Activity

Walking on custard

In this activity, students watch the Brainiac video Jon Tickle walks on custard on YouTube to learn more about non-Newtonian fluids at work. The activity includes a number of strategies to deepen student interaction with video content.

Oobleck

A cornflour and water mixture – is a non-Newtonian fluid.

Rights: The University of Waikato

By the end of this activity, students should be able to:

  • discuss the differences between Newtonian fluids (‘normal liquids’) and non-Newtonian fluids

  • explain the scientific meanings of stress and strain as they relate to fluids

  • discuss how non-Newtonian fluids change their viscosity or flow behaviour under stress

  • explain why Jon Tickle is able to walk on custard but not on water.

Download the Word file (see link below) for:

  • background information for teachers

  • teacher instructions

  • student instructions.

Related content

Non-Newtonian fluids change their viscosity or flow behaviour under stress as explained in the article Non-Newtonian fluids.

Videos are a useful media to demonstrate aspects that cannot be recreated in the classroom. The article Using videos in the classroom provides a number of strategies that assist students to become more actively involved with the video.

Activity ideas

Follow this with the activity Danger – quicksand!

Useful links

The YouTube video John Tickle walks on custard demonstrates the difference between a pool filled with water (a Newtonian fluid) and a pool filled with cornflour-based custard (a non-Newtonian fluid).

Published: 12 April 2010Updated: 15 February 2018