Let's Make Oobleck!

[Tripleminnie]

That's not oobleck. Real oobleck is made with cornstarch and water. (PS its edible but doesn't taste very good)

[JeffersonLab]

@Tripleminnie There's no such thing as 'real' Oobleck. It's a fictional material. Want to make it from water and cornstarch? That's fine. Want to make it with glue and borax? That's fine, too. The Oobleck police won't give you a ticket.

[TheMetroidfanatic]

@JeffersonLab It can also be made with baby powder

[Jefforsonlab]

I made that in school yay

[stopglobalswarming]

YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON TELEVISION! (SPLAT!)

[2free2care]

We made this in class

[JessieJFan999]

PUT IT IN LIQUID NITROGEN!!!!!!!

[nick910ish]

boax is not allowed in michigan :(

[server642]

Good idea Steve, put this oobleck in liquid nitrogen!!!!

[wierdo969]

I MADE THIS IN 2nd GRADE:D <3 ^-^

[TheTinapop10]

@Bellerina2288 Yes u can my cousin lives in austrailia and she had borax !

[MrLaxattack3]

Can you do a vid of mixing cornstarch and water.. It's really fun to play with. But just use it and mix the substances in a bowl

[djicecream223]

I remember making this in 6th grade, it was awesome.

[Bellerina2288]

@JeffersonLab oh ok thank you and I love your videos soo much so I rated (obviously commented) subscribed and liked:) I ❤ FROSTBITE THEATRE!!!!!!!

[BadassAlen]

@JeffersonLab they were explaining to wash your hands and to keep away from pets like if I was 8 years of age so I realized these videos are for kids

[JeffersonLab]

@BadassAlen Well, we don't exactly expect adults to be making this stuff. If you feel that you are too mature for this, take a look at the Science Series videos. Those are intended for high school and up.

[LMF5000]

@JeffersonLab You'll never believe this, but we actually did this experiment at university! It was two years ago now - when I was in my 3rd year (of the 4-year bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering course). Though naturally we were more interested in studying the polymerisation reaction that makes this work :). In our case we also tried different ratios of PVA to borax and managed to make some that was the consistency of a rubber ball (and bounced like one!)

[WhenTheMoonFalls221]

@BadassAlen Oh, yeah, they totally make videos for kids. Because in this generation, parents don't care if their kids play with liquid nitrogen and electricity.

It's just a warning. Some people, despite it being disgusting, wouldn't and probably won't, even if told, wash their hands after handling stuff like this.

[BadassAlen]

ok im goin to stop watching these videos cause what they told me to do after making it

[JeffersonLab]

@BadassAlen ????

[Bellerina2288]

Yay!! Thank you!! And can you buy borax in Australia

[JeffersonLab]

@Bellerina2288 I've never been to Australia, so I don't know whether or not Borax is available. I don't know why it wouldn't be.

[rparker069]

quick! put it on a speaker and pump up the bass!

[Bellerina2288]

Could you please put the oobleck in liquid nitrogen please?!?!

[JeffersonLab]

@Bellerina2288 Eventually, it will happen!

[ThatTrafficCone]

Can't you just use corn syrup and water?

[JeffersonLab]

@ThatTrafficCone Corn syrup and water? Don't you mean corn starch and water? Sure, if you want. It's not the same s this, but that's okay. There's more than one type of cookie. There's more than one type of 'Oobleck.'

[typhoonkj]

i use water and cornstarch

[KrazeyKangaroo]

So basically you made green slime?

[beutifly199]

Can it be "Another Time" now? Please? Liquid Nitrogen? Anyone? I'll wait for it. By the way, is it safe to blow on liquid Nitrogen to make the "fog" spread around? If it is, could you please blow on it?

[JeffersonLab]

@beutifly199 We'll get there...

[fiallos1]

Take the Oobleck for a Liquid Nitrogen Bath! Please.

[imurboss4]

you wouldn't happen to know how to turn eggs and ham into a green color would you?

[JeffersonLab]

@imurboss4 Green food coloring?

[shoemakerleve9]

Oh, can you do a video on the CEBAF?!

[JeffersonLab]

@shoemakerleve9 We're planning one during the upcoming down period starting this summer.

[shoemakerleve9]

@JeffersonLab Cool! (:

[greenda11993]

we made this last year in my chem class

[dababyboy46]

Try a mix of water and corn starch, to make an interesting type of "quick sand" in a large bowl

[LoganVideo12TV]

Oobleck + Liquid Nitrogen = Awesome

[danictheman]

No let the english conversions be a mystery!

