(
BOING! BOING! BOING!
Get bouncing with your very own handmade bouncy balls! In this week’s Saturday Science experiment, courtesy of Home Science Tools, discover how playful polymers help make bouncy balls bounce … bounce … bounce!
Materials
- 1 Tablespoon white glue
- 1/2 teaspoon borax
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons warm water
- 2 plastic cups
- 2 wooden craft sticks
- Food coloring
Process
- Pour the glue into one of the plastic cups.
- Add a few drops of food coloring to the glue and mix with a craft stick until you like the color you see.
- Pour the warm water into the other plastic cup.
- Add the borax to the warm water. Use another craft stick to stir until dissolved.
- Add the cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon of the borax solution to your colorful glue.
- Let stand for 15 seconds.
- Stir with a craft stick until the mixture becomes very difficult to stir.
- Mold the ball in your hands. It will be sticky at first but will become more solid as you roll it in your hands.
You now have a bouncy ball!
Store your ball in an airtight container or Ziploc bag so it doesn't dry out and crumble.
Summary
Thanks to polymers, you just made your own bouncy ball. Give it a try! How high does your bouncy ball bounce?
There are two polymers working together to make your bouncy ball bounce that high. Polyvinyl acetate, a strong and flexible polymer, is found in glue. Amylopectin, a “branched” polymer, is found in cornstarch. The polyvinyl acetate gives your ball strength while amylopectin gives your ball elasticity. When borax is combined with the glue and cornstarch, the two polymers are connected and become a material that holds its form but also has enough give to compress and then bounce back to you when tossed against the floor. When molded into a ball, this material becomes a bouncy ball.
Happy bouncing!
Want more Saturday Science? See all of our at-home activities on the blog or on Pinterest.
