Home Chemistry: Fun With Non-Newtonian Fluids

The Aftermath

Originally uploaded by Phisch

More photos here (check the link again for videos).

So, after they asked so often and today decided to ask nicely (and I had the materials needed) I finally gave in and let the kids play with—scratch that—experiment with a non-newtonian fluid.

I found a recipe for Oobleck which, if you are a fan of Dr. Seuss, you may be familiar with. The rest of us call this plain old cornstarch and water. Mixed in the correct ratio, you end up with a mixture that behaves like a solid or a liquid, depending on what you do with it.

The kids were inspired by an episode of the show Timewarp. Basically, the show is just about time lapse videography. The hosts of the show filled a trough about 3 feet x maybe 12 feet in size with a mixture of cornstarch and water. Then they filmed themselves as they tried to run across it. It was ok at first, but at the end of the trough, well, they ended up knee-deep in the stuff.

Our version was just a couple of cups of cornstarch in one cup of water. That was interesting to mix up! But the boys whacked it, smooshed it and generally made a mess. It was fun for them and a boon for the dog who was happy to play the part of mop.

Now NM thinks we should buy an inflatable pool and fill it with this stuff. Then dive into it. Ouch!