oobleck fingers

June 8, 2006 at 5:41 pm | | literature

Steve presented a neat paper at CPJC this week. He gave a cool presentation on granular materials. But the coolest part was the video:

finger.jpg


They shook cornstarch in water (AKA oobleck) and saw some very strange effects. The authors explain the effects by shear thickening, which means that the viscosity increases at higher shear rates (i.e. when the fluid slides). That’s the same reason silly putty bounces when you throw it and oozes when you leave it sitting on the table. Shear thickening is an effect seen in some non-Newtonian fluids. It’s like a different universe!

4 Comments »

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  1. Seriously, check out the video. It’s unreal.

    Comment by charles — June 8, 2006 #

  2. http://www.geekologie.com/2006/06/liquid_armor_is_here.php

    Comment by sam — June 19, 2006 #

  3. […] No, it’s not a new alternative energy, it’s fun video of people literally running atop a non-Newtonian fluid. Of course, I’ve already posted an article about more profound Oobleck revelations, but this video is in a different language! | | […]

    Pingback by Everyday Scientist » running on oobleck — December 13, 2006 #

  4. […] those Oobleck fingers in PRL? I finally got around to trying it at […]

    Pingback by Everyday Scientist » DIY oobleck on a speaker — February 10, 2009 #

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