How long does it take to get last liquid drops from kitchen containers? | Hacker News Reader

How long does it take to get last liquid drops from kitchen containers?

brown.edu

37 pointshhs25 comments

I can hardly believe my eyes! I helped do some related research specifically concerning thin-film drainage from tubes, way back in my undergraduate days: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2018.04.015

I also handed in a solution for a similar problem in a university Physics competition.

11th problem here:

https://ortvay.elte.hu/2009/E09.pdf

I was the only one who handed in a solution for that particular problem, it was scored 70 out of 100. I no longer have my solution, but I doubt that it was very accurate, and I didn't have time for experiments.

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.

Sometimes that last drop could be over a decade away:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment

I wouldn't be shocked if the last drop of pitch took quite a bit longer than the first few.

Doesn't glass also behave as a liquid, over very long timespans?

No, that's a common myth:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass#Reputed_flow

It 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.

> 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.

Why didn't Professor tang just put the wok back on the stove for a few seconds. That'll dry out it out fast and you can see the film disappear.

Under careful supervision, the wok won't even get anywhere near 100C

Oh academia, trying to find scientific truths and end up just being pragmatic.

I know they'd take offense to such things, which is why I say it.

This is no different from a mom blog, yet because its academia, we pretend its valuable. Adam Ragusa-like people could/should do this study. We should value it as much. As long as its replicated, good for me.

And let us not pretend there is some sort of pure magic that happens in a lab. I'll take 10 average joes replicating a study over 1 lab unreplicated. (FYI that is the scientific method, Appeal to Authority is the opposite of the scientific method)

Yea, this could have been a youtube video.

A paper was published claiming that it was unnecessary to stir the bag about in a teacup, as the same amount of tea dissolved into the water anyway.

The paper was clearly based entirely on math models, so I tested it.

Yeah, it's horseshit.

Interesting!

For the wok example, I recommend just putting the wok back on the stove for a few seconds and have the thin water film evaporated, before quickly coating it with an oiled tissue, and store it hot. It takes 30 seconds max.

So you wash your wok before eating? While it is still hot?

Cleaning it while it's still hot is also a good strategy for pans. Obviously that has limits on how dirty it can be. But if everything went well while cooking it's fast and painless

A bit of cold water on a hot pan isn't a problem, but one should be a bit careful when pouring a lot cold water on hot pans, as they can warp

Or shatter, if they are cast iron (a.k.a. black iron).

I typically wash my wok (and any carbon steel skillet) before eating. They seem to be easier to clean while hot.

But I use an outdoor butane burner for the wok, so I'm not heating it back up afterwards. I usually wash and set it upside down on the counter to drain.

They suggest reheating the wok on the stove, why would that imply it has to be done before eating? Does your stove not turn on after you have finished eating?

Hint: it goes faster if you don't watch.

Seriously. Oil, thicker juices, etc I stick something under the end of the bottle so it pools in the curve close to the top and then come back later to pour it out. Laundry detergent I just leave inverted draining into the cup (and/or rinse several times with water as the washer fills). Hand soap I rinse as I'm making the next bottle of 50/50 mix for a foaming dispenser.

Shake it off and it will finish drying a lot faster.

Trump is going to forbid this wok research

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