Water Flowing Uphill?
Not exactly… but this stuff is really cool. It’s probably best described as a self-siphoning gel. The chemical is called polyethylene oxide or Polyox and it has an incredibly large molecular weight – about 4 million. When the powder is mixed with water (that’s the tricky part), the liquid becomes very thick and will literally siphon itself from one container to another. As a kid I order a product called Moon Blob – “The Gravity Defying Gel” – which promised to do the same thing. It did… but now I’m doing it as an adult! It’s tough to explain it… just watch the Polyox video.
Hi Steve,
I just discovered you about a month ago & I’m sure glad I did. I give inservice science workshops to student teachers and this fall they will get to know you and the web site. My goal is to get as many teachers turned on to hands on science. I also sub & always have an experiment up my sleeve. Thanks for always giving the scientific explaination! Shirlee
Water flowing uphill is a great way for the kids to see the polymer stretch & see a chain of molecules. This will be great for a unit on Matter which is a thread through the FL school science program.
I love your site. I wish I had it 3 years ago. Every K-3 teacher should be hook up to you. Students love this stuff. It meets the standards and while turning students on to science no borning books. Great job.
I found out that if you put a green Sweatart in a diet coke bottle it will do the same thing if you put mint Mentos in.
-Judd Harmon Linscott