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Oobleck: The Dr. Seuss Science Experiment


by fungus amungus on September 18, 2006

Table of Contents
Oobleck: The Dr. Seuss Science Experiment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Intro: Oobleck: The Dr. Seuss Science Experiment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 1: Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 2: Mix it up! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 3: Add food coloring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 4: Play with it! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 5: Oobleck videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/

Author:fungus amungus

my site
I like to make things both useful and odd. The odd projects are usually more fun. I'm also the Content Manager here at Instructables. Follow @edabot for
more

Intro: Oobleck: The Dr. Seuss Science Experiment


Oobleck is a classic science experiment that's perfect for entertaining both kids and adults. If you haven't seen it in action it's very fascinating stuff and before too long
you'll have your hands covered with it, happily making a mess that can be washed away with water.
Oobleck is a non-newtonian fluid. That is, it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it. You can grab it and then it will ooze out of
your hands. Make enough Oobleck and you can even walk on it!
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. Here the Oobleck will be made in a bowl and will likely make a mess, but only because you can get carried away playing with it.

Step 1: Materials
All you need is corn starch and food coloring and the food coloring is optional.
Recipe:
- 1 cup water
- 1.5-2 cups corn starch
- a few drops of food coloring of your choice

http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/

Step 2: Mix it up!


Start with the water in a bowl and start adding the corn starch to it. You can use a spoon at first, but pretty quickly you'll be moving on to using your hand to stir it up.
When you're getting close to adding 1.5 cups of the corn starch, start adding it in more slowly and mixing it in with your hand. The goal is to get a consistency where the
Oobleck reaches a state that is the liquid and yet solid.
Sometimes you will need more cornstarch. If so, keep adding more than the initial 1.5 cups. If you add too much, just add some water back into it. You will have to play
with it to see what feels appropriately weird.

Step 3: Add food coloring


Now that the Oobleck is just right, it's time to add some color. We save this step for later because it's a fun challenge to stir in the food coloring. You will have to slowly
mix the Oobleck around to get it thoroughly mixed.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/

Step 4: Play with it!


No go ahead and play with the Oobleck. That's the point of all this and you can find lots of tricks to try out. Here's a short list:
- Grab a handful, squeeze it, and let it ooze out your fingers.
- Make a puddle and quickly drag your fingers through it.
- Put it into a plastic container and shake it or quickly bump it against a table.
- Jab at the Oobleck and then slowly let your finger sink in.
- Put it on top of a subwoofer and play some low frequencies at high volume (tough to set up, but worth it)
Have fun and be sure to wash it all off in the end.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/

Step 5: Oobleck videos


Still not convinced you want to make it? Play some of these videos to see it in action.

Related Instructables

Make
Rheopectic
slime in less
than 15
minutes! (It is
not Oobleck) by
syribia

oobleck
condom shoes
by ssmiley1

Hooked on
Science Oobleck (video)
by
hookedonscience

How To: Make


Non-Newtonian
Fluid (&
Experiment with
it!) by technick29

Eerie glowing
blob monster by
Drmn4ea

liquid goo by the


jimster

Comments
50 comments Add Comment

view all 103 comments

nutsandbolts_64 says:

Jan 6, 2011. 12:54 AM REPLY


Lol, my friend and I tried this a few days ago. We added enough red food coloring to make it look like intestines! If you added enough red food coloring,
smother this all over yourself, it might actually make a good zombie outfit...

harveyrabbit75 says:

Mar 2, 2010. 9:44 PM REPLY

This stuff is great! Especially fun (and a little bit dangerous:Fill a wading pool with Oobleck and try to run across it.

XOIIO says:

Mar 4, 2010. 11:26 PM REPLY

Mythbusters tried and adam did run across it! I want to try it soooooooo badly!

Millawi Legend says:


They used custard.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/

Apr 6, 2010. 4:55 AM REPLY

PikminRed says:

Nov 15, 2010. 5:27 PM REPLY

Lies: You see them mix it.

bruno13069 says:

Mar 2, 2010. 1:37 PM REPLY


I wonder what would have happened if someone with a super loud woofer or 3 had driven past the tank when the guys were sunk into it.
Would they have been trapped in the liquid like it was concrete, or would they be able to climb out as if on stair steps?

PikminRed says:

Nov 15, 2010. 4:19 PM REPLY

EMAIL THE MYTHBUSTERS They would SOOO try it.

