How to make a bouncy ball?
Resources:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/super-bouncy-balls/
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/a/make-a-colorful-bouncy-ball
https://sciencebob.com/make-your-own-bouncy-ball/
Materials:
Process:
Safety Hazard:
The materials we are working with are not supposed to be eaten.
Clean Up:
We will wipe down all of our surfaces and materials.
Documentation:
We will take pictures throughout the entire process.
Science:
There is a chemical reaction taking place, and it’s between the borax and the glue. The borax acts like a “cross-linker” with the glue because of the polymer molecules, this means that when you lift the bouncy ball it will all stay together. The cornstarch makes it so all of the ingredients stick together so the ball will keep its shape.
Looking Back:
As a fun project my partner and I decided to make a bouncy ball. It was really fun and messy to make. For this project I worked with Lydia, because I find that we work well together and that we communicate well. Like I said making the bouncy ball was really messy, because we had glue and food coloring everywhere. Making the bouncy ball easy and fun, it was a quick project and we didn't need to purchase any of the materials, because they were provided. The ball was kind hard to form into a ball, because it kept on falling apart, so we might've needed to add more glue.
Looking Beyond:
The experiment was easy, but it was kind of hard to understand the chemistry in the bouncy ball. Magic sand is a toy made from sand coated with a hydrophobic compound (scotchgard). The presence of this hydrophobic compound causes the grains of sand to cling to one another and form cylinders (to minimize surface area) when exposed to water. When the sand is removed from water, it is completely dry and free flowing. Hydrophobic compound: "A 'water-fearing' compound, such as oil, that has low solubility in water and tends to form a separate phase." We also followed the measurements correctly while doing this project.
Looking Inward:
The experiment was really fun to do. At first the bouncy ball looked like it was going to fall apart, but as we added more glue, the bouncy ball became more round and successful. I think we got desirable results because we were able to follow instructions and measurements. Lydia and I worked hard and well, I think we both contributed to the project by splitting the work up and communicating.
Looking Outward:
While working on this project I worked with Lydia, so far I have worked with Lydia on most of my projects. I think we both work well together, and that we communicate well. It was really fun to work with her and to do this project. I contributed to the experiment, by doing half of the work and by getting all of the materials ready for the project.
Looking Forward:
The experiment was so much fun to do. The bouncy ball ended up turning round, but didn't exactly bounce that high. I think if we added more borax and glue the ball would probably go higher than it did. I would also try to add more food coloring, because the color didn't show up that well in the ball. If I were to this project again I would work with Lydia again, because wI think we communicate really well and we get work done. I don't really see another way continuing this project.
Take Away:
This was one of my favorite projects we did, because it was messy and really fun! To make the bouncy ball you combine the warm water, cornstarch and borax. In another cup or bowl, put the glue. Next, add several drops of food coloring to the white glue and stir well. Give your water/borax/cornstarch mixture a good stir to combine all the ingredients (the cornstarch has a tendency to settle on the bottom). Then pour the water mixture into the colored glue. Stir and you'll see it immediately start to clump together. Stir a bit more until you have one big, slimy glob Take the glob out of the liquid and begin rolling it between the palms of your hands to form a ball. It'll be sticky at first, so keep a paper towel handy to wipe off your hands occasionally. Soon a rubbery ball will form. (We found that just using our palms seemed to work better than using our whole hands and fingers.) Once the stickiness is gone and you have a nice smooth ball, that's it! You can bounce away! Overall it was such a fun project to do, and I really enjoyed it.
Resources:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/super-bouncy-balls/
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/a/make-a-colorful-bouncy-ball
https://sciencebob.com/make-your-own-bouncy-ball/
Materials:
- 2 tablespoons White glue
- 1 teaspoon Borax powder
- Food coloring
- 3 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons Warm water
Process:
- In one cup, combine the warm water, cornstarch and borax. In another cup or bowl, put the glue.
- Next, add several drops of food coloring to the white glue and stir well.
