How to make Liquid Armour

Image credit: Rory MacLeod [CC BY 2.0], via Flickr

FIRST WATCH THE VIDEO BY CLICKING HERE.

A liquid that still flows and but is indestructibly solid if you hit it? A liquid that can protect an egg from smashing at great heights? We are going to show you how you can make a non-Newtonian fluid or ‘liquid armour’ at home.

What you’ll need:

-A mixing bowl
-1/4 cup of water
-1/4 cup of corn starch
-Newspaper and kitchen roll (to keep things clean)

How to make it:

1. First lay down some newspaper to catch spills.
2. Put about two thirds of the corn starch in the mixing bowl and add a third of the water mixing together with your fingers.
3. Keep adding small amounts of water and keep mixing with your fingers until: 1) if you pick up a handful of the fluid, it will feel thick and then if you let it fall back into the bowl it will do slowly and inconsistently; 2) if you pick up a handful of the fluid and keep moving it between your hands in a ball, it will keep its shape while you apply pressure but as soon as you let go it will become more liquid again.

Note: if it flows too slickly and won’t solidify, add a bit more corn starch and mix again. If it is too thick and won’t drip, add a little more water and mix again with your fingers.

Test out how protective the liquid armour is with adult supervision by pouring it into a small plastic bag and pressing an egg into the middle of it then dropping the bag from as far up as you can reach (we used a ladder!).

At the end of your experiment, make sure you throw the gloop into the bin, not down the sink as it can block drain. Mostly, ENJOY and remember to question the science behind it all.