Is silly putty a solid or a liquid?

Question

my son asked me this question and I couldn't answer it, so I'm putting this out to the knowledgeable people of Yahoo Answers!!!!

Answer 1

Silly Putty is a semisolid (also known as a really thick viscous liquid).

Some other familiar examples of semisolids and viscous liquids, so you can explain better:
Jell-O
Pudding
Molasses (or honey or syrup)

They are all fluid... they do flow (given enough time), will assume the shape of their container (given enough time) but no not change volume.

Another example of a semisolid worth discussing is glass. Glass also flows and will assume the shape of it's container, but whereas all the other examples happen over a period of minutes or hours, glass flows over the course of years (really, centuries).

There are several identifiable states of matter besides just solid, liquid and gas. Depending on your son's curiosity over the next few years, two you might research are Plasma (really, really, really hot -- like the sun) and Bose-Einstein Condensate (really, really, really cold -- superdense matter like a black hole).

Answer 2

A "solid" can be defined as "any object that has a consistant density and shape," whereas a "liquid" can be defined as "any object that has a consistant density but not a consistant shape." With this definition, Silly Putty would be a "liquid."

HOWEVER, Silly Putty is not an element or a compound, but rather a mixture of many elements or compounds. Therefore, the putty as a whole cannot be defined as either a solid or a liquid, at least in the scientific sense. On the other hand, the individual compounds and elements that make up the putty can be defined as either a solid, liquid, or gas...

Hope this helps!

Incidently, Silly Putty is made of basically the same materials as rubber - in fact, the invention of Silly Putty was by mistake!

Answer 3

I'd have to say Silly Putty would be considered a solid. It sort of goes along with glass. If left long enough, it WILL move. But in a certain period of time, it acts more like a solid rather than a liquid.

Answer 4

fLUID IS ANYTHING THAT CAN FLOW...
NO..
Actually fluid is a thing that cannot resist shear.. i.e it deforms under shear(however small the shear may be).
Silly putty is a viscoelastic fluid...
it can b considered a solid at low temperatures.. and for small deformations...
else it is a dilant fluid..

Answer 5

In order for a substance to be considered a solid it must have an organized structure at the molecular level, that is, it must be composed of an ordered arrangement of particles which are essentially fixed in position. Silly putty is not a solid and neither is glass!

Answer 6

Silly Putty is a solid. Think of it this way: anything that changes shape and forms to its container is classified as a liquid. Anything else is either a solid or a gas, and it is pretty simple to distinguish a solid from a gas. Hope this helps! ;-)

Answer 7

You don't have to wait very long for silly putty to conform to the shape of its container. Scientists consider glass a liquid even though its motion is very, very slow.

Silly putty is a liquid.

Answer 8

Is silly putty a solid or a liquid? Actually, it’s both. Silly putty is a colloid.

Answer 9

a liquid will flow freely and fill its container. At room temp I do beleive silly putty would retain its shape. Therefore@ room temp it is a solid.

Answer 10

Is Silly Putty Flammable