FEB 06, 2018

Video: Walking on Water (and Cornstarch)

WRITTEN BY: Julia Travers

Would you like to walk on water? Well, water plus cornstarch, to be exact. These people are walking, jumping and dancing on a mixture of water and cornstarch. This mixture shows the property of a non-Newtonian fluid; a fluid that has a changing rather than consistent viscosity. Viscosity is also described as rate of flow or "thickness." Honey, for example, is more viscous than water.

When sudden force is applied to this liquid, the cornstarch particles can't move out of the way in time, and the object (such as a human foot) is met with resistance and stopped at the surface, just as it would be when interacting with a solid substance. However, if slow, steady force is applied, the cornstarch particles will slide around the object, letting it pass into the liquid.

To create this entertaining mixture, simply combine two-parts cornstarch and one-part water and let the fun begin!