The Story of a Scientific Experiment Lasting Nearly a Century
January 22, 2026516 ViewsRead Time: 1 minutes
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In an era where the world races towards quick results, a unique experiment stands out as one of the longest in the history of science, relying on patience and the observation of an event that may take many years to occur.
This experiment, known as the "Pitch Drop Experiment," began in 1927 at the University of Queensland in Australia, led by physicist Thomas Parnell.
Parnell's goal was simple yet profound: to prove that some materials that appear completely solid can behave like extremely viscous liquids.
To demonstrate this, he placed pitch inside a glass funnel and left it to flow very slowly, with the fall of each drop potentially taking many years.
Over the decades, the experiment has become a symbol of scientific patience, as the drops continue to fall at an incredibly slow rate, reminding the world that some phenomena can only be understood through long waiting and careful observation.
