A Once-in-a-decade drop - World's Oldest Experiment

The Pitch Drop Experiment

They say Grass grows quicker. Paint dries faster. Yet there’s something irresistible about watching the glacial flow of pitch.

Yes, You heard it right this is the World's Oldest known Experiment that set a Guinness World Record as the longest continually running laboratory experiment.

This is a long-term experiment that measures the flow of a piece of pitch over many years at room temperature, tar pitch flows at a very slow rate, taking several years to form a single drop.

The "pitch drop" at the University of Queensland in Australia began in 1927 and is designed to show that the brittle pitch -- which was once used to waterproof boats and can be shattered by a hammer -- is in fact, a liquid.

No-one has witnessed the once-in-a-decade drop, including Professor John Mainstone, the scientist in charge of the study since 1961.

In 1979, Mainstone missed the key moment after skipping his usual Sunday campus visit and, in 1988 he missed it by just five minutes as he stepped out "to get a refreshment."

The last drop - in 2000 - he thought was captured on camera only to find a glitch and nothing on film.

"We were defeated again."

With three web cams trained at the bell jar, kept inside a glass cabinet at the entrance to two lecture theaters, Mainstone is confident this time the flash of action will be captured electronically if not by eye.

Now the next Question is "When do you think it's going to go?"

The 9th drop is set to go and It looks like things will happen in a matter of days but for all we know it might be a matter of hours.

Watch it drop and be part of this Historical Event.

http://www.theninthwatch.com/

Photo Source: here

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