Making Oobleck, the strange goop with amazing properties
- Put one and one half (1 1/2) cup of cornstarch into the bowl.
- Add one cup of water.
- Mix well.
Slowly dip your finger into the gooey mixture. Feels liquidy? Grab some in your hand and pour it back into the bowl. Now, try slapping it hard with your hand or a heavy spoon. What happens? Why?
The molecules in ooblekh (sometimes spelled oobleck) are very large compared to, for instance, molecules of water. When slapped quickly, they tangle themselves up preventing any splattering. In this way the mixture behaves more like a solid. When you slowly poke your finger into the mixture it easily slides right through. In this way the mixture behaves more like a liquid.
Molecule is one of the basic units of matter. It is the smallest particle into which a substance can be divided and still have the chemical identity of the original substance. If the substance were divided further, only molecular fragments or atoms of chemical elements would remain. For example, a drop of water contains billions of water molecules. If one of those water molecules were separated from the rest, it would still behave as water. But if that water molecule were divided, only atoms of the elements hydrogen and oxygen would remain.
Supplies: Corn starch