Slow-Mo Non-Newtonian Fluid on a Speaker

TL;DR

High-speed camera footage reveals the behavior of a corn starch and water mixture on a speaker, demonstrating how non-Newtonian fluids transition between liquid and solid states depending on frequency and amplitude.

Transcript

So today I am going to do everyone’s favorite non Newtonian experiment. I am going to put this corn starch and water solution on this speaker, but I want to do this scientifically. So I am shooting it with a high speed camera and I am going to vary the frequency and the amplitude and see what factors really give us the best corn starch monster. It ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🚱 The behavior of non-Newtonian fluids, such as the corn starch and water mixture, depends on factors like frequency and amplitude.
• ❓ Increasing the amplitude disrupts the fluid's smoothness and creates jumping movements.
• 😘 Higher frequencies result in more random structures, while lower frequencies create solid-like blobs.
• 🫗 The presence of starch grains in the fluid causes it to exhibit both liquid and solid properties.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the behavior of the corn starch and water mixture change with increasing amplitude?

As the amplitude increases, the fluid becomes less smooth and starts to jump around due to an increase in sheer force between the starch grains. This disrupts the lubrication provided by water molecules and makes the fluid less liquid-like.

Q: What effect does increasing the frequency have on the fluid's behavior?

Higher frequencies result in more random structures, with the fluid sometimes forming cool shapes and turning into blobs. At higher frequencies, the fluid becomes more coherent and smoother due to inertia keeping it off the speaker surface.

Q: Why does the fluid exhibit different behaviors at different frequencies?

The fluid's behavior is influenced by the presence of starch grains suspended in water. As the frequency increases, the starch grains cannot flow past each other easily, leading to a solid-like state. Lower frequencies allow the starch to move out of the way, maintaining a more liquid-like behavior.

Q: Can non-Newtonian fluids be compared to traffic flow?

Yes, non-Newtonian fluids, like the corn starch and water mixture, can be compared to traffic flow. When there are fewer particles (cars) or slower speeds, the fluid (traffic) flows smoothly. However, with more particles and higher speeds, the fluid (traffic) becomes congested like a solid.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Using a high-speed camera, the video shows the corn starch and water mixture on a speaker at different frequencies and amplitudes.

• As the amplitude increases, the fluid starts to jump around and loses its smoothness.

• Higher frequencies result in more random structures, while lower frequencies create solid-like blobs.