non newtonian fluid experiments

Why does the cornstarch mixture behave like this?

Think of a busy sidewalk. The easiest way to get through a crowd of people is to move slowly and find a path between people. If you just took a running start and headed straight for the crowd of people, you would quickly slam into someone and you wouldn't get very far. This is similar to what happens in the cornstarch mixture. The solid cornstarch acts like a crowd of people. Pressing your finger slowly into the mixture allows the cornstarch to move out of the way, but tapping the mixture quickly doesn't allow the solid cornstarch particles to slide past each other and out of the way of your finger.

We use the term “viscosity” to describe the resistance of a liquid to flow. Water, which has a low viscosity, flows easily. Honey, at room temperature, has a higher viscosity and flows more slowly than water. But if you warm honey up, its viscosity drops, and it flows more easily. Most fluids behave like water and honey, in that their viscosity depends only on temperature. We call such fluids “Newtonian,” since their behavior was first described by Isaac Newton (when he wasn’t discovering the laws of gravity or developing the calculus). The cornstarch mixture you made is called “non-Newtonian” since its viscosity also depends on the force applied to the liquid or how fast an object is moving through the liquid.

Other examples of non-Newtonian fluids include ketchup, silly putty, and quicksand. Quicksand is like the cornstarch mixture: if you struggle to escape quicksand, you apply pressure to it and it becomes hard, making it more difficult to escape. The recommended way to escape quicksand is to slowly move toward solid ground; you might also lie down on it, thus distributing your weight over a wider area and reducing the pressure. Ketchup is the opposite: its viscosity decreases under pressure. That’s why shaking a bottle of ketchup makes it easier to pour.

Disposal: First dilute the cornstarch mixture with plenty of water before pouring it down the drain. Why? What do think would happen to the semi-solid, semi-liquid form that you prepared if pressure were applied to it by other water in the drain? Yes – a plugged drain.

• Responsive vs. Adaptive Web Design
• 10 Math Tricks That Will Blow Your Mind
• All About the Whirlpool Galaxy
• Science, Technology, and Math
• The Role of Black Americans in World War I
• Types of Maps: Topographic, Political, Climate, and More
• The 5 Themes of Geography
• Read Russian in 10 Easy Steps
• 'Good Morning' and Other Japanese Greetings
• What Every Italian Language Learner Should Know
• The Prettiest U.S. College Campuses
• 3 Poetry Activities for Middle School Students
• How to Wake Up Feeling Motivated: 8 Tips

BEHIND THE NEWS