[Th3RussBus]

I'm 17 and have been making Oobleck/Goo since pre-school.

[danictheman]

@Th3RussBus Thats a lot if goo!

[charitycrafter]

You guys have the coolest job. Do you have to do other work when you aren't teaching?

[JeffersonLab]

@charitycrafter Yes. Making these videos is a 'when time allows' project.

[PeaceOfTruth]

PUT IT IN LIQUID NITROGEN!

[MrShmazoo]

What's with these people and liquid nitrogen?

[iluvbeingmindless]

I've done this b4

[Simonvc95]

yes!! Liquid nitrogen :D

[TwilighterChick911]

PLEASE put it in the liquid nitrogen!

[Zod011]

It's New Year's What am i gunna do with that stuff :D

[dmillet09]

we did it with cornflower and water. its much easier to buy and it has cool properties, e.g. if you punch it or roll it in your hands it goes hard or solid, when you let go of it it turns to a liquid, similar properties to tomato ketchup, just on a bigger scale :)

[FortinBrown]

Wow, this just unlocked a memory that was no ware to be found. I did this when I was a young tike in bible school! Yup, bible school...

[sunshinobie]

Deff. Put it in Liquid Nitrogen haha that would be great

[livvytard8paigetard]

Where the bloomin hec sells borax in the uk

[tady159]

Where I live, Borax simply doesn't exist, nor I know of any product that has sodium tetraborate. Do you know if there is any substance that can be used instead?

[JeffersonLab]

@tady159 I am not aware of a borax substitute for this particular recipe.

[NotExplosive]

@tady159 Try: Corn Starch + Water + Food Coloring, pretty much the same result

[CottonCandySweetasgo]

@tady159 I've been making this exact same stuff for years with just school glue and fabric softener.

[IkeofCrimea]

Oobleck plus liquid nitrogen? Make it so!

[thejwingfield]

I've made that but instead we used water and corn starch.

[MikeMaestro757]

I love how many people are trying to argue with the experts. hahaha

[iztrix]

@MikeMaestro757 i know, made me giggle

[MrDeathray99]

i remember doing this at school

[HaileyTheEpicGinger]

We made this in school but instead we used water and Baking Soda. And it still worked.

[JeffersonLab]

@HaileyTheEpicGinger Water and baking soda? Interesting... I've never heard of that one.

[13RuffRyder]

@JeffersonLab i think he meant water and starch cuz thats what i did in school a long time ago.

[matchbox2022]

If you guys are starting to do chem instead of physics....could do smth with hydrogen peroxide, bleach and lithium metal. I promise it'll be fun!

[maxcrawl1]

dude in the back of the book im pretty shure it says just add corbstarch and water....

[JeffersonLab]

@maxcrawl1 Our copy of the book has no recipe. Feel free to make it with cornstarch and water. Feel free to make it with glue and borax. It's not like Oobleck is a well defined substance that has a specific molecular formula, like water or carbon dioxide. It's more like a cookie. Or ice cream. Or pizza. There's more than one way to make it.

[therobomaker957]

@JeffersonLab Cornstarch and water in a 2:1 ratio is called by many scientists oobleck. It is liquid when you put it in your hands but solid if you smack it due to the fact it is a non-newtonian fluid.I made this in science class but added too much borax so it was pretty solid. We had a race off a table and so, I made another batch that was really liquidy and then, mixed them. The goal was to reach the floor with the fastest speed. You should put both types of oobleck in liquid nitrogen for fun.

[keekatdanceparty]

@maxcrawl1 Cornstarch and water makes non-newtonian fluid, judging by the video it looks more like a slime.

[JeffersonLab]

@keekatdanceparty This is also a non-Newtonian fluid.

[TheFoodChallengerGuy]

@JeffersonLab Or cornstarch and water for use if you don't really want to go out and buy a bunch of liquid glue or borax. I've done both. Both really cool.

[TheFoodChallengerGuy]

Just cornstarch and water.

[JeffersonLab]

@TheFoodChallengerGuy Or, glue and borax. There's more than one cookie recipe. No reason why there shouldn't be one Oobleck recipe. Who knows... you might like the glue and borax one better.

[TheCreeperDownStairs]

I made this in school with cornstarch and water and flour and other stuff a few years ago :L

[SaleenaYasminAli]

theyw ould be SUPER awesome parents!

