Quicksand is a colloid hydro gel consisting of fine granular material

(such as sand or silt), clay, and water.

Quicksand forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly

agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a

liquefied soil that loses strength and cannot support weight.

Quicksand can form in standing water or in upwards flowing water

(as from an artesian spring). In the case of upwards flowing water,

seepage forces oppose the force of gravity and suspend the soil

particles.

What you’ll need?

What to do?

Step 1: Bring your container and all the

ingredients outside not to make a mess indoors.

Step 2: Pour the corn flour and the glass ofwater into the container and mix them togetherand eureka! You already have your own instantquicksand!

Step 3: When you demonstrate your quicksandto friends and family, stir slowly letting thequicksand drip so people see it is in a liquid stateof form.

Step 4: Then you can see what happens to thequicksand once you stir it quickly, this will makethe mixture hard and you’ll be able to poke thequicksand, which should be getting quite thick.

What has happened?

The way in which the texture of your corn flour & watermixture changes depending on what you do to it issimilar to what really happens with quick sand. Duringstep 3, when you stirred slowly, there was more waterbetween the grains of corn flour which ultimatelyallowed them to move over each other better.

When you stirred the mixture at a faster pace you wouldhave noticed that it became thicker, this is due to the lackof water between the grains of corn flour, which are allmixed up, and they cannot therefore slide over eachother anymore. If you were to poke the mixture slowly itwould be runny whereas poking it quickly makes thesubstance hard.

Now that you know how easy quicksand can becreated, and what quicksand really is, you can sharethe experiment with your friends.

Enjoy!