# How much longer before the next drop of pitch drops? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 6, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201 "2012-12-06T17:00:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/1 "2012-12-06T17:00:23Z")
Started in 1927, [this is one of the longest continuously running experiments](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment). The idea is to show that pitch is actually a liquid and in the 82 years since the pitch has been allowed to run out, there have been 8 drops. The ninth is ready to fall anytime but that could still take a few months more. So when do you think it will drop? The drop seems to have changed over the last week and given the average time to fall? I’m going to go out on a limb and say this month. So take a guess and check on[this webpage](http://smp.uq.edu.au/content/pitch-drop-experiment)to watch the exciting action of a pitch drop dropping. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/2 "2012-12-06T17:05:30Z")
That’s pretty neat. I like how the drops have come fairly evenly spaced out. I wonder what’s up with the last drop…it was super late! Global warming?! ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/3 "2012-12-06T17:14:01Z")
They added air conditioning after the 7th drop happened. That would cool the area and lengthen the period between drops. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/4 "2012-12-06T17:19:18Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > That’s pretty neat. I like how the drops have come fairly evenly spaced out. I wonder what’s up with the last drop…it was super late! Here ya go: > [@](#): > > Some time after the seventh drop fell in 1988, air conditioning was added to the location where the experiment takes place. The temperature stability has lengthened each drop’s stretch before it separates from the rest of the pitch in the funnel. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/5 "2012-12-06T17:25:46Z")
It appears that the previous two drops are sitting on top of the collection in the beaker, so how long does it take for the fallen drops to coalesce? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/6 "2012-12-06T17:26:32Z")
Air conditioning in the building in which it is housed. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/7 "2012-12-06T17:30:50Z")
Besides the air conditioning change, I would imagine that as drops fall, removing mass from the upper container, that the downward pressure due to gravity would lessen and the time between drops lengthen. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/8 "2012-12-06T17:36:44Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > It appears that the previous two drops are sitting on top of the collection in the beaker, so how long does it take for the fallen drops to coalesce? From every other picture it appears that the drops coalesce before the next one falls but the 8th one seems no where near to coalescing. Dr. Mainstone has mentioned that one problem is that there will soon not be enough room for the drops to fall. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/9 "2012-12-06T17:40:15Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Dr. Mainstone has mentioned that one problem is that there will soon not be enough room for the drops to fall. Yeah, every time I look at the live video I’m thinking they may need to raise the funnel a few inches. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/10 "2012-12-06T17:40:33Z")
So no predictions on when the next drop will fall? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/11 "2012-12-06T18:16:42Z")
Doesn’t a dropped pitch count as a ball? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/12 "2012-12-06T19:17:03Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Doesn’t a dropped pitch count as a ball? A dropped pitch will require some transposition and a key change. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/13 "2012-12-06T20:46:47Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > That’s pretty neat. I like how the drops have come fairly evenly spaced out. I wonder what’s up with the last drop…it was super late! > > Global warming?! I would imagine that global warming would have the opposite effect. unless you consider the addition of air conditioning as being due to it getting too hot. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/14 "2012-12-06T20:56:30Z")
I’ll go for 21 past 12 noon on the 21st of this month (Queensland time) - this is what the Mayans were predicting all along people. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/15 "2012-12-06T21:44:41Z")
Wasn’t this a Freddy Fender song? “And I’ll be there…until the next…pitch drop falls.” ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/16 "2012-12-06T21:52:22Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > They added air conditioning after the 7th drop happened. That would cool the area and lengthen the period between drops. Interesting. Does the same thing happen with water? Does colder water drip in bigger slower drops than warmer water? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/17 "2012-12-06T21:57:11Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > Interesting. Does the same thing happen with water? Does colder water drip in bigger slower drops than warmer water? The viscosity of water changes with temperature. See the table here: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscosity#Viscosity\_of\_water](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscosity#Viscosity_of_water) ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/18 "2012-12-06T22:06:33Z")
Viscosity is dependent on the material’s temperature but it isn’t necessarily a simple relation. Typically the colder something is the more viscous it tends to be See - Pouring of cold maple syrup vs warm maple syrup: Journal of Experimental Breakfasts, 1996. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/19 "2012-12-06T23:06:50Z")
My girlfriend when I was at college was a friend of Prof Mainstones’s daughter. Yes, you may have my autograph. No touching though, please. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201/20 "2012-12-07T00:31:02Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Doesn’t a dropped pitch count as a ball? No, not at all, but if it is strike three, the runner gets to try to run to first unless there is a runner already there or if there are already two out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-before-the-next-drop-of-pitch-drops/643201.md?page=2)