Our hypothesis is that when we apply more weight the cornstarch particles will clump together [becomes solid].So in 30 seconds less oobleck will come out when I put more weight.

Normally, solids keep their shape, and liquids can change shape because they flow. Oobleck is different because it does not always follow these rules. Sometimes it acts like a liquid, and sometimes it acts like a solid. When you smack or squeeze it, it becomes hard. Because of this, it is called a non-Newtonian fluid. This means its thickness can change when force is applied. Ketchup is another example because it becomes runnier when shaken. Oobleck behaves this way because of the shape of the cornstarch particles. The particles are long and thin and do not dissolve in water. When the mixture moves slowly, the particles slide past each other and it flows like a liquid. When it is pushed quickly, the particles tangle together and it hardens. As a student, I enjoyed playing with oobleck and was curious about how it works. For my science fair project, I decided to design a simple experiment to show that applying pressure makes oobleck act like a solid. Source: Science World. (n.d.). Oobleck. https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/oobleck/

• Independent Variable: Weight applied (g)
• Dependent Variable: Mass collected (g)
• Controlled Variables:
  • - Same oobleck batch
  • - Same mesh
  • - Same starting mass (100 g)
  • - Same timing (30 sec)

• Prepared oobleck using a 2:1 ratio of cornstarch to water.
• Placed a fine mesh strainer over a collection bowl.
• Measured 100 g of oobleck for each trial.
• Placed a flat press cup on top of the oobleck.
• Applied a measured weight (0 g, 200 g, 400 g, 600 g, 800 g).
• Timed 30 seconds immediately after placing the weight.
• Measured the mass of oobleck collected in the bowl.
• Repeated each weight level three times.
• Stirred and reset the oobleck the same way between trials.

• Obleck was prepared according to ratio, but was not behaving normally
• Results were not consistent with hypothesis
• Water was added after each test because it was drying up
• Results were recorded by taking 5 readings
• Only 3 results were taken.

As applied weight increased, the mass of oobleck collected changed in a unclear pattern.

At 0 g, the average mass collected was 52.33 g. At 200 g, it changed slightly to 54.66 g. At 400 g, it reduced slightly 53.66 g.

This shows that increasing applied weight (force) caused the oobleck to become more watery (in a very slight way) and flowed easily through the mesh.

• My hypothesis stated that if the applied weight increased, then less oobleck would pass through the mesh in 30 seconds because oobleck becomes more solid under greater force.
• The data did not support my hypothesis. As the applied weight increased from 0 g to 400 g, the average mass of oobleck collected increased.
• This occurred because oobleck was drying very quickly and i kept adding water to fix it. So although i was predicting that mass collected would decerease but it was almost the same,in fact it increased a bit.

• Oobleck is a very cool substance, it encouraged me and my friends to participate
• Scientific experimentation seemed very easy.
• But it was very hard to understand oobleck as it had ups and downs and lefts and rights.
• I learnt that science is very unpredictable and can do anything at anytime whenever it wants.

Some sources of error that we encountered and fixed are the following: - Sometimes when we would make the oobleck it would get hardened within a short period of time. To fix that\, we would add water. - Sometimes\, we wouldn't time ourselves accurately. To fix this\, we both soley focused on the experiment instead having one person conduct the experiment and the other record. In others\, one of us would focus on the timer and the oobleck being put into the mesh. -Sometimes the mesh would end up getting blocked because it become overused. To fix it, we would have a jug of water beside us and would dip the mesh instead for a quick clean.

Science World. (n.d.). Oobleck. Retrieved from https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/oobleck/ Emily’s Science Lab. (n.d.). Oobleck Experiment Video. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ Science Buddies. (n.d.). Oobleck: A Recipe for a Mesmerizing Mixture. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/ Science Fun. (n.d.). Make Non-Newtonian Goo Easy Science Experiment. Retrieved from https://www.sciencefun.org/ Crash Course Kids. (n.d.). Non-Newtonian Fluids Video. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ OpenAI. (2026). AI-generated image of Oobleck experiment [Digital image]. Created using ChatGPT (DALL·E). https://chat.openai.com/ OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (AI writing assistant). Used for editing and organizing science fair text. https://chat.openai.com/

We would like to acknowledge the following people for making this project come to reality: - Ourselves (Ganeev & Sukhleen) for believing in ourselves and working hard. - We would like to thank our parents for providing the materials for the experiment and for making time for us to work together. - We would like to thank Ms. Grewal and Ms. Sharma for guiding us.