Slime can be great fun to get involved with and makes for an awesome play activity. Even older age groups may want to get involved as a bowl or two of slime at a party can make the evening go with a bang!
What to do
Making slime is just as much fun as playing with it so get the kiddies involved and treat it as a good chemistry lesson as well as being incredibly entertaining. Say goodbye to boredom and try out our slime recipe:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of corn starch
- 1 cup of water
If you want to make more, just adjust the ratios accordingly. Mix them together in a large bowl until you have something resembling thick cream. Start with a little water and add it gradually so that you don’t end up with a mix that is too sloppy or runny.
Experimenting with slime
Once you think you have it right, put your hand on the top of the mix. Your hand should sink slightly into the mixture. Move your hand through the mixture now, slowly, and then faster. Which worked best – slow or fast? Now grab a handful and then pull your hand out, quickly, and then fast. Is there a difference?
Now try ‘punching’ the mixture (not too hard!) Did the mixture spread all over the place and splatter or did it stay in the bowl? (Note: if it does splatter, you don’t have enough corn starched added to put in a little more).
You should notice that when you move your hand slowly through the mixture, it looks and behaves like a liquid. When you treat it forcefully and hit it or move your hand fast, it acts like a solid.
You may think that you have made your own quicksand but, in fact, you now have your own non-Newtonian fluid!
What is happening in this experiment?
Any non-Newtonian fluid does not comply with Newton’s law of viscosity. In other words, it does not maintain constant viscosity independent of stress. With your slime, the viscosity changes when you apply force, becoming either more like a liquid or a solid. Tomato ketchup is a good example as it becomes runnier when you shake the bottle, so even this is a non-Newtonian fluid.
Fluid flows and moves according to its viscosity i.e. how thick or sticky it may be. Non-Newtonian fluid changes when force is applied. Newtonian fluids such as honey or water follow Newton’s law of viscosity and react only to temperature or pressure, not force. Think of frozen water or warm honey and you will get the idea.
Have fun with slime
So now you have your very own slime, you have not only found out a lot about Newton’s law but can also have a lot of fun! Even young children will enjoy making slime. If you want to make it even more appealing, add a few drops of food coloring into the water before you mix it in. You may even end up with rainbow-colored slime!
Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of The Sized delivered to your inbox daily.
