Re: Pinhole Digest #149 - 03/05/99 Oobleck

George Fosselius (gfossel@ix.netcom.com)
Fri, 05 Mar 1999 14:09:13 -0800


Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 14:09:13 -0800
From: George Fosselius <gfossel@ix.netcom.com>
To: Pinhole Listserv <pinhole@exploratorium.edu>
Subject: Re: Pinhole Digest #149 - 03/05/99 Oobleck

> Peter asked:
> >Does anybody know the scientific or quasi-scientific for the "state of matter" of
> oobleck - is it a colloidal suspension?
>
> Ronald answered:

> Yes, it is. Thus it's weird properties - green oobleck being the weirdest

> with yellow a close second.

George Fosselius adds:
I was a soap and plastics chemist in a previous life and still get confused.
A brief search at Alta Vista--(input "cornstarch and water")
reveals the following:

3 ways to spell Oobleck
substance referred to as:
suspension
emulsion
Non-Newtonian fluid
isotropic fluid (opposite of thixotropic)
http://www.fatlion.com/science/isotropy.html

I vote for isotropic suspension (do scientists vote??)

Univ Br Columbia takes some credit; ask them
http://www.physics.ubc.ca/~outreach/p420_96/amber_anthony/app9b.html

*****Good Lesson plan:
http://unr.edu/homepage/crowther/opchem/oobleck.html
(found by asking:
where is the text of "Bartholomew and the Oobleck" by Dr. Suess? to Alta Vista.com)

Im not sure what is copyrighted at:
http://www.wolfineline.com/sciobleck.htm
since Ted Geisel alias Dr. Suess came up with the term

text is not yet in the Project Gutenberg collection of the world's books in e-text form
http://www.promo.net/pg/

Hope you had a happy Seuss birthday March 2.
George