Hammer and Silly Putty
Silly Putty

 

Code Number: 2C60.40

Demo Title: Silly Putty

Condition: Excellent

Principle: Elastic Recovery of a Highly Viscous Fluid, Shear Force

Area of Study: Heat & Fluids

Equipment: 

Silly Putty, Large Hammer, Corn Starch, Water.

Procedure:

Set the silly putty on a very solid surface. HIT THE PUTTY VIOLENTLY WITH THE HAMMER!!! Due to the fact that silly putty has a lower viscosity for slow shear rates and a high viscosity for fast shear rates the putty will shatter like a large crystal. 

Another product that acts much the same way as silly putty is called mung. This is made by mixing corn starch and water to the desired solid/fluid consistency. Again this has a high viscosity for fast shear rates.

References:

  • Rod Cross, "Elastic Properties of Plasticine, Silly Putty, and Tennis Strings", TPT, Vol. 50, # 9, Dec. 2012, p. 527.
  • Rod Cross, "Elastic and Viscous Properties of Silly Putty", AJP, Vol. 80, # 10, Oct. 2012, p. 870.
  • Jearl Walker,  "Serious Fun with Polyox, Silly Putty, Slime and Other Non-Newtonian Fluids",  The Amateur Scientist,  November, 1978.
  • Jearl Walker,  "Easy Ways to Make Holograms and View Fluid Flow, and More Funny Fluids",  The Amateur Scientist,  February, 1980.
  • "Toy Origins", Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, p.169.
  • "Silly Putty", Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, p.267.
  • Ed Sobey, Woody Sobey, "Silly Putty", The Way Toys Work, p. 125.
  • Janice VanCleave, "Glob", 200 Gooey, Slippery, Slimy, Weird, & Fun Experiments, p. 55.
  • Janice VanCleave, "Sticky Sand", 201 Awesome, Magical, Bizarre, & Incredible Experiments, p. 54.
  • 4.127:  Jearl Walker, "Die-Swelling Silly Putty", The Flying Circus of Physics with Answers.
  • 4.128:  Jearl Walker, "Bouncing Putty",The Flying Circus of Physics with Answers.
  • Brandon Specktor, "Toys That Weren't Meant to Be Toys", Readers Digest, Sept. 2015, p. 134-135.
  • Herb Strongin, “Investigating a Solid / Liquid“, Science on a Shoestring, p. 18. 
  • Borislaw Bilash II, “Silly Putty“, A Demo A Day – A Year of Physical Science Demonstrations, p. 201.
  • The Book of Unusual Knowledge, Publications International, Ltd., "8 Things Invented or Discovered by Accident", Chapter 15, p. 450.
2C60.30 - Silly Putty