The University of Queensland pitch drop experiment, demonstrating the viscosity of bitumen.

The pitch drop experiment is a long-term experiment which measures the flow of a piece of pitch over many years. Pitch is the name for any of a number of highly viscous liquids which appear solid, most commonly bitumen. Tar pitch flows at room temperature, albeit very very slowly, eventually forming a drop. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixels Full resolution (1012 × 1524 pixel, file size: 133 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bitumen Pitch drop experiment ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixels Full resolution (1012 × 1524 pixel, file size: 133 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bitumen Pitch drop experiment ... The University of Queensland (UQ) is the longest-established university in the state of Queensland, Australia, a member of Australias Group of Eight, and the Sandstone Universities. ... For other uses, see Viscosity (disambiguation). ... In the scientific method, an experiment (Latin: ex- periri, of (or from) trying) is a set of observations performed in the context of solving a particular problem or question, to support or falsify a hypothesis or research concerning phenomena. ... The pitch drop experiment. ... For other uses, see Viscosity (disambiguation). ... Ewer from Iran, dated 1180-1210CE. Composed of brass worked in repoussé and inlaid with silver and bitumen. ...

The pitch drop experiment at the University Of Queensland

The most famous version of the experiment was started in 1927 by Professor Thomas Parnell of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, to demonstrate to students that some substances that appear to be solid are in fact very-high-viscosity fluids. Parnell poured a sample of pitch into a sealed funnel and allowed it to settle for three years. In 1930, the seal at the neck of the funnel was broken, allowing the pitch to start flowing. Large droplets form and fall over the period of about a decade. The eighth drop fell on 08 November 2000, allowing experimenters to calculate that the pitch has a viscosity approximately 100 billion times that of water. In the scientific method, an experiment (Latin: ex- periri, of (or from) trying) is a set of observations performed in the context of solving a particular problem or question, to support or falsify a hypothesis or research concerning phenomena. ... The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ... Thomas Parnell started the famous pitch drop experiment at the University of Queensland. ... The University of Queensland (UQ) is the longest-established university in the state of Queensland, Australia, a member of Australias Group of Eight, and the Sandstone Universities. ... For other uses, see Brisbane (disambiguation). ... A typical kitchen funnel. ... A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... A decade is a set or a group of ten, commonly a period of 10 years in contemporary English, or a period of 10 days in the French revolutionary calendar. ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Viscosity (disambiguation). ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ...

This is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest continuously running laboratory experiment, and it is expected that there is enough pitch in the funnel to allow it to continue for at least another hundred years. This experiment is pre-dated by two other still-active scientific devices, the Beverly Clock and the Oxford Electric Bell. Suresh Joachim, minutes away from breaking the ironing world record at 55 hours and 5 minutes, at Shoppers World, Brampton. ... The Beverly Clock is a clock situated in the foyer of the Department of Physics at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. ... The Oxford Electric Bell or Clarendon Dry Pile is located in the foyer of the Clarendon Laboratory at the University of Oxford. ...

The experiment is not carried out under any special controlled atmospheric conditions, meaning that the viscosity can vary throughout the year with fluctuations in temperature. For other uses, see Temperature (disambiguation). ...

The University of Queensland pitch drop experiment, featuring its current custodian, Professor John Mainstone (taken in 1990, two years into the eighth drop).

In October 2005, John Mainstone and the late Thomas Parnell were awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in Physics, a parody of the Nobel Prize, for the pitch drop experiment.^[1] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 588 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2379 × 2427 pixel, file size: 484 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 588 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2379 × 2427 pixel, file size: 484 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The University of Queensland (UQ) is the longest-established university in the state of Queensland, Australia, a member of Australias Group of Eight, and the Sandstone Universities. ... Flying frog. ... The Nobel Prizes (Swedish: ), as designated in Alfred Nobels will in 1895, are awarded for physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. ...

To date, no one has ever actually witnessed a drop fall. The experiment is in the view of a webcam although technical problems prevented the most recent drop from being recorded.^[2] A typical webcam A web camera (or webcam) is a real-time camera (usually, though not always, a video camera) whose images can be accessed using the World Wide Web, instant messaging, or a PC video calling application. ...

Timeline

Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

References

1. ^ John Mainstone's article on the eighth drop
2. ^ University of Queensland page on the Pitch Drop experiment (links to webcam)

External links

• The sixth drop shortly after falling
• Viscosity calculations from the experiment.
• Webcam of the actual experiment. Link is near bottom of text (view it live)