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Exploring Materials - Oobleck

In this activity, learners investigate the properties of a cornstarch and water mixture, called Oobleck, and test its ability to protect from impacts.

DESCRIPTION

"Exploring Materials—Oobleck" is a hands on activity in which visitors investigate the properties of a cornstarch and water mixture and test its ability to protect from impacts. Visitors learn that similar nanomaterials can be used in new personal protective equipment.

Oobleck gets its name from the Dr. Seuss book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck, where a gooey green substance, Oobleck, fell from the sky and wreaked havoc in the kingdom.

JUMP TO BROWSE RELATED RESOURCES
  • Boy holding a plastic bag of green oobleck with a plastic Easter egg
  • Boy holding a plastic bag of green oobleck with a plastic Easter egg

DESCRIPTION

"Exploring Materials—Oobleck" is a hands on activity in which visitors investigate the properties of a cornstarch and water mixture and test its ability to protect from impacts. Visitors learn that similar nanomaterials can be used in new personal protective equipment.

Oobleck gets its name from the Dr. Seuss book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck, where a gooey green substance, Oobleck, fell from the sky and wreaked havoc in the kingdom.

JUMP TO BROWSE RELATED RESOURCES

TRAINING VIDEOS

OBJECTIVES

BIG IDEA

The way a material behaves on the macroscale is affected by its structure on the nanoscale.

LEARNING GOALS

  • The way a material behaves on the macroscale is affected by its structure on the nanoscale.

  • Nanotechnology takes advantage of special properties at the nanoscale to create new materials.

NANO CONTENT MAP

Nanoscience, nanotechnology, and nanoengineering lead to new knowledge and innovations that weren't possible before.

Credits

YEAR CREATED
2013
OWNING INSTITUTION

Sciencenter

FUNDING

Developed for the NISE Network with funding from the National Science Foundation under Award Numbers 0532536 and 0940143. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

PERMISSIONS

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
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DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.