Fun (and Silliness) with the
Science of Silly Putty®

Introduction

While many of us see Silly Putty® as, well, Silly, the pinkish, bouncing, stretchy stuff has been the subject of dissertations by aspiring physicists and chemists. We know that putting in the hours of lab time and extensive experiments needed to prove the theories behind Silly Putty may be a bit much for you to handle right now. So, we've developed some interesting experiments for you to try with Silly Putty that will make you feel like a Nobel prize winning chemist or physicist (white lab coat optional…)

Silly Putty is a pretty unique substance. It stretches without breaking, yet it can be "snapped off" cleanly. It bounces higher than a rubber ball. It floats if you shape it in a certain way, yet sinks in others. It can pick up pencil marks from pages and comics from some newspapers. If you slam it with a hammer, it keeps it shape, yet if you push with light, even pressure, it will flatten with ease. Gravity has a slow, yet devastating effect on Silly Putty creations.

With all of these unique properties, it's no wonder people are puzzled (yet love to play with) Silly Putty. Here are some cool things you can try: By the way, completing this course in Silly Putty Science counts toward your Master of Silly Putty degree (and yes, this stuff will be on the test!)

| Floating Silly Putty | Making It Bounce | Silly Putty Running |

| Squishing Silly Putty | Stretching and Snapping |

About Silly Putty:

Silly Putty is a dilatant compound, a silicone based polymer that is highly elastic, exhibits high bounce, can be easily molded, yet can hold it shape while at rest. It is non-toxic and non-irritating to the skin.

Silly Putty was invented by James Wright, a researcher at General Electric who was working on synthetic rubber substitutes. The first Silly Putty substance was made by mixing silicone oil with boric acid. While the invention didn't have a future as a synthetic rubber, it did make a great toy (visit "History 101" to learn more.)

Silly Putty is manufactured by Binney & Smith in Easton, Pa. (for more on how Silly Putty is made...

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