Foaly7 says:

Sep 10, 2009. 7:07 PM REPLY

If one were to make a bunch of this in an aboveground pool, would they have to use a big stick to mix it?

tridario50 says:

Oct 12, 2010. 5:26 PM

(removed by author or community request)

Foaly7 says:

Oct 12, 2010. 7:06 PM REPLY

I'll have you know two things: First, i am well beyond two years of age, and second it is an honest question.

Screamo says:

Sep 26, 2010. 11:30 PM REPLY

I made this once! its fun! hard not to make a mess though! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED

Kacheeker says:

Mar 20, 2010. 7:56 AM REPLY

Oh I have made this before it is so cool! I really like to make tie dye goop. :D

Aragones3 says:

Oct 1, 2009. 10:08 AM REPLY


What if I use a small electric sander instead of a sub woofer for the Walking Oobleck? Could it eliminate the need of an amp, and a laptop bass generating
thingy?

fungus amungus says:

Oct 1, 2009. 10:59 AM REPLY

Sure. Try it. The benefit of the speaker is that you can change the frequencies.

stranoster says:

Oct 29, 2008. 4:31 AM REPLY


Wow. I used to make this all the time when I was younger... I sure am glad that someone else calls it oobleck though. Everyone I speak to says "Oh, you
mean cornflour goop?" . This is well written instructable, but I find that mixing by eye is very appealing because you can get it just right. Anyway, awesome
work.

Xieda says:

Jul 17, 2009. 8:55 AM REPLY


I never knew it was called oobleck. That's an awesome name for it. We used to call it Magic Mud. Nowhere near as lame as "cornflour goop", nowhere near
as groovy as oobleck.

watermelonhead says:

Jun 29, 2009. 8:34 AM REPLY

cornflour goop? lame.

scimom says:

May 7, 2009. 3:54 PM REPLY


I need help for a science fair project. We want to use the non-newtonian fluid and the speaker as our working model. We can't think of a question for the
project all we can think of is. Non-Newtonian fluid is affected by stress and pressure, does sound make stress and pressure. We don't like this question.
Anyone have a better one using the oobleck and speaker experiment. Thanks

fwjs28 says:
sound makes pressure and i guess it would make stress...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/

Jun 9, 2009. 3:29 PM REPLY

dodo91 says:

Mar 14, 2009. 6:35 PM REPLY


this stuff is fun! i just made it. instead, i used, 1/2 cup water 1 cup starch it makes a smaller amount, in case you dont have enough like i did.

dodo91 says:

Mar 31, 2009. 5:05 PM REPLY

you will also need to a little more water to the half cup.

dodo91 says:

Mar 14, 2009. 6:39 PM REPLY

the oobleck looks like monsters are popping out of it!

dodo91 says:

Mar 14, 2009. 6:03 PM REPLY


if any of you watch Mythbusters, you might have senn an episode were they make tons of this stuff. it was the ninja special. they ran across it. then they sank
into it.

shamanwhitewolf says:

Mar 13, 2009. 8:29 AM REPLY


Way too much fun! I wonder what the record is for the longest run across a pool of non-Newtonian fluid is. Or the longest, continuous chain of people to run
across it.

tdbtdb says:

Mar 13, 2009. 1:05 AM REPLY


put oobleck in a balloon for even more tricks. And it lasts longer that way too. Oobleck exposed to air starts to stink after a while. It probably stinks inside the
balloon, too. Just don't pop it.

ceramiceye says:

Mar 12, 2009. 3:11 PM REPLY


I've made Ooblec a thousand times (quite literally) teaching at the Museum of Science in Boston and after-school programs. Cornstarch is a good recipe
because it is readily available, but it is extremely slimy and messy. A recipe that I prefer uses borax and elmers glue and results more similiar to GAK that
Nikilodian used to sell. However, Borax is harder to find.
I used the following website for my source, although I prefer to maxe the two mixtures in plastic cups instead of bowls and then make the final mixture in a
ziploc baggie. I also usually double or triple the amounts to get more goo out of it.
http://education.jlab.org/beamsactivity/6thgrade/oobleck/index.html
http://education.jlab.org/beamsactivity/6thgrade/oobleck/tea04.l.html
Another good recipie uses liquid starch and glue, with slightly different properties as a result (more stretchy). It is also nicer because its easy, you just add
equal amounts of each and a few drops of food coloring.

fwjs28 says:

Mar 12, 2009. 5:08 PM REPLY

borax isnt too hard to find here in PA(US)...look for laundry booster or in the cleaning isle

jodij says:

Mar 12, 2009. 7:37 AM REPLY


When i was 12 yrs.. old my little brother smeared this stuff in my hair, and it wouldn't come out and I had to cut my beautiful long hair really short. Mom was
SOOOO MAD. so yeah, i don't have good memories of this stuff and seeing it again gave me the memory recall. POINT: DON'T PUT IT IN HAIR. lol Or on
an animal.

fwjs28 says:

Mar 12, 2009. 2:38 PM REPLY

it should(eventually) wash out...

jodij says:

Mar 12, 2009. 4:23 PM REPLY


yeah, i found out a little too late about the fact that if you put vegetable oil or something like that into it, it will slither out of your hair. Instructables
wasn't around 30 years ago, and would have been a handy tool to get more info from.lol

fwjs28 says:

Mar 12, 2009. 5:07 PM REPLY

ooo...i see... :P

dodo91 says:

Mar 3, 2009. 4:14 PM REPLY

i know it was. the video is no longer availble, whoever put this up!

fwjs28 says:

Mar 12, 2009. 2:40 PM REPLY


YAAYYY!...lets go detecting down deep into the dark deep realms of the internetz....!*plays theme music* da dan ananananannannan!!!!!!!!!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/

5in1killa says:

Mar 3, 2009. 8:23 PM REPLY

worked fine for me

DEFDOM DELTA says:

Aug 28, 2008. 4:17 PM REPLY


WOW! Those videos are amazing! I like the last video where it is moving from the vibrations of the subwoofer. That's really cool.

The Expert Noob says:

Mar 4, 2009. 8:31 AM REPLY


if ya have an old sub woofer that ya dont mind getting a little cornstarch n water on, put it right on the cone and watch flubber in action! Now how is that
stuff supposed to make my car fly???

fwjs28 says:

Mar 12, 2009. 2:39 PM REPLY

That is exactly what i said about my car!!!well, its really a truck but its all the same thin :P

mg0930mg says:

Mar 5, 2009. 7:33 PM REPLY


Some little person did this at my brother's science fair. I was like OOBLECK! People stared at me, nothing unusual. Good instructable, the stuff feels really
weird, is it liquid or solid?

Mr. Thrak says:

Mar 12, 2009. 12:42 PM REPLY

its SOQUID
DUH
DUH
DUHHHH

KEYBOARDISBROKEN says:

Mar 12, 2009. 11:15 AM REPLY


this one is for adults only!! (if you're under 18- do NOT read!!) but for those randy couples out there, try mixing this into your sex life- it'll reallly spice things
up!!!

susie says:

Mar 12, 2009. 6:45 AM REPLY

Awesome - not to mention the title. I will spread the oobleck far and wide!

Applejuice11 says:

Mar 6, 2009. 2:56 PM REPLY

Oobleck ROCKS! It's just plain awsome!

ClayOgre says:

Mar 3, 2009. 1:04 PM REPLY

I wonder if you could let yourself sink, then, if you moved fast enough, "climb" back onto the surface?

stringstretcher says:

Mar 4, 2009. 7:37 AM REPLY


They tried that on Mythbusters... he walked out into a shallow pool of oobleck, and stopped. Oops! he sank up to his knees and then could not get out.
Every effort to move his feet met with resistance. They built a lift of some sort and extricated him, one inch at a time! Cool!

awang8 says:

Mar 3, 2009. 9:16 PM REPLY

But then you would be covered in solid gloop, and then it will slowly drip a away when it turns back to liquid. Messy...

mman1506 says:

Mar 3, 2009. 2:42 PM REPLY

it was doctor seuss birthday yesterday

LemonyPotatoes says:

Jul 28, 2008. 4:09 PM REPLY

Good times.... I did this too in school, except we put in green food coloring, so it was even more convincing!

smitened says:
What state of matter is oobleck.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/

Nov 8, 2007. 3:59 PM REPLY

grimfig says:

Jul 26, 2008. 6:03 PM REPLY


I don't know much of an answer this is but there is a pretty cool video using Oobleck. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp1wUodQgqQ&feature=related

clanfy says:

May 29, 2008. 4:55 AM REPLY


it is infact a liquid like cusdard but if you put pressure on it the atoms push together and make a solid have you ever seen brainiac beacuse jhon tickle
famusly walkd over a swimming pool full of custard it explains it in more detail there but what i said basicly sums it up clanfy

view all 103 comments

http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/

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