It's not my idea, but thought I'd share. Our friends invited us over for this event. They had somehow acquired over 150 lbs of cornstarch**, which they promptly added to a kiddie pool filled with about 4 inches of water. The end result was a lot of fun. J had just as much fun playing on the goo than he has had at other parties with bounce houses. Think of our Goo experiment on a much larger scale. I call it goo, but I think the technical term for cornstarch and water is oobleck.
Oobleck is a Non-Newtonian fluid.
Viscosity of a non-Newtonian fluid depends on the shear rate. The key is, keep moving. If you stop moving, you'll sink, and the liquid is so viscous, you'll get stuck. The best way out would be to move as quickly and forcefully as possible, ie. jump if you can (apply a shear force).
Science is fun!
Thanks to our friends who invited us over for the science fun.
**A quick search yielded 50 lb bags of cornstarch for $25. It's not an "every day" science type of experiment, but it's definitely fun to try if you get the chance.
Related Post:
*Stuck in Cornstarch!
Related Post:
*Stuck in Cornstarch!
Fun!!! It's like homemade quicksand! Who knew you could buy corn starch in 50lb bags!
ReplyDeleteHow did they dispose of it after the fun?
ReplyDeleteI believe you just let the cornstarch settle at the bottom. After that pour out the excess water, and hose the rest of the cornstarch off the bottom of the pool.
Deletehow well did it work with the sides of the pool not be in a fixed position? did the sides of the pool moving change the results?
ReplyDeleteIt worked rather well! The sides were not an issue to our science fun. I'm sure you can bring it up during the play!
Deletehow did you mix it?
ReplyDelete