Do you think resin is a liquid or solid substance? Scientists have found that resin at room temperature is a solid substance, which at the same time has the flowing properties of a very, very viscous liquid. What is interesting about this? Yes, the fact is that in the scientific field the longest experiment in history ended, begun 70 (!) Years ago by scientists from Dublin Trinity College. And for the first time, a person managed to capture a falling drop of resin on a video.
In the first half of the last century, two groups of scientists, one from Dublin Trinity College and the other from Queensland University, independently decided to conduct an experiment that would dispel doubts and answer the question of whether the resin is a liquid or solid substance. In 2005, scientists from the University of Queensland won the Shnobel Prize (a parody of the prestigious Nobel Prize) in physics and wrote themselves in the history of the Guinness Book of Records as the authors of the longest scientific laboratory experiment, which began already in 1927. In turn, Dublin Trinity College began a similar experiment in 1944 and even exceeded the time of the test conducted at Dublin College.
Plain Ford Cup
The resin test is a simple experiment designed to determine the viscosity of various liquids. The basis of the whole test is a Ford cup - a simple tool for determining the viscosity of substances that are placed inside a funnel-shaped bowl with a narrowed base at the end. Usually such a cup is used to determine the viscosity of the paint.
But as you know, resin is far from paint. Produced usually from coal, dry distillation of pine and other resinous wood, the resin is a polymer whose viscosity is so high that many consider this substance to be solid, not liquid. With prolonged external stress exposure, the resin takes on a more durable form. Thanks to this, it is an excellent sealant and is still used in many fields.
So how big is the viscosity of the resin? Dublin Trinity College and the University of Queensland used three Ford bowls as part of the experiment. At the same time, it took decades to drop every drop of resin from these cups. Scientists have found that the viscosity of the resin can be from 20 to 100 billion times higher than the viscosity of ordinary water.
Drop of tar captured on video by scientists from Dublin Trinity College
Professor John Maynesfield from Queensland University oversees the experiment
Only the scientists from Dublin Trinity College managed to capture the result of the experiment on video. Despite many attempts by the University of Queensland, scientists failed to record any of the eight dropped drops of tar. The ninth drop should fall sometime this year. And this time, scientists are still going to witness this event. Webcams were installed near the cup, which constantly take pictures without interruption. It remains only to ensure an uninterrupted supply of popcorn and enjoy the sight.
The article is based on materials .
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