Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I have 4 questions that I need an expert to answer PLEASE!!! for my project paper.
1} Why does oobleck react to the speed of force in different ways?
2} Can you make oobleck with other liquids?
3} Why does cornstarch and water make a quicksand like substance?
4} Why does cornstarch and water act like a liquid when a small item hits it at a high speed and acts like a solid with a larger object at the same speed?

Cynser3,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the forum. Oobleck is a non-newtonian substance. Unlike "normal" substances that change phase from liquid to solid and vice versa in response to a change in temperature, oobleck changes in reaction to a change in pressure. The higher the pressure applied, the more solid it becomes.

Check out the following link for a bit more about the physics involved and try to formulate your own answers to the questions.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... ence-home/