Thomas Parnell was born in 1881 in England, migrating to Australia in around 1904, and was The University of Queensland’s first ever Professor of Physics. In a fit of intense curiosity, 1927 saw him creating an experiment that today holds the Guinness World Record for the Longest Running Laboratory Experiment, The Pitch Drop Experiment.
Pitch, a derivative of tar, is the world's thickest known fluid and was once used for waterproofing boats. At room temperature pitch feels solid — even brittle — and can easily be shattered with a hammer. But wait for it, at room temperature this substance — which is 100 billion times more viscous than water — is actually a fluid. Fluids being defined as substances that can flow and that will take the shape of the container in which they are placed, ordinarily gases and liquids are fluids.
So back to Professor Parnell; he heated some pitch, poured it into a glass funnel then let it cool and settle for three years (because why rush). In 1930, he cut the funnel's stem and... waiting…waiting…waiting…it took eight years for the first drop to fall. Talk about suspense; Alfred Hitchcock has nothing on this guy!
Fast forward 87 years, only nine drops have made the grand descent. The last drop fell in April 2014 and we await in eager anticipation for the next big one, expected sometime in the 2020s. It's like waiting for water to boil, toast to pop or anticipating the progress bar indicating your latest smart phone update has succeeded, only, with more viscosity. This said, the genius of Parnell’s experiment lies in showing that even the most everyday of things can surprise you.
For anyone who wants to spend a riveting few hours please follow the link. http://thetenthwatch.com/
Watching the Hill from afar is nothing like watching the Pitch Drop Experiment. There are things constantly happening. Movement everywhere is accompanied by the things of everyday and it’s in these things that the surprising emerges. From January until now we’ve had 52 school days, 250 lessons covering core subjects, elective subjects and certificate subjects. We’ve had a Cyclone. There have been camps and Commissioning Masses, NAPLAN assessments and Swimming Championships, countless games of Cricket, and AFL and Volleyball. We’ve seen Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday and a swathe of retreat days, leadership retreats and Year 12 retreats. We’ve celebrated Academic Awards assemblies and International Women’s Day, as well as Harmony Day. Rookies and Cubs have spent their first afternoon on site. Life is not slow up here. These are the things of everyday, from them emerges the surprising; Years 5 and 6 boys moving comfortably and happily through the College like they’ve been here for years (87 maybe?); Year 12 men shedding a tear as they have an authentic moment with their mum and dad at the liturgy after retreat; St Mary’s girls and Eddies boys sitting side by side as they cheer for their team in the inaugural Combined Eddies/ Mary’s Inflatable Crocodile Race.
As we finish the term perhaps it might actually be a good idea to slow down to the speed of a drop pitch languidly hanging from its funnel…but only for a bit…next term awaits; busy as usual and full of everyday activities and happenings and of course… surprises. Happy Easter to all.
Parking Cameras
A friendly reminder that the Ipswich City Council will be installing parking cameras over the coming break to ensure safety in the area. There will be signs advising that cameras are in operation. Please be aware of these and abide by Council regulations. Further information can be found by clicking on the link below.
https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/90119/SchoolSafeParking2024_4pp_DL_1.pdf
