Comments on: The pitch just dropped

The pitch just dropped

z11s — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:20:13 -0800

The three most exciting words in science concern one of the longest running experiments of all time that finally produced a recordable result.

By: yoink

yoink — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:26:54 -0800

How on earth is "The Pitch Drop Experiment" not already the name of, like, five different bands?

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:30:00 -0800

This AskMe is about the other experiment, but is amusing as an appropriately slow sort of liveblog.

By: justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow

justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:30:11 -0800

I'm having a Watterson moment. Scientific progress goes gloop.

By: ishrinkmajeans

ishrinkmajeans — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:31:20 -0800

There's a scientist out there who just loosened his tie and lit a cigarette and gazed into the middle distance with an oddly dreamy look on his face.

By: demiurge

demiurge — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:34:14 -0800

I think the three most exciting words in science are still "We got funded".

By: seanmpuckett

seanmpuckett — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:35:27 -0800

Perfect!

By: hypersloth

hypersloth — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:35:33 -0800

Huh, the wiki page isn't updated yet?

By: aramaic

aramaic — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:37:44 -0800

Focus. Focus! FOCUS!!

By: hurdy gurdy girl

hurdy gurdy girl — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:41:15 -0800

I have post titles turned off, and even so, when I read your post I knew exactly what experiment you were referring to! (However, I didn't know it was the one at Trinity; I thought it was the original one at the University of Queensland, AU. That one still hasn't happened yet. I check in on it every so often.) That is so exciting. The episode of Radiolab referred to in the linked article is well worth a listen. From the comments to the article linked in the post: here is actual footage of the pitch drop at Trinity. Now I just want Professor Mainstone in Queensland to be able to see the pitch drop in his lab. Poor guy's earned it!

By: schmod

schmod — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:41:21 -0800

Where's Skrillex when you need him?

By: yoink

yoink — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:43:04 -0800

And human eyes, of course, are notoriously unreliable. This fantastic episode of Radiolab recounts the series of Alanis Morissette-song-worthy near-misses that prevented people from observing the Queensland pitch in the act of dropping. One time, John Mainstone -- a Queensland professor who curates the Pitch Drop experiment and has made it his mission to observe its fall -- stepped out to get tea. During the 15 minutes he was away, because of course, the pitch dropped. Another time, later on, Mainstone and his colleagues put video-monitoring technology to use to record the moment even if no humans were nearby to see it. The equipment malfunctioned. The pitch dropped, unobserved.

I guess you know you're a True Scientist when that happens and you don't just fire up a few bunsen burners to "encourage" the next drop. "Think you're so clever, don't you Mr. Pitch?"

By: invitapriore

invitapriore — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:43:55 -0800

The only thing more gratifying than to be there at the moment when the pitch dropped would be to have been there with a trombone when John Mainstone got back from his tea break.

By: Atreides

Atreides — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:53:43 -0800

I shall now add to my storehouse of phrases for times of unparalleled non-excitement, "This is as exciting as watching pitch drop." (I will also use it as a shibboleth to discern scientists hiding in my surroundings.)

By: stopgap

stopgap — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:57:19 -0800

here is actual footage of the pitch drop yt at Trinity. What, they didn't have enough time to focus the camera?

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:57:28 -0800

Huh, the wiki page isn't updated yet? "This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses."

By: endotoxin

endotoxin — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:59:53 -0800

For other examples of long-term experiments, I submit the Oxford Electric Bell (1840) and the Beverly Clock (1864).

By: Halloween Jack

Halloween Jack — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:06:20 -0800

What's the big deal? I got 99 problems but a pitch ain't one.

By: xedrik

xedrik — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:17:16 -0800

I thought the three most exciting words in science were "What is that?"

By: showbiz_liz

showbiz_liz — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:21:08 -0800

I want to watch un-speeded-up footage of the drop! Don't give me this time lapse nonsense. If you watch a time lapse it just looks like a regular, boring, fast-dripping goo.

By: Stonestock Relentless

Stonestock Relentless — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:33:21 -0800

Does this mean we have to start over at year one again? From 2013 C.E. to 1 A.P.D? What a pain.

By: invitapriore

invitapriore — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:35:48 -0800

I thought the three most exciting words were "ROBOT TYRANNOSAURUS REX," but I guess that's more Engineering's domain.

