Plasticity Lab Conclusion

In science class, we did a plasticity lab with water and corn starch.

Our hypothesis was that the substance, after we mixed the water and corn starch, would be a thick liquid. The data, though, showed something truly amazing. When we held the substance in our open hands, it started to slip in between our fingers, but when we made a fist with the substance in our hands and moved it around, it became solid. When we left our hands open, it went back to a liquid. This happened because the substance had the property of plasticity. Some variables that could have affected the results of the lab were how much water or corn starch we added. If we added too much water, the substance would have been very chalky and probably would not have flowed as well. If we added too much water, the substance would have been too watery and it probably would not have been able to become a solid. We were able to control the experiment because we added the amount of corn starch proportionate to the amount of water in the pan. The substance that resulted from mixing the water and corn starch had the same property as the mantle, which is made of magma. When the magma is under pressure, which it is, it stays as a solid. When it comes out of the crust as lava, it becomes a liquid. This lab taught me how the Earth's interior works.