Looking Back: What happened? "Oobleck" (Cornstarch and Water)
How did your experiment turn out?
Today in Chemistry we learned how to make Oobleck! What is Oobleck? It is Cornstarch and water. When you add the perfect amount of water to cornstarch it makes this liquid looking substance, but when you grab it or punch it or add any force to it, it makes this substance a solid.
Did it work?
Yes! I got to punch the liquid, hold it and pour it into a balloon. It was interesting to see how this liquid could turn into a solid so quickly.
Here is a picture of Oobleck!
Looking Beyond:
What do you think has happened? What’s the science?
Try to explain your observations or results on a molecular level.
What I observed during the experiment was when I just poured the Oobleck around in the container it was runny. When I hit the Oobleck while it was still in the container it did not fly out, which I thought was odd because if I were to hit a bowl of water it would spill all over the table but in this case the Oobleck did not spill.
What questions came up during the experimentation?
During this experiment I wanted to know what made this "Oobleck" turn from a liquid to a solid so quickly. I also wanted to know if "Oobleck" is defined as a solid or a liquid.
Did you do any further investigation into the science behind things?
Yes. Our teacher showed us the phases of matter. So when the Oobleck was a liquid it was because the molecules inside the oobleck were tightly packed but not in a fixed position so kind of like when you're at a dance and there's a lot of people but you can still move around. Then when I was compressing the Oobleck it was a solid because the particles were tightly packed together and in a fixed position so it's kind of like when you're packing for camp and you're trying to fit as much as you can into the suitcase.
Looking inward: Humans doing science - Lab Practice
What did you think you did that contributed to desirable results?
I played with it. I actually handled the substance and tried to answer my questions. Which made me more interested in the experiment.
How do you think you performed in this activity?
I believe I preformed good. I interacted with the substance and enjoyed it. It got messy, but messy is good! As long as I clean up. I think because it got messy it means it was fun! I had the opportunity to put it into a balloon and make a "Stress ball" out of it! Of course it popped less than a hour later... but it was fun while it lasted!
Looking outward: Collaboration and Impact:
Who did you work with?
I worked with people at my table. Kim, Miles and Max!
How do you think your group performed?
I think we worked pretty well! Not all of us liked the feel of the substance but we all helped make it and clean it up! We all had the same goal which was to answer whether or not Oobleck was a solid or liquid.
What did you contribute to the group?
I poured the substance into the balloon, I stirred the substance and I helped wipe down the table so there wasn't icky gross stuff on the table.
Looking Forward: What next?
If you could do this again, what would you change to get better results?
I would add red dye to the Oobleck to make it look pink instead of a greenish color. I think a pretty color would be more fun to play with!
If you were organizing a group for the next lab activity, who would you choose to work with again?
Yes! We worked well together and really complimented each other's weaknesses.
Do you see any way to continue this experiment? Would you want to?
Yes, I think if I could find a way to answer whether or not it is a solid or a liquid I would.
Takeaways:
What skills, techniques, or pieces or wisdom did you get from this activity?
I learned how to clean up after myself after a really messy experiment!
How did your experiment turn out?
Today in Chemistry we learned how to make Oobleck! What is Oobleck? It is Cornstarch and water. When you add the perfect amount of water to cornstarch it makes this liquid looking substance, but when you grab it or punch it or add any force to it, it makes this substance a solid.
Did it work?
Yes! I got to punch the liquid, hold it and pour it into a balloon. It was interesting to see how this liquid could turn into a solid so quickly.
Here is a picture of Oobleck!
Looking Beyond:
What do you think has happened? What’s the science?
Try to explain your observations or results on a molecular level.
What I observed during the experiment was when I just poured the Oobleck around in the container it was runny. When I hit the Oobleck while it was still in the container it did not fly out, which I thought was odd because if I were to hit a bowl of water it would spill all over the table but in this case the Oobleck did not spill.
What questions came up during the experimentation?
During this experiment I wanted to know what made this "Oobleck" turn from a liquid to a solid so quickly. I also wanted to know if "Oobleck" is defined as a solid or a liquid.
Did you do any further investigation into the science behind things?
Yes. Our teacher showed us the phases of matter. So when the Oobleck was a liquid it was because the molecules inside the oobleck were tightly packed but not in a fixed position so kind of like when you're at a dance and there's a lot of people but you can still move around. Then when I was compressing the Oobleck it was a solid because the particles were tightly packed together and in a fixed position so it's kind of like when you're packing for camp and you're trying to fit as much as you can into the suitcase.
Looking inward: Humans doing science - Lab Practice
What did you think you did that contributed to desirable results?
I played with it. I actually handled the substance and tried to answer my questions. Which made me more interested in the experiment.
How do you think you performed in this activity?
I believe I preformed good. I interacted with the substance and enjoyed it. It got messy, but messy is good! As long as I clean up. I think because it got messy it means it was fun! I had the opportunity to put it into a balloon and make a "Stress ball" out of it! Of course it popped less than a hour later... but it was fun while it lasted!
Looking outward: Collaboration and Impact:
Who did you work with?
I worked with people at my table. Kim, Miles and Max!
How do you think your group performed?
I think we worked pretty well! Not all of us liked the feel of the substance but we all helped make it and clean it up! We all had the same goal which was to answer whether or not Oobleck was a solid or liquid.
What did you contribute to the group?
I poured the substance into the balloon, I stirred the substance and I helped wipe down the table so there wasn't icky gross stuff on the table.
Looking Forward: What next?
If you could do this again, what would you change to get better results?
I would add red dye to the Oobleck to make it look pink instead of a greenish color. I think a pretty color would be more fun to play with!
If you were organizing a group for the next lab activity, who would you choose to work with again?
Yes! We worked well together and really complimented each other's weaknesses.
Do you see any way to continue this experiment? Would you want to?
Yes, I think if I could find a way to answer whether or not it is a solid or a liquid I would.
Takeaways:
What skills, techniques, or pieces or wisdom did you get from this activity?
I learned how to clean up after myself after a really messy experiment!