The viscosity of asphalt is very large, but it has the fluidity. In April 2014, the world continued to experiment the longest finally results, but look forward to witness the experiment for more than 50 years of Australian physicist Mestone at this time has already died 8 months the, eventually the life, the professor also missed the witness waiting decades of experimental results.
In the world in the 1920s, in order to show solid to students also can flow like a liquid, Australia Queensland University professor of the Department of physics, Parnell were a bitumen dripping experiment. Asphalt in different conditions, there are two kinds of solid and liquid form, is a commonly used in waterproof adhesive material, viscosity is 230 billion times the water, solid can fight against the hammer and not deformation. But a funnel can make a solid asphalt flow.
In the experiment, the researchers put the asphalt into the glass funnel, through the extrusion effect, the asphalt has been cured will flow down like a liquid, but the process is very slow. How slow is the flow of asphalt? Australia, due to the plate drift effects, each year will move north about 6 cm, and bituminisation flow velocity than the motion of the earth plate 10 times slower.
Physicist Mestone took custody of the work in Parnell died, had already dropped 5 drops of asphalt. Metz the witness to three times the world continued the longest experiment, but Providence lane, Mestone accidentally missed the three flash dropping moment passed until death had not been able to see waiting decades of experimental results.
It is reported that in 1977 Mestone asphalt is dripping whole waiting for it for a weekend, and unluckily pitch but in exhausted him back home when falling down. In 1988 when a drop of asphalt to drop, and Mestone left the room only 5 minutes to drink a cup of coffee again miss this rare moment. In 2000, to the moment of complete record of the pitch drop, Mestone installed a webcam, so even if his was far in the United Kingdom, also can see and record the moment of asphalt under drip. However, tropical storms caused the blackout at the time of 20 minutes, when the power is restored, Mestone waited for more than 10 years of asphalt has slipped. In 2014, Ninth drops of asphalt again finally drops, but Professor Mestone could no longer see it fall to the moment. In August 2013, Professor Mestone died of a stroke because, at the age of 78.
Professor Mestone died, the experimental device is White of the University of Queensland custody. White said that the experiment could also be at least for 80 years. According to the 2014 rate, a drop of asphalt in 2027 will drop. It is reported that the experiment was Guinness Book of world records as the world's oldest continuous experiments. It also in 2005 "Ig (Ig Nobel Prize Nobel Prize --" study is to let the people laugh and think ".