GOOEY GOO

Question: What do you think happens when you combine cornstarch and water? 


Hypothesis: We believe that when cornstarch and water are combined, the cornstarch will soak up into the water just like a sponge.   We think this will happen because cornstarch is a powdery substance and water is a liquid enabling the powdery substance to dissolve into the liquid. 


Picture
Our Experiment

Materials: 

Picture

1.1 cup of water, room temperature  
2.1 cup of cornstarch 
3. Medium sized bowl 
4. 1 Tablespoon milk
5. Measuring cup 
6. Whisk
7. Papertowels
8. Plastic wrap
9. plastic knife
                       

Safety Procedures


1. Use wax paper to protect your working surface.
2. Be careful not to spill the liquids on the floor.
3. Clean up any spills right away.

 Procedure:

Detail steps so anyone can reproduce this at school or home
Use a numbered list
  1. Place wax paper on a flat surface.
  2. Place the bowl on the wax paper.
  3. Gather all of your ingredients.
  4. Put a cup of cornstarch in the bowl then add the cup of water. 
  5. Mix together with the whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved (no chunks of cornstarch).
  6. Watch the results and take note!
  7. Place plastic wrap on the bowl to cover tightly.  Let stand several hours.  
  8. After a few hours, use the plastic knife to poke at the substance to see if it's solid.
  9. Optional: add in little milk - see what happens. 




Special Needs:
Add any requirements for your station for Science night - electricity, water, fire extinguisher, etc.

Watch us in action:
<feel free to add pictures, videos, etc>

The Science behind it


The mixture will make a gooey substance when you hold it firmly it feels hard like cement. When you leave it out with no cover - it will dry up; if you add water, it soaks it up and the goo gets crumbly. If you leave it out in a container or with a cover, it will last for 2 days and 35 mins! When we cracked the surface it would seal back up and repair itself.  We even tried to add milk and it the cornstarch dissolved.       


Conclusions

We reject our hypothesis because it didn't soak up the water, like a sponge instead it made a gooey substance. The combination of materials made a gooey substance that when you hold it firmly it feels hard like cement. 

  • When you leave it out with no cover - it will dry up,
  • If you add water, it soaks it up and the goo gets crumbly. 
  • If you leave it out in a container or with a cover, it will last for 2 days and 35 mins! 
  • When we cracked the surface it would seal back up and repair itself.  
  • We even tried to add milk to see what happened.  The cornstarch dissolved.       

We would like to do more experimenting in the future.  We would test:
  • What happens if you add a significant amount more of water?
  • What would happen if we substituted water for milk?
  • What would the change be if we added hot water?
  • What would happen if we added dye coloring?



About Lauren!

Hi, my name is Lauren. I'm 11 years old and love horses and horseback ride. Also, I'm on a swim team at club fit. I love doing projects, crafts,and experimenting. I wanted to do this because my aunt "DOOEY" is a science teacher in White Plains.  She has so much fun doing it, I hope that I can have as much fun doing it with my friends. I'm so happy to be doing this project, I hope you love this gooey fun messy goo. Enjoy.:-) 

About Jenna!

Hey, my name is Jenna. I'm 10 years old but will be turning 11 in march. My favorite subjects in school are art, science and social studies. I also love to dance and cheer! I enjoy making projects and experimenting things. I wanted to participate in this because I like to learn new things and enjoy expirenmenting objects. I'm very excited to be doing this! I hope you like our gooey mess!!!

About Mya!

Hello,my name is Mya.
I'm 10 years old. I like to dance and play sports. Creating this project with my friends was a great experience. This was my first time for me and hopefully its not my last. My favorite things to do after school is spend time with my new puppy. He loves to run around the house. I can't wait to see what everyone else has created as well.I hope you like our project.Thank you for this opportunity.