[evewingful]

I tried this, and it came out simply wonderful! The mixture is quick and easy to make, and I tried various colors. A few batches got messes up from the amount, but the bigger the mixture I made, the bigger the Oobleck came out! Stunning!

[xXSoulWaveXx]

Oobleck is cornstarch & water, its a non- newtonian fluid, which means its like liquid until pressure is applied and it becomes hard. This is not oobleck.

[JeffersonLab]

@xXSoulWaveXx Why isn't this Oobleck? It's a non-newtonian fluid, a rheopectic non-newtonian fluid to be exact. I don't believe Dr. Seuss ever defined a molecular formula for the substance described in the story... There's nothing wrong with making Oobleck from cornstarch and water. There's also nothing wrong with making Oobleck from glue and borax.

[jtjoemamma]

@JeffersonLab cornstarch & water is cooler



[JeffersonLab]

@jtjoemamma Maybe. Glue and borax isn't as messy, though.

[KingsBlend1]

@JeffersonLab I get my Oobleck from the Oobleck store.

[ScruffyCat002]

The best Oobleck is a solid when force is applied, and liquid when left alone!

[brathirl1231]

Well what I did was get some water, cornstarch, and green food coloring and I mixed it up together.**<3

[yovotey]

thats gack not ooblek great vid

[yovotey]

thats gack not ooblek



[MrFloman100]

Awsome guys keep posting

[11kazzo]

I really want to see it in liquid nitrogen

[orangetj1]

lame... you shoould put this in liquid nitrogen



[JeffersonLab]

@orangetj1 We're planning to. Did you not watch the entire video?

[iPREDonyourFAZE]

corn starch and water makes oobleck too.

[AmericanIdiot1035]

Dude I made this stuff my freshman year of high school, it was fun to play with until I forgot to put it back into the little wax paper baggie and it dried up :( Another cool thing to make is a polymer bouncy ball, which is the same materials, but you don't make a solution out of the glue. The part that sucked though is that we had to stretch it to see how far it stretched and it ripped in half, so I just made another one

[Snakecharmer95]

you may have also known you can make oobleck(at least thats what i call it) with i think 25% water and 75% of cornstarch. i think the proportion is right. all i know is that you need i bit more cornstarch than water to get the consistency right.

[Xtremeswifty]

I heard when you put pure potassium in water it combusts, is this true?

[JeffersonLab]

@Xtremeswifty Not exactly. Potassium reacts with water to form potassium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. It also gives off a lot of heat which can cause a reaction between the hydrogen gas that's released and the oxygen gas that's in the air. So, while it may appear to be burning, the fire isn't really from the combustion of potassium.

[littlepiggy21]

i love how when joanna is talking at the end steve is just playing with the oobleck like ":DD"

haha :P

[maxey83112]

lol i live 15 miles from borax in boron Ca, my uncle use to work there b4 he passed away.

[Steampunkfunk]

@maxey83112 My grandfather used to work there 60 years ago!

[jimmyjamjar10101]

I made a clear batch of this in high school and about a month later, I had some visible bacteria cultures :D My teacher took a sample and got it analysed. Turned out to be a mixture of Staphylococcus aureus and another type of bacteria that escapes my memory :p

[JeffersonLab]

@jimmyjamjar10101 Once your Oobleck becomes sentient, it's time to make new Oobleck.

[jimmyjamjar10101]

@JeffersonLab Yep.  Twas quickly disposed of and making more as i type :D

[IanDJx75]

PUT IT IN THE LIQUID NITROGEN!!!!! WOOOOO!!!!!! :D

[jayfeather7771]

Well? Are u gonna put it in liquid nitrogen?

[JeffersonLab]

@jayfeather7771 Yep!

[afropaladin]

I have an idea for a cool experiment you could do. Split an atom.

[JeffersonLab]

@afropaladin Actually, we do that all the time here. Not much to see, though...

[meowmeow5]

dont forget the subtitles..

[JeffersonLab]

@meowmeow5 They are coming.

[JeffersonLab]

@meowmeow5 Closed captioning has been completed.

[kindylmefrench101]

Je l'ai fait à l'école! C'était tellement amusant!

[KartSeven1]

@JeffersonLab Please create a transcript.

[JeffersonLab]

@KartSeven1 One will be coming soon.

