Uploaded September 2016 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Episode 23: Non-Newtonian Fluid (Oobleck)
(Rated G) So many things have been done with oobleck, which is made from a mixture of corn starch and water. A non-newtonian fluid is one with unusual properties for a liquid, in this case you have one that behaves as both a solid and a liquid. if you pour it or slowly dip something in, it behaves as a liquid, but breaks apart as a solid when hit with sudden impact. Oobleck was named after the fictional substance from the Dr. Seuss book "Bartholomew And The Ooblek". It's been dropped, shot at, put on a speaker to "dance", but curiously enough it has never been blended. So what happens when you put oobleck in a blender? Science! Or more accurately a blender gets destroyed after crapping out from about a minute and a half of "blending" the oobleck. What happes is that the blades try to spin and it behaves much as a solid in this case, and it's like you have cement in a blender. I know it's not smart to spoil the ending of something like this as it takes away the unexpected element of surprise, but nobody reads the description anyway, and besides, it's a blender destruction series after all, so it's going to be destroyed. I wonder if a Blendtec blender would have fared any better here.
Episode 23: Non-Newtonian Fluid (Oobleck)
(Rated G) So many things have been done with oobleck, which is made from a mixture of corn starch and water. A non-newtonian fluid is one with unusual properties for a liquid, in this case you have one that behaves as both a solid and a liquid. if you pour it or slowly dip something in, it behaves as a liquid, but breaks apart as a solid when hit with sudden impact. Oobleck was named after the fictional substance from the Dr. Seuss book "Bartholomew And The Ooblek". It's been dropped, shot at, put on a speaker to "dance", but curiously enough it has never been blended. So what happens when you put oobleck in a blender? Science! Or more accurately a blender gets destroyed after crapping out from about a minute and a half of "blending" the oobleck. What happes is that the blades try to spin and it behaves much as a solid in this case, and it's like you have cement in a blender. I know it's not smart to spoil the ending of something like this as it takes away the unexpected element of surprise, but nobody reads the description anyway, and besides, it's a blender destruction series after all, so it's going to be destroyed. I wonder if a Blendtec blender would have fared any better here.
