Stretchy Rubber Band Science: Weekly Science Activity

What happens to a rubber band's elasticity when the temperature changes?

What happens when you heat up or cool down a bunch of molecules? Any exceptions? In this weekly mechanical engineering-themed family science activity, students experiment to find out how rubber bands respond to heating and cooling. Because rubber bands are made of polymer chains, the results may be surprising because a heated rubber band may do the opposite of what you expect! Get hands-on learning more about the physics of thermal expansion, polymers, and the surprising behavior of rubber bands as they respond to temperature in this family-friendly science exploration.

• Stretch It! How does temperature affect a rubber band? (activity)
• Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature (project idea)