- Give your water/borax/cornstarch mixture a good stir to combine all the ingredients (the cornstarch has a tendency to settle on the bottom). Then pour the water mixture into the colored glue.
- Stir and you'll see it immediately start to clump together. Stir a bit more until you have one big, slimy glob
- Take the glob out of the liquid and begin rolling it between the palms of your hands to form a ball. It'll be sticky at first, so keep a paper towel handy to wipe off your hands occasionally. Soon a rubbery ball will form. (We found that just using our palms seemed to work better than using our whole hands and fingers.)
- Once the stickiness is gone and you have a nice smooth ball, that's it! You can bounce away!
Safety Hazard:
The materials we are working with are not supposed to be eaten.
Clean Up:
We will wipe down all of our surfaces and materials.
Documentation:
We will take pictures throughout the entire process.
Science:
There is a chemical reaction taking place, and it’s between the borax and the glue. The borax acts like a “cross-linker” with the glue because of the polymer molecules, this means that when you lift the bouncy ball it will all stay together. The cornstarch makes it so all of the ingredients stick together so the ball will keep its shape.
Looking Back:
As a fun project my partner and I decided to make a bouncy ball. It was really fun and messy to make. For this project I worked with Lydia, because I find that we work well together and that we communicate well. Like I said making the bouncy ball was really messy, because we had glue and food coloring everywhere. Making the bouncy ball easy and fun, it was a quick project and we didn't need to purchase any of the materials, because they were provided. The ball was kind hard to form into a ball, because it kept on falling apart, so we might've needed to add more glue.
Looking Beyond:
The experiment was easy, but it was kind of hard to understand the chemistry in the bouncy ball. Magic sand is a toy made from sand coated with a hydrophobic compound (scotchgard). The presence of this hydrophobic compound causes the grains of sand to cling to one another and form cylinders (to minimize surface area) when exposed to water. When the sand is removed from water, it is completely dry and free flowing. Hydrophobic compound: "A 'water-fearing' compound, such as oil, that has low solubility in water and tends to form a separate phase." We also followed the measurements correctly while doing this project.
Looking Inward:
The experiment was really fun to do. At first the bouncy ball looked like it was going to fall apart, but as we added more glue, the bouncy ball became more round and successful. I think we got desirable results because we were able to follow instructions and measurements. Lydia and I worked hard and well, I think we both contributed to the project by splitting the work up and communicating.
Looking Outward:
While working on this project I worked with Lydia, so far I have worked with Lydia on most of my projects. I think we both work well together, and that we communicate well. It was really fun to work with her and to do this project. I contributed to the experiment, by doing half of the work and by getting all of the materials ready for the project.
Looking Forward:
The experiment was so much fun to do. The bouncy ball ended up turning round, but didn't exactly bounce that high. I think if we added more borax and glue the ball would probably go higher than it did. I would also try to add more food coloring, because the color didn't show up that well in the ball. If I were to this project again I would work with Lydia again, because wI think we communicate really well and we get work done. I don't really see another way continuing this project.
Take Away:
This was one of my favorite projects we did, because it was messy and really fun! To make the bouncy ball you combine the warm water, cornstarch and borax. In another cup or bowl, put the glue. Next, add several drops of food coloring to the white glue and stir well. Give your water/borax/cornstarch mixture a good stir to combine all the ingredients (the cornstarch has a tendency to settle on the bottom). Then pour the water mixture into the colored glue. Stir and you'll see it immediately start to clump together. Stir a bit more until you have one big, slimy glob Take the glob out of the liquid and begin rolling it between the palms of your hands to form a ball. It'll be sticky at first, so keep a paper towel handy to wipe off your hands occasionally. Soon a rubbery ball will form. (We found that just using our palms seemed to work better than using our whole hands and fingers.) Once the stickiness is gone and you have a nice smooth ball, that's it! You can bounce away! Overall it was such a fun project to do, and I really enjoyed it.