Can Custard Act Like A Solid?

Can custard act like a solid? To find out whether custard can act like a solid we need to prepare some to experiment with. To make the custard you will need: Wooden spoon150g custard powder Pan 6 pints of water Large mixing bowllarge tray or grill pan Measuring jug In a pan, bring to the boil, 5 pints of water. Measure out the custard powder into a small bowl. Measure out 1 pint of cold water into a jug, add the custard powder and mix to a smooth paste. Pour the smooth paste into the large mixing bowl. When the water is boiling, your teacher will pour the water into the paste whilst you stir the custard. You must continue to stir the custard until it thickens. If the custard does not thicken, you may need to bring the custard mixture back to the boil, either in the pan or in the microwave. Once the custard has thickened, pour carefully into a tray or grill pan so that it sits at least 2 inches deep. Leave somewhere cool to set.

The custard powder and water mixture is a mixture of solid particles suspended in a liquid, called a colloid. A colloid consists of tiny particles of matter that are dispersed evenly throughout a gas, liquid, or solid. If left to stand, the tiny particles of matter will not settle out of the gas, liquid, or solid. When you stir the mix slowly or lower an object into it slowly, the custard powder particles can move around in the water quite freely, and so it acts as a liquid. When you stir the mix faster or push something into it quickly, the solid particles rub against each other causing friction. This makes them stick together and act like a solid.

What’s Happening Inside the Custard Here the particles move slowly and have time to find a way through the mixture Here the particles are forced to move quickly and they collide with others which cannot move out of the way in time

Testing of the theory – Can custard act like a solid? To find out whether the custard can act like a solid we first of all need to make sure we are wearing our old clothes. The custard then needs to be moved to an outdoor area where it does not matter if you make a mess. You then need to hit the custard quite firmly and quickly with the palm of your hand so that the molecules do not have time to disperse and they prevent your hand from sinking into the custard. So can you walk across custard without sinking.?