4 ms·
Interesting, but the headline was misleading -- this was about the time to get the first 90%. The last drop was not discussed. I was already intrigued about how
by distances 7mo ago
Interesting, but the headline was misleading -- this was about the time to get the first 90%. The last drop was not discussed. I was already intrigued about how one could know when a drop was the last drop.
- dotancohen 7mo agoSometimes that last drop could be over a decade away: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment
- NoMoreNicksLeft 7mo agoI wouldn't be shocked if the last drop of pitch took quite a bit longer than the first few.
- amelius 7mo agoDoesn't glass also behave as a liquid, over very long timespans?
- Bratmon 7mo agoNo, that's a common myth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass#Reputed_flow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass#Reputed_flow
- deleted 7mo ago[deleted]
- SAI_Peregrinus 7mo agoIt only flows if it's in a liquid state. That happens when the temperature gets high enough. Over exceedingly long timespans Sol will enter its red giant phase & engulf the Earth in its outer atmosphere. This will raise all glass remaining on the surface above said glass's melting point. So if you're being exceedingly pedantic & considering multi-billion-year timespans, then most glass will eventually flow. Some glass may escape this fate by no longer being on the surface of the Earth.
- fc417fc802 7mo ago> It only flows if it's in a liquid state. Isn't it always in a liquid state? It just has an exceedingly high viscosity at human compatible temperatures. So high that it turns out there's effectively no movement over thousands or even millions of years. But it's not a proper solid, ie the usual phase transition is absent.