CIVL 215 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Pitch Drop Experiment, Ig Nobel Prize, Oxford Electric Bell
Document Summary
The pitch drop experiment is a long-term experiment that measures the ow of a piece of pitch over many years. Pitch is the name for any of a number of highly viscous liquids that appear solid, most commonly bitumen. At room temperature, tar pitch ows at a very slow rate, taking several years to form a single drop. Queensland pitch drop experiment, demonstrating the viscosity of bitumen. The best known version[1] 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 uids. Parnell poured a heated 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 cut, allowing the pitch to start owing. A glass dome covers the funnel and it is placed on display outside a lecture theatre.
