Non-Newtonian Fluid on a Speaker Cone

Corn starch is a shear thickening non-Newtonian fluid meaning that it becomes more viscous when it is disturbed. When it's hit repeatedly by something like a speaker cone it forms weird tendrils. The video was shot at 30 fps and the speaker cone was vibrating at 30 Hz which is why there is no blur. This is the original video with the actual sound of the speaker.

[TheReaverOfDarkness]

This is fascinating.

When I was a child, I played with a corn starch and water mixture and discovered that it would solidify if I pressed on it. That made it very difficult to stir. I never even thought of putting the stuff on a speaker, however I did think of putting it in a moat around my castle. The idea was that people trying to cross would use a wide surface, thus failing to solidify the mixture and then sinking. I, however, would casually walk across in mud boots.

[WingmanSR]

man, this makes me think of all the awesome things I could be doing in my spare time besides watching other people do awesome things.

[StuffandThings_]

Plot twist: Its actually just the soul of Newton himself writhing around, tormented by the fluids that don't play by his rules

[pokemonique]

Randall, you weren't kidding when you said this was strange. I felt like it could reach out and eat me.

[Satarack]

Just a correction to the video description, but not all non-Newtonian fluids increase in viscosity when disturbed. Those that do are called shear thickening fluids (it's the shear stress forces of part of a fluid flowing past another that cause it, thus shear thickening). There are as well shear thinning fluids that become less viscous when disturbed (ketchup for example is shear thinning).

[KylecpezTR]

Yes, waiter? I ordered the blueberry soup but it seems you've accidentally given me the souls of the damned.

[mvmlego]

So THIS is what's on Calvin's plate that makes him think he's being attacked by food.

[rejoicealibio]

0:18 me crawling out of bed in the morning

[cameronballard]

Up next on "how to make a gullible person think you've created life".

[evilsqirrel]

i love that the camera framerate is perfectly synchronized with the camera to make an effect all the more unbelievable.

[perustubettaja]

I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going...

[amusik]

Did you try at different frequencies? Would be nice to see if the shapes or the speed of shape formation changes.

[kano]

0:14 Slime: "GeT Me oUt oF HeRe!!!" "SaVe yOuR SeLvEs!!!"

[padunson]

I remember as a kid playing with corn starch and water and not knowing why with a lot of pressure it was solid, and with a little pressure it was liquid. This is a cool video!

[DKFX]

I'm familiar with cymatics. It's pretty amazing.

What is equally facinating is that ancient people seemed to have known about the patterns produced by the vibrations and used it for ceremoneal purposes alot.

[delicate.daydreams]

in my science class last month we watched this video and some kid in the back said, “what are they bumping to?” 😂

[DavidSandilands]

Quite pleasant if you like cornflour more than you value your speaker. Is there difference in the forms you would get between using a bass speaker and, say, something more like a tweeter ?

[kuvasz]

Kudos for showing this. The film looks like a Ray Harryhausen stop-action animation.

[nottherealpaulsmith]

0:30 It's breaching containment! Alert the agents! *klaxon sounds*

[TheStoicApe]

"Its alive!!! Igor, its alive!!"