# Other Non-Newtonian fluids besides cornstarch and water? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 5, 2007, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-non-newtonian-fluids-besides-cornstarch-and-water/406912 "2007-06-05T23:21:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-non-newtonian-fluids-besides-cornstarch-and-water/406912/1 "2007-06-05T23:21:02Z")
Every time I hear about making a non-newtonian fluid it involves cornstarch and water. Are there other ways to make one? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-non-newtonian-fluids-besides-cornstarch-and-water/406912/2 "2007-06-05T23:28:54Z")
Yepperdoo, depending on which characteristics of non-Newtonian fluid behavior (e.g., shear thickening vs. shear thinning) you wish to exemplify. Wiki has a [handy list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Newtonian_fluid) of such substances classified by their particular characteristics; it includes bread dough, honey, milk, ketchup, and dripless paint. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-non-newtonian-fluids-besides-cornstarch-and-water/406912/3 "2007-06-05T23:45:15Z")
yes ketchup is an obvious example. Let it settle - it is thick - shake it it is thin enough to come out of the bottle ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-non-newtonian-fluids-besides-cornstarch-and-water/406912/4 "2007-06-05T23:49:38Z")
This [quick and dirty ferrofluid](http://www.hackaday.com/2006/06/03/quick-and-dirty-ferrofluid/), made with laser printer toner and motor oil, looks like fun. Shampoo is good for demonstrating the [Stable Kaye Effect](http://www.youtube.com/p.swf?video_id=GX4_3cV_3Mw&eurl=http%3A//www.google.com/search%3Fhl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26c2coff%3D1%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla%253Aen-US%253Aoffici&iurl=http%3A//img.youtube.com/vi/GX4_3cV_3Mw/2.jpg&t=OEgsToPDskL0CW_PpQ4o3NCFi2aoT84z) [Flubber, made from borax and elmers glue](http://www.metacafe.com/watch/383051/how_to_flubber_slime/) also has some nice non-newtonian properties. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-non-newtonian-fluids-besides-cornstarch-and-water/406912/5 "2007-06-06T01:02:26Z")
Didn’t Silly Putty act thus? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-non-newtonian-fluids-besides-cornstarch-and-water/406912/6 "2007-06-06T01:04:39Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > Didn’t Silly Putty act thus? Yup, Silly Putty is on the list in my above link as a non-Newtonian fluid of the viscoelastic variety. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-non-newtonian-fluids-besides-cornstarch-and-water/406912/7 "2007-06-06T01:38:20Z")
[QUOTE=Kimstu] Yup, Silly Putty is on the list in my above link as a non-Newtonian fluid of the viscoelastic variety. [/QUOTE] So it is. I wasted some memory. Oops, I just wasted some more. ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-non-newtonian-fluids-besides-cornstarch-and-water/406912/8 "2007-06-06T02:35:07Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] This [quick and dirty ferrofluid](http://www.hackaday.com/2006/06/03/quick-and-dirty-ferrofluid/), made with laser printer toner and motor oil, looks like fun. [/QUOTE] … am I crazy, or is the song in that video a bizarre, European techno version of _Paint it Black?_ ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-non-newtonian-fluids-besides-cornstarch-and-water/406912/9 "2007-06-06T03:03:33Z")
[QUOTE=WoodenTaco] … am I crazy, or is the song in that video a bizarre, European techno version of _Paint it Black?_ [/QUOTE] Yes. I liked it a lot!