History tells us that a slightly crazy Finn took YouTube by storm when he started crushing all kinds of objects with his hydraulic press. Today, the Hydraulic Press Channel has nearly two million subscribers and more than 250 million views. Among its victims we find hamburgers, Barbie dolls, lava lamps, dynamite cartridges and even a toilet, but it has now come time to place non-Newtonian fluids on the base. How do you think it will go?
Destroying things is easy. The difference is in destroying them creatively, or alternatively, in an entertaining way. Throwing a brick inside a washing machine while it is in operation may not have much scientific value, but the result is exactly what a good part of YouTube wants to see. And that leads us to the doors of the Hydraulic Press Channel. It all began with a small golf ball, and a giant hydraulic press. Three million views later, watches, phones, cameras, food processors, televisions, a diamond, a typewriter, and lithium battery packs (which of course reacted very badly). What's next on the list? Non-Newtonian fluids.
Known for behaving like solids when struck, non-Newtonian fluids are very easy to make, and by extension, an excellent project to reproduce at home with the little ones. Their reaction under the hydraulic press was roughly what was expected: when equipping the press with holes, the pressure managed to separate the water, leaving small starch worms on one side, and a mess of blue liquid on the other. The rest of the test includes an orange mass that changes color with heat, a beautiful block of cheese that deserved to be eaten instead of crushed, transparent gelatin, crayons, four tubes of shaving cream, and to finish, bars of soap.
Even though the press is too slow, honestly I think the non-Newtonian fluid never had a chance, a pattern that has repeated dozens of times on the Hydraulic Press Channel. Even much more robust materials ended up as mush, and after the Nokia 3310, I think nobody has any doubts...
