COLUMBIA, S.C. — Here is a fun and messy science experiment that kids will love to do at home!
Matter is anything that takes up space, such as air, trees, bugs, even people. Typically, matter is categorized under three different categories: solids, liquids, and gases.
Oobleck, which gets it's name from Dr. Seuss, is a non-Newtonian fluid that acts like both a solid and a liquid at the same time.
Here's what you need to make some!
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
- Food coloring (optional)
To make this slimy substance, simply mix the cornstarch, water, and food coloring together until it feels firm. If your mixture is too runny you can add some extra cornstarch. On the other hand, if it gets too hard, you can add a little bit more water.
If you push on the oobleck or roll it around into a ball, it is solid and feels hard. However, as soon as you stop moving it around and applying pressure, the oobleck starts to melt and act more like a liquid!
This all has to do with the viscosity of the material. It changes depending on how much pressure is applied, which is what makes it a non-Newtonian fluid. The more pressure is applied, the more the fluid acts like a solid. Rather, if no pressure is applied, the substance behaves like a liquid.
There is another substance that is a non-Newtonian liquid that you probably have in your refrigerator right now - ketchup! This substance behaves almost opposite of the opbleck we made. Ketchup acts like a solid when there is no force or pressure applied. However, when a sheer force is applied, it becomes runny like a liquid.
This is why you need to shake ketchup to get it to come out better! It also explains why squeeze bottles are so much easier to use than normal glass bottles of ketchup.