By: Gygesringtone

Gygesringtone — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:47:45 -0800

This is one of those things that everyone I see over the next few days will give me a weird look as I excitedly explain it to them.

By: TheLittlePrince

TheLittlePrince — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:53:28 -0800

This entire experiment sounds so much like an OCD experience.

By: yoink

yoink — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:57:21 -0800

I want to watch un-speeded-up footage of the drop! I suspect it would look very much like the speeded up footage. Well, assuming you showed just the last ten seconds or so of the process. Because if you showed the un-speeded-up footage of the whole several days worth of the speeded up footage it would be "c'mon, c'mon, c'mon drop already, just drop dammit, drop drop drop drop drop, oh, bugger it, I think I'll go get a cup of tea (pause) AAAAAAAAAARGH!" And then, "oh, I'll just rewind a bit."

By: Reasonably Everything Happens

Reasonably Everything Happens — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 15:48:46 -0800

I shall now add to my storehouse of phrases for times of unparalleled non-excitement, "This is as exciting as watching pitch drop." It can also be adapted to describe slowness: #38, Cecil, you're slower than shit on a cold roof #39, Cecil, you're slower than the pitch dropping ...

By: dances_with_sneetches

dances_with_sneetches — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 15:58:20 -0800

The 4 most exciting words: Send More Chuck Berry.

By: MoxieProxy

MoxieProxy — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:15:29 -0800

How on earth is "The Pitch Drop Experiment" not already the name of, like, five different bands? Drop the "The." Just "Pitch Drop Experiment." It's cleaner.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:20:06 -0800

Dammit. I had the over.

By: The otter lady

The otter lady — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:20:55 -0800

I always thought the 3 most exciting words in Science were, "Huh, that's funny... "

By: Panjandrum

Panjandrum — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 18:10:33 -0800

How on earth is "The Pitch Drop Experiment" not already the name of, like, five different bands? It is, but they're all still playing the first note of their (relatively) soon-to-be hit singles.

By: TwoWordReview

TwoWordReview — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 18:21:56 -0800

It is, but they're all still playing the first note of their (relatively) soon-to-be hit singles. Obviously they're all John Cage cover bands.

By: [insert clever name here]

[insert clever name here] — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 18:39:08 -0800

I always thought the 3 most exciting words in Science were, "Huh, that's funny... " No, those are the three scariest words.

By: Pogo_Fuzzybutt

Pogo_Fuzzybutt — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 19:32:48 -0800

No, those are the three scariest words. That's "hold my beer".

By: double block and bleed

double block and bleed — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 19:45:08 -0800

I've been waiting years for this.

By: girlgenius

girlgenius — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 21:22:25 -0800

Damn, I thought this was going to be the UQ experiment - it was located right outside the door of the lecture theatre where I had first year physics lectures, and where both my parents had first year physics lectures, and where my grandfather did night-school physics lectures.

By: distorte

distorte — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 00:57:15 -0800

Might this drip have something to do with the heatwave we've been having in Dublin for the last two weeks? We're having the warmest summer in two decades. Would that make the pitch slightly softer, more viscous? I know the drip would have happened eventually anyway. Just wondering about the coincidence.

By: Homemade Interossiter

Homemade Interossiter — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 03:56:27 -0800

I did my PhD there (6 or 7 years ago). All those years and I never knew. In fact none of the other postgrads and undergrads/postgrads seemed aware of it either as I had a conversation about the Queensland experiment and nobody mentioned the TCD one. I must have passed it by and never even noticed it.

By: StephenF

StephenF — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 04:30:04 -0800

This thing is still moving faster than our economy...

By: Thomas Tallis is my Homeboy

Thomas Tallis is my Homeboy — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 19:10:45 -0800

anyone who's never seen pitch drop clearly has never been to an acapella choir concert...

By: radwolf76

radwolf76 — Sat, 20 Jul 2013 02:17:24 -0800

In other news: The Livermore Bulb still hasn't burnt out.

By: spitbull

spitbull — Sat, 20 Jul 2013 11:36:16 -0800

anyone who's never seen pitch drop clearly has never been to an acapella choir concert... posted by Thomas Tallis is my Homeboy Right, about equally mind numbingly boring and similar level of drippiness.