Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Only nine drops of tar have fallen through its funnel in nearly a century. The figure is taken from University of Queensland, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a records & extremes fact?

Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

The pitch drop experiment has run since 1927

Only nine drops of tar have fallen through its funnel in nearly a century Thomas Parnell set up the experiment at the University of Queensland to show students that pitch, which shatters like glass, is actually a very viscous liquid. The first drop fell in 1938, and eight more have followed, most recently in 2014. Nobody has ever seen a drop fall, because the events are sudden and no camera was watching at the right moment. It sits in Mondo's records & extremes collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

University of Queensland

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: experiments, viscosity, australia

The pitch drop experiment has run since 1927: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Only nine drops of tar have fallen through its funnel in nearly a century. The figure is taken from University of Queensland, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a records & extremes fact?: Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.