Science-U @ Home / Oobleck Experiment

How it works

It's all about viscosity, or the liquid's resistance to flow (internal friction), or its thickness. Most fluids are Newtonian (named after Isaac Newton), and will remain at the same viscosity (or rate of flow, or thickness). For example, water has the same resistance/viscosity when standing in a pool as when swimming. It won't change its internal friction or become thicker when you try to move through it.

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Oobleck, however, is Non-Newtonian and changes its viscosity. If you apply pressure to the mixture, it increases its viscosity. A quick tap on the surface of Oobleck will make it feel hard, because it forces the cornstarch particles together.

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If you dip your hand slowly into the mix, your fingers will slide in as easily as through water. Moving slowly gives the cornstarch particles time to move out of the way.

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