[b74k3]

I'm pretty sure I did that in my later years of elementary school...takes me back to a simpler time when I didn't care about anything :D

[cupcakegirl212]

Drop it in liquid nitrogen! Wouldn't have asked, but you reminded me of it!

[Moshejetz]

this isnt oobleck its silly putty cause it bounces

[JeffersonLab]

@Moshejetz Who says Oobleck can't bounce?

[iamamaggot666]

Liquid Nitrogen Oobleck :)

[Pegasusthebeyblade]

O_o

[joblessalex]

Drop it in liquid nitrogen! Wouldn't have asked, but you reminded me of it!

[mathscirocks]

i'm the one who wants to see it in liquid nitrogen

[neojake999gamer]

Yeah you're right. Throw that stuff in some liquid nitrogen!!

[eaturfeet653]

i thought oobleck was water and corn starch

[JeffersonLab]

@eaturfeet653 There is a version you can do with corn starch and water. That one can be really messy, though. Plus, I think the glue-borax version behaves more like the substance in 'Bartholomew and the Oobleck.'

[IamLiterallyRetarded]

The only critique I would make is that you didn't explain why Borax and glue and water make Oobleck...

[JeffersonLab]

@IamLiterallyRetarded That's a valid critique that I appreciate. Honestly, though, we just wanted to have some fun. Maybe we'll revisit it and explain the polymerization process, especially if we can get some animation together.

[IamLiterallyRetarded]

@JeffersonLab Thanks, I only asked because the video piqued my interest (which I assume is your goal)!

[Cainjonm]

@JeffersonLab What is it about borax that makes it necessary? Do you know of any alternatives, in case Borax isn't available in other countries?

[JeffersonLab]

@Cainjonm The borax links (cross-links? not sure what the proper term is...) the polyvinyl acetate molecules in the glue. I don't think there's a suitable borax substitute for this particular recipe.

[johntobz]

Hey guys. I love your no-nonsense fun approach to these experiments.. I would really like to see an 'experiment' where you show the difference between supercooling and supersaturation. You know all these misleading YT videos about instant freezing water when it's actually Sodium Acetate supersaturated solution. And of course the videos of actual real instant freezing supercooled liquids further confuse the situation. Anyway.. Keep up the good work!

[omegahunter9]

DO ET! Put it in liquid nitrogen! :)

[sammy3212321]

I remeber making this stuff in a science fair, but in much smaller quantities. Wait, did I spell fair wrong?

[youngatheart212]

Thank you for a great science lesson idea. As someone working towards an elementary education degree this is a great way to connect lessons throughout the day.

[JeffersonLab]

@youngatheart212 We have an Oobleck related activity on our web site that we use in our program. Search for 'jefferson lab oobleck'.

[youngatheart212]

@JeffersonLab Thank you.

[Manonthe3up]

Heh heh heh heh heh...

BLECK!

[akira50000]

That is awesome, something I can and will do.

Also the Liquid Nitrogen, definitely a want, hehe.

[superfurryrobot]

hi

[Snakecharmer95]

PUT IT IN LIQUID NITROGEN XD so many comments from me XD

[Snakecharmer95]

when i saw this i was like "darn they didnt freeze a baseball" XD i love oobleck

[Josh40996]

Hey, what happens if you dip it in Liquid Nitrogen? =P (Video Suggestion)

[rodriguezadam11]

Please mix it liquid nitrogen? :D

[blizniak28]

Need approval ? "1st :P" je2555 ?

[Skydivingkittens]

Hmmm.... Astrophysics experiments next?

[JeffersonLab]

@Skydivingkittens There's a quantum physics one coming up.

[Arcterion]

@JeffersonLab Quantum physics? Oh boy. :D

Time to stare at the video in amazement and wonder if you guys are wizards.

[RebornAc3]

Awesome:)

[MrTimoteo1596]

lol i want it to be put into liquid nitrogen lol i love you guys you guys should make a bloopers video for each video i love bloopers

[JeffersonLab]

@MrTimoteo1596 The length of the bloopers would be longer than the length of the actual video. We make LOTS of mistakes!

[MrTimoteo1596]

@JeffersonLab yeah but the last video of bloopers u did made it really funny after watching the actual video

[sander9847]

yaeh liquid nidrogen

[je2555]

Why do all your comments need approval now?

[JeffersonLab]

@je2555 They have always needed approval. We don't want our pages looking like a bathroom wall.

[je2555]

1st :P