This week my art is from an experiment I have conducted many times. While I did not have the materials to create the experiment again this past week, I found this image online of its execution.
I was inspired by our discussion of when an element is a solid, liquid, or gas. The experiment is to mix water, food coloring (for artistic purposes… the food colorring can be fully mixed in or can remain uneven to add a marbled effect), and corn starch. The result is a mixture that seems to be a solid when sitting still in a container, but a liquid when you try to hold it in the air, as it will seep through your fingers. This mix is referred to as ‘quicksand.’ The chemistry behind the substance is that it is a “suspension” meaning a mixture of both a liquid and a solid.