Running Since 1927, the World's Longest Lab Experiment Has Dropped Only 9 Drops of Solid-Looking Pitch

Pitch shatters like glass under a hammer, yet it is a fluid 230 billion times more viscous than water—dripping only 9 times inside its University of Queensland funnel.

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Why / How?

Professor Thomas Parnell poured heated pitch into a sealed funnel in 1927 and cut the stem in 1930. Each droplet forms over roughly a decade; remarkably, no person has ever witnessed a drop actually falling live.

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Questions & Answers (Quick Guess & Key Takeaway)

Quick Guess: How many drops of pitch do you think have fallen since the experiment began in 1927?

Verified Answer: 9 drops

Quiz Question: How many drops have fallen so far in the famous University of Queensland Pitch Drop Experiment started in 1927?

Correct Answer: 9 drops

Because pitch has ultra-high viscosity, only 9 drops have dripped since 1930 (the 9th fell in 2014).

Test This Fact (Quick Quiz)

How many drops have fallen so far in the famous University of Queensland Pitch Drop Experiment started in 1927?

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