Proper science takes times. Sometimes years or even decades... And sometimes it outlasts entire generations of the scientists involved!
Today's story is about the Pitch Drop Experiment, aka the longest-running laboratory experiment.
The experiment began in 1927 at the University of Queensland, Australia, by Professor Thomas Parnell with the purpose to demonstrate students the extreme viscosity of pitch, a substance that may appear solid but is actually a very slow-flowing liquid, with each drop taking years and years to.. drop 💧
The experiment involves a funnel filled with pitch, which slowly drips over time. Extremely slowly that is.
Due to the extremely slow rate of flow, it can take years for a single drop to fall. As of 2023, only nine drops have fallen since the experiment began, making it a truly patient endeavor.
The first drop fell in December 1938 and the ninth and last drop fell sometime in April 2014 and the next one is expected to fall sometime in this decade!
There's even a Livestream of the experiment, who knows, maybe you get lucky enough to witness the fall of the 10th drop if you tune in
Be warned though, the show is quite boring 😂
The University of Queensland pitch drop experiment, featuring its custodian, Professor John Mainstone, source
And this is a quick sum up of the world's longest experiment. Here's a link to Wikipedia and a link to Queensland university if you'd like to read more on it!
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