What's white and goopy and hard and drippy at the same time? Stumped? Do this experiment and you'll find out!

QUESTION

Can you create a substance that is both a liquid and a solid?

WHAT YOU NEED

• Large bowl

• 1-cup measure

• ½-cup measure

• Water

• Cornstarch

• Spoon

• Paper towels

• Food coloring

chemical change: a chemical process by which a new substance is created.

WHAT TO DO

• Pour 1 cup water into the bowl.

• Now add 1½ to 2 cups cornstarch to the water. Add it slowly and stir slowly. You want to mix in the cornstarch a little at a time.

• If it becomes difficult to stir, just use your hands to mix up the water and cornstarch.

• What do you notice is happening to the mixture?

• When the water and cornstarch are thoroughly combined, and the mixture is not runny or powdery, you have made oobleck! Let it set for a few seconds.

• Tap the top of the oobleck. What does it feel like?

• Grab a handful of oobleck. What do you feel? Now slowly open your hand. What is the substance doing?

• Use the paper towels to clean up any mess. If you like, add food coloring to make the oobleck even more fun.

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Matter, what things are made of, has four states: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. In this experiment, you combined cornstarch, a solid, with water, a liquid. The cornstarch and water created a chemical change, resulting in a unique mixture that acts like a solid when it has pressure on it and acts like a liquid when it has no pressure. When you tapped the oobleck, it felt hard because you were putting pressure on it. When you grabbed it and then let go, the oobleck oozed out of your hand because you had released the pressure. You have made a substance that exists in two states of matter.

YOUR NOTES

Try putting the oobleck into a plastic container and hitting it against a table. What happens?

Try making a ball out of the oobleck. When you let go of the ball, what happens?

Try picking it up with a spoon or a slotted spatula. What happens?