6/4/2002: The pitch-drop experiment - Page 2

Nothing But Net · 06-04-2002, 07:09 PM

There are very old windows in Europe where there is a visible 'thickening' at the bottom. A liquid indeed, but flowing ever so slowly!

jeni · 06-04-2002, 09:33 PM

so he lived for two of them. thanks for the info

i'm what you might call "too lazy to look that shit up"

CharlieG · 06-05-2002, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore
I wonder why it took 14 years for that 8th drop to fall, given that the other drops happened about 7-9 years apart.

Airconditioning!

I read an article somewhere on this - the pitch USED to flow faster during the summer, now it flows faster during the winter. The rate changed when the put in AC

Nic Name · 06-05-2002, 08:40 AM

and there's a link to that article posted (fourth preceding) by snubber

xant · 06-05-2002, 09:59 AM

Those who started this year will see only one drop as an undergraduate.

At least, most of them will . . .

Slight · 06-05-2002, 04:02 PM

I have an experiment like this, although it is not nearly as interesting. My earth sciences teacher in eight grade said that given infinite time, water could disolve anything. Now I doubt the authenticity of this statement since pure gold would never rust/deteriorate/dissolve. Anyway I never liked the fact that US Currency makes it through the wash. Seems like if paper disolves in water, dollar bills, which are paper money, should come apart in water. So I took a martenelli's bottle and filled it with water. I let is sit a couple days to degass. Then I put a $1 bill in and corked it. The water is now quite dirty but the bill is still intact. I know this is a crime but it is my money.

Nic Name · 06-05-2002, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NBN

Glass is also a 'liquid' with an even higher viscosity

There are very old windows in Europe where there is a visible 'thickening' at the bottom. A liquid indeed, but flowing ever so slowly!

debunked

Angelus · 06-05-2002, 07:19 PM

Quote:

debunked

Short version: If you look at the panes of glass in really old windows, you'll find that there are ones that are thicker at the top, thicker at the side, thicker at the bottom, etc. The variation in width comes from the imperfect manufacturing process, not from the supposed "fluid" properties of glass.

juju · 06-06-2002, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Angelus
Short version: If you look at the panes of glass in really old windows, you'll find that there are ones that are thicker at the top, thicker at the side, thicker at the bottom, etc. The variation in width comes from the imperfect manufacturing process, not from the supposed "fluid" properties of glass.

You are now my personal hero. Can we hire you part time to do this?

Angelus · 06-06-2002, 06:57 PM

Quote:

You are now my personal hero. Can we hire you part time to do this?

Well, I obviously didn't mean this post for you!

I meant it for lazy people like me who didn't want to wade through the other stuff on that page. You're clearly the exception to that.

classicman · 01-06-2008, 12:45 AM

So is it gonna drip anytime soon? Did we miss the last one?

Aliantha · 01-06-2008, 09:23 AM

you'd have at least another year or so to wait, but probably more since they put in aircon.

That uni happens to be the one my husband lectures at. I'll ask him tomorrow if he knows about it.

classicman · 01-06-2008, 11:01 AM

that'd be great, thanks. I was trying to see of there was a projected "drip date" but came up empty.

WyrdNyrd · 01-07-2008, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slight

I have an experiment like this, although it is not nearly as interesting. My earth sciences teacher in eight grade said that given infinite time, water could disolve anything. Now I doubt the authenticity of this statement since pure gold would never rust/deteriorate/dissolve. Anyway I never liked the fact that US Currency makes it through the wash. Seems like if paper disolves in water, dollar bills, which are paper money, should come apart in water. So I took a martenelli's bottle and filled it with water. I let is sit a couple days to degass. Then I put a $1 bill in and corked it. The water is now quite dirty but the bill is still intact. I know this is a crime but it is my money.

Given enough time the experiment will work, but one problem exists. US currency, dollar bills, is not made from paper. They are made from cotton.

Aliantha · 01-07-2008, 05:37 PM

I asked Dazza if he's ever seen this experiment and he said he had, but that it was about the most boring one he'd ever seen. He doesn't know when the next drop is going to be. Apparently they have stopped working on trying to predict that sort of thing. He said that maybe some undergrad might take on he experiment down the track and try to work it out. He then went on to say that it might take a while for the student to get a mark for the paper though.

06-05-2002, 09:59 AM	#20
xant Belt Conveyor Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 65	Undergraduates Those who started this year will see only one drop as an undergraduate. At least, most of them will . . .

01-06-2008, 12:45 AM	#26
classicman barely disguised asshole, keeper of all that is holy. Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 23,401	So is it gonna drip anytime soon? Did we miss the last one? __________________ "like strapping a pillow on a bull in a china shop" Bullitt

01-06-2008, 09:23 AM	#27
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	you'd have at least another year or so to wait, but probably more since they put in aircon. That uni happens to be the one my husband lectures at. I'll ask him tomorrow if he knows about it. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

01-06-2008, 11:01 AM	#28
classicman barely disguised asshole, keeper of all that is holy. Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 23,401	that'd be great, thanks. I was trying to see of there was a projected "drip date" but came up empty. __________________ "like strapping a pillow on a bull in a china shop" Bullitt

01-07-2008, 05:37 PM	#30
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	I asked Dazza if he's ever seen this experiment and he said he had, but that it was about the most boring one he'd ever seen. He doesn't know when the next drop is going to be. Apparently they have stopped working on trying to predict that sort of thing. He said that maybe some undergrad might take on he experiment down the track and try to work it out. He then went on to say that it might take a while for the student to get a mark for the paper though. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

06-04-2002, 07:09 PM	#16
Nothing But Net Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Spring, Texas Posts: 1,481	Glass is also a 'liquid' with an even higher viscosity There are very old windows in Europe where there is a visible 'thickening' at the bottom. A liquid indeed, but flowing ever so slowly!

06-04-2002, 09:33 PM	#17
jeni is stuck on altair-4 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: santa cruz, california Posts: 514	so he lived for two of them. thanks for the info i'm what you might call "too lazy to look that shit up"

06-05-2002, 08:40 AM	#19
Nic Name retired Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,930	and there's a link to that article posted (fourth preceding) by snubber

06-05-2002, 04:02 PM	#21
Slight Semi-Evil Genius Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Boulder CO Posts: 195	I have an experiment like this, although it is not nearly as interesting. My earth sciences teacher in eight grade said that given infinite time, water could disolve anything. Now I doubt the authenticity of this statement since pure gold would never rust/deteriorate/dissolve. Anyway I never liked the fact that US Currency makes it through the wash. Seems like if paper disolves in water, dollar bills, which are paper money, should come apart in water. So I took a martenelli's bottle and filled it with water. I let is sit a couple days to degass. Then I put a $1 bill in and corked it. The water is now quite dirty but the bill is still intact. I know this is a crime but it is my money.

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