Finding the Viscosity of Pitch

ColdChrist writes "The University of Queensland has a page about a 72-year-old experiment on the fluidity of pitch. There's a webcam where you can try to become the first person ever to see a drop of the pitch fall; eight drops have fallen since 1930 and the ninth is now forming. The experiment 'demonstrates the fluidity and high viscosity of pitch, a derivative of tar once used for waterproofing boats. At room temperature pitch feels solid - even brittle - and can easily be shattered with a blow from a hammer', but it does flow, as the pictures demonstrate." I know this is going to bring up glass comparisons, so we'll head those off: glass is not a fluid.

Comments

An epiphany!

[echucker]

Ya know, ppl sitting around eating pizza waiting for this to happen is how they get too fat to work for the FBI! ;-)

Re:Keeps us from getting bored

[richie2000]

And you're telling us that not once, NOT ONCE, in 72 years sitting in plain view in a University milling with students of all sizes, shapes, colours and states of mental health, not once, did first-year students open the glass cabinet and replace the pitch with feces? Not ONCE? Not even a little bit? Pull the other one, mate.

Oh wait, this isn't in the US, is it? Nevermind...

Couldn't resist...

[Anonymous Coward]

It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.

Re:The Fluidity of Glass

[flamingmoose]

Q: Is glass solid or liquid?
A: Yes.

Seems like a clear answer to me.

Couldn't resist

[jonman_d]

Sorry, but I just couldn't resist the pun...

Must be a slow news day.

Yeah, I haven't slept in 32 hours. That's funny to me.

Re:Keeps us from getting bored

[machine of god]

I admit, I shook the case, I'm sorry...

Re:Minor nit to pick.

[BrK]

Well, then. In light of the confusion about how many drops have actually fallen, and when they fell, I propose the experiment be restarted.

Re: God's experiments

[cioxx]

I'd consider the universe to be the oldest experiment that I know of, or is it just a very elaborate joke?

In reality God is a hacker who rooted the Universe.

So yes, it's a big experiment (read: Honeypot project)

coffee

[Tharsis]

Now THAT's how I like my coffee...

Re:Keeps us from getting bored

[FuzzyDaddy]

My father just retired from the medical school faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, where they have the original experiments on spontaneous generation.

In these experiments, they sealed jars of some sort of growth medium which was sterilized. By showing that nothing grew in them, they disproved the theory that life was "spontaneously generated", and that it comes from previous life. They still have the sealed jars on display.

Dad always said he was tempted to sneak in at night and stick a mouse inside one of the jars.

Re:Far more fun

[AndroidCat]

The best demonstration of those weird properties that I've seen is to fill a small tub/wading pool with it. Then you get a vict^w subject to stand in it. Then you tell them to quickly step out of it. The gooey stuff suddenly turns to concrete around their feet.

Make sure that they've signed the personal injury waver first, of course...

Hmm pity, they don't have this demo on their web page Ontario Science Centre only a block away from me.