Segment #7 - Non-Newtonian Fluids

Non-Newtonian Fluids - SLIME!

Segment 7

Have you ever wondered if there was a substance that could be both a solid and a liquid at the same time?

Welcome to the Science Playground! Today we're going to be exploring Non-Newtonian Fluids by creating SLIME!

Slime is a non-Newtonian liquid, which means that the viscosity, or resistance, of the liquid changes as you apply a stronger force. If you rest your hand on the surface of slime it will sink in, but it you smack it, the surface is solid.

The ingredients you're going to need for this experiment includes:

• Cornstarch
• Water
• Food Colouring
• Saran Wrap (Optional - if you want to continue with the second part!)

The materials you're going to need for this experiment include:

• Mixing Bowl
• Spoon
• Measuring Utensils
• Speaker (Optional - If you want to continue with the second part!)

This experiment isn't dangerous, however it's never a bad idea to wear goggles, an apron or lab coat, and gloves to protect against spills and splashes.

The first step of this experiment is to prep your cornstarch and water. Place 2 Cups of cornstarch into the mixing bowl. You're going to take a little bit of water, and slowly add it in while stirring. You're not going to want to add a lot of water, or else the slime will be too watery and it won't be the right consistency. Once you've reached a consistency where it becomes a  solid in motion, yet a liquid when it stays still.

When you pick this strange substance up, you'll realize that it'll stay a solid, that is until you let it sit and it melts in your hands like a pile of goop! Now add a few drops of food colouring, stir it with a spoon until the colouring is fully mixed in. 

If you wish to continue with the second part, you're going to need to take a piece of saran wrap and place it on top of your speaker. From there, you're going to pour your mixture on top of the plastic. From there, you're going to want to connect your music device and pick a song with preferably lots of bass. Once you play your music, you will see the slime move around.  

Lets look at this experiment a little closer. 

Your Ooze is made up of tiny, solid particles of cornstarch suspended in water. Chemists call this type of mixture acolloid. As you found out when you experimented with your Ooze, this colloid behaves strangely. When you bang on it with a spoon or quickly squeeze a handful of Ooze, it freezes in place, acting like a solid. The harder you push, the thicker the Ooze becomes. But when you open your hand and let your Ooze ooze, it drips like a liquid.
When we placed our mixture onto the speaker, the bass and volume of the music caused our slime to bounce around. Because of the motion, the slime became a solid and  bounced around. It wasn't until we shut the music off that the slime returned to a liquid state.

So that's it for today guys! I hope that you enjoyed this experiment, stay tuned for our next segment on BURNING MONEY!

If you have any questions regarding this experiment or science in general, feel free to email me at englishprojectscience@gmail.com