Neustadt came through with a brilliant twenty-four word condensation:
"The entropy of a substance becomes zero at the absolute zero of temperature, provided it is brought to this temperature by a reversible process."
A tabulation of total elapsed time revealed that Professor Neustadt was leading by nine and three-tenths seconds.
A wild excitement blended with the Judge's incredulity. The D.A. seemed to have developed a tic in his right check.
On the fourth question, dealing with the structural formula similarities of dimenhydrinate and diphenhydramine hydrochloride, Professor Neustadt lost three seconds.
On the fifth question, concerning the theoretical effects of humidity inversion on microwave transmission, the Professor gained back a full second.
The courtroom was bedlam, and Walhfred Anderson was too excited to pound his gavel. In the glass-walled, soundproofed television booths, announcers grew apoplectic as they tried to relay the fever-pitch excitement of the courtroom to the outside world.
Professor Neustadt held up his bone-thin hand for silence.