{"id":323,"date":"2017-04-28T14:38:14","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T13:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk\/science-engineering\/?p=323"},"modified":"2023-06-21T09:30:01","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T08:30:01","slug":"sciencex-science-takes-over-intu-trafford-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk\/science-engineering\/2017\/04\/28\/sciencex-science-takes-over-intu-trafford-centre\/","title":{"rendered":"ScienceX \u2013 science takes over intu Trafford Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"

Science isn\u2019t just for scientists. That\u2019s why each year the Faculty of Science and Engineering and intu Trafford Centre team up to deliver ScienceX; an eye-catching collection of science experiments for all ages. It aims to get more people engaged with science whilst demonstrating the work that the University of Manchester does and how science influences our everyday lives.
\nDotted around the shopping centre were a number of stalls where members of the public could put their scientific skills to the test. Everything from \u201cOobleck\u201d – a liquid that is also a solid – to robotic dogs and even a flight simulator were available to explore.<\/p>\n

Academic staff, researchers and undergraduate students were on hand to explain the science behind the fun activities and to challenge some of the traditional perceptions of science and engineering. The aim of the day was to get people asking whether they too could be a scientist.<\/p>\n

So, what did we learn at ScienceX?<\/p>\n

Oobleck<\/h2>\n

This make-it-yourself gloop is not only a fun thing to do on a rainy afternoon with the kids, but is also a rather remarkable substance; Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid. Non-Newtonian fluids don\u2019t follow the usual laws of viscosity (thickness) as put forward by Newton. Instead, their viscosity changes depending on the forces applied to them. For example, Ketchup gets thinner if you shake it really hard, whereas Oobleck gets thicker if you apply pressure to it.<\/p>\n

You may have seen experiments where people hit or even run across pools of Oobleck. The substance is simply a mix of water and corn starch (the cornflour or custard powder you have in your cupboard will also work). Mixed to 1 part water and 1.5-2 parts corn starch (and a little food colouring to prettify it), you have yourself some Oobleck (although we\u2019ll be surprised if you manage to make enough to sprint across).<\/p>\n

And why is it called Oobleck? For fans of Dr Seuss, you may already know the answer; it is named after the sticky substance that rains down from the sky in the story Bartholomew and the Oobleck<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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