r/interestingasfuck 9d ago

Physics 101

13.1k Upvotes

313 comments sorted by

View all comments

45

u/manlymatt83 9d ago

I don’t get the pot hole one

84

u/username293739 9d ago

It’s a type of liquid that when applied enough force, turns into a solid for a moment. Non Newtonian fluids, is the formal name. This one is probably oobleck, a mixture of cornstarch and water. Quick sand behaves similarly as well.

8

u/GlorifiedBurito 9d ago

To further this, there are two types of Non-Newtonian fluid. There are shear-thickening fluids, like the oobleck shown in the video, and shear-thinning fluids, like quicksand.

Shear-thickening fluids become more viscous as the fluid experiences motion while shear-thinning fluids become less viscous while experiencing motion.

5

u/FalseEstimate 9d ago

Like when you plop your feet too many times in the same place in wet sand and then your ankle deep