Corn starch + water + vibrating plate.

[Veho]

Cool stuff with common corn starch and water at certain frequencies. The last experiment is really freaky.

I wonder if the right combination of frequencies and sound distribution could make it get up, walk, and maybe sprout more tentacles and molest Shadowboy.

EDIT: Almost there...

 

[BoneMonkey]

that is pretty cool whats the point of this ?

 

[Jaxtaylor]

That's so strange - I react more or less exactly the same when i'm vibrated.

 

[mthrnite]

I hadn't seen that second vid, cool! That looks like a living creature. Man I wish I had a variable speed vibr.. um..

Seriously though, me and the kids do corn starch experiments from time to time. They're at the age that they like goopy crap anyway. Cornstarch is cool in that under pressure it gets really solid. Mix cornstarch and water in a baking pan/cassarole dish or big bowl, then poke your finger in it. Feels like pancake batter, very runny. Now smack it quickly and it's hard like a surface. If you put your fingers in it and pinch quickly, it'll feel like you're pinching a solid object, and as you release pressure, it gets runny again. Vary the cornstarch/water ratio till you get it just right. There's plenty of kids-science sites on the web, find one to get the basic recipe, then.. experiment! Good old fashioned science fun for cheap!

 

[Linkiboy]

HOLY SHIT at the last part of the first video and the second video

 

[cubin']

Wow that's so awesome! I'm gonna get me some cornstarch

 

[Veho]

There's also that "walking on custard" experiment, very fun but not everyone has a pool and several tons of corn starch handy...

More fun with non-Newtonian fluids.

 

[Switchy]

I'd seen that first video but not the second one!
Yeah, these are the sort of things that are very interesting to me though that second one really does creep me out!

 

[Ducky]

LEAVE BILLY THE 1Million HANDED CHILD OF MY MONKEY ALONE!!! STOP USING SOUNDS IT FREAKS HIM OUT!!! HE WAS SLEEPING FOR GODS SAKE!

 

[moozxy]

Omg the parts when it was moving like it was alive went right through me.. Freaky..

 

[arctic_flame]

Fun. I saw demonstrations like this at the science museum when I was 8 though. Stick your hands in it

 

[Westside]

I believe highspeed vibra... er... things are rather hard to find. I mean 120Hz, my physics teacher had a hard time finding a 90Hz one.

 

[Nero]

The second vid = Freaky

Looks like it'll walk off the bowl.

~Nero