Dancing Oobleck

Question: How can we demonstrate viscoelasticity?


Hypothesis: We can demonstrate viscocity by making cold and warm honey flow from the bottle. We can then demonstrate elasticity by using a soft football. We can demonstrate viscoelasticity by making oobleck, then placing it on a speaker which vibrates at 20 to 25 Hz. (cycles per second). we think the fast impacts from the speaker will make the oobleck behave as an elastic solid.


Picture
Our Experiment

Materials: 

Picture


  • Corn Starch
  • Food Coloring
  • Speaker
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Water
  • Bowl
  • Spoon
  • honey (2 bottles)
  • rubber ball
  • small containers of pre-made oobleck

Safety Procedures

Procedure:

  1. Squeeze a bottle of honey that is room temperature and a bottle of cold honey to demonstrate viscocity and how temperature affects it.
  2. Squeeze and bounce a foam ball to demonstrate elasticity.
  3. Make oobleck by mixing 2-3 cups of cornstarch and 1 cup of water.
  4. We will punch to oobleck to show how it acts like a solid under fast stress, then we will slowly pour it and put our hand in the oobleck to show how it acts like a liquid (viscocity).
  5. Put a small amount of oobleck onto the speaker, which has been lined with plastic wrap.
  6. Turn the speaker on to a sound of 20Hz and watch as the oobleck forms, solid, dancing fingers.
  7. Turn off the sound and watch as it returns to a liquid appearance.
  8. Add a couple drops of food coloring and watch as the oobleck jumps and changes colors.
  9. Repeat playing the song, "Heroes" to show how the lower sustained frequency makes the oobleck "dance" better than a higher frequency.
  10. Give each person a little container of oobleck to take home.  

  11. Step 1
  12. Step 2
  13. Step 3
  14. ....



Special Needs:
electric outlet, if possible in a space where it is ok to play loud music for  minute or two

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

The Science behind it

What will happen? Viscoelastic substances behave like an elastic material under a fast impact, but they behave like a viscous material under slow pressure.(Honey) The elastic football came immediately back to its original shape. The play-doh remained in its deformed shape because its a plastic material. The oobleck is a liquid when you handle it slowly but, it becomes an elastic solid under fast impact.

Conclusions


About Ashley

My name is Ashley. I am 10 years old and my teacher is Mrs.Luke. I love to draw, write, ride my bike with neighbors, and of course, EXPERIMENT!!!!!!! I am very much looking forward to science night! See you there!

About Danae

Hi my name is Danae and I am 10 years old. My homeroom teacher is Mrs. Carvo and my math teacher is Mrs. Luke
I love to draw, do math and science , have sleepovers and play with my friends Kim Sofia laurel and  Ashley.I am really looking forward to this years science night . hope you like our experiment.:D

About Laurel

My name is Laurel Ouimette.  I am 10 years old and my teacher is Mrs.Sisca. I love to bike ride, swim, do art and I love, SCIENCE! I can't wait for science night! See you there!