Yesterday in class we had a very fun lab. We worked with cornstarch and water, making oobleck. We made this to observe the differences between liquids and solids. We were trying to determine whether this substance is considered a liquid or solid. Before we started making the oobleck we went through the characteristics between a solid and a liquid. We experimented with a penny as the solid and water as the liquid. Some common characteristics that solids have is: Hard, rigid, constant shape. Liquids consist of: Wet, clear, bubbly, shrivels up, and it vibrates when touched.
Solids: Liquids:
~ Wet ~ Hard
~ Clear ~ Rigid
~ Bubbly ~ Constant Shape
~ Shrivels up
~ Vibrates when touched
Then we moved on to making the oobleck now that we were familiar with the concept. The ingredients and materials we used were a paper bowl, plastic spoon, cornstarch, and water. First, we mixed both cornstarch and water together to create a liquid type substance. Once I picked it up with my hands it would become a solid and then dissolve into liquid. My group and I played around with it by throwing it on the table to see if that changes the outcome. When we did that we noticed that once it comes in contact with a hard surface (a solid) it forms back into solid. We also found that if it was constantly in motion it would stay as a solid.
I don't think we can actually determine whether oobleck is a liquid or solid, because it's both of them in a way. It depends how you interpret it. If I were to pick one over the other, I'd say that it is a solid because when it's sitting in a container it's still and becomes a solid. I think of it as water. When water is held in a container or glass it stays in that confinement. Once you take out the water or pour it out onto your hand it slips out of your hand because those molecules are released and don't have a base surrounding it.
Solids: Liquids:
~ Wet ~ Hard
~ Clear ~ Rigid
~ Bubbly ~ Constant Shape
~ Shrivels up
~ Vibrates when touched
Then we moved on to making the oobleck now that we were familiar with the concept. The ingredients and materials we used were a paper bowl, plastic spoon, cornstarch, and water. First, we mixed both cornstarch and water together to create a liquid type substance. Once I picked it up with my hands it would become a solid and then dissolve into liquid. My group and I played around with it by throwing it on the table to see if that changes the outcome. When we did that we noticed that once it comes in contact with a hard surface (a solid) it forms back into solid. We also found that if it was constantly in motion it would stay as a solid.
I don't think we can actually determine whether oobleck is a liquid or solid, because it's both of them in a way. It depends how you interpret it. If I were to pick one over the other, I'd say that it is a solid because when it's sitting in a container it's still and becomes a solid. I think of it as water. When water is held in a container or glass it stays in that confinement. Once you take out the water or pour it out onto your hand it slips out of your hand because those molecules are released and don't have a base surrounding it.