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Technology Enhancement Programme
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These resources have been reviewed and selected by STEM Learning’s team of education specialists for factual accuracy and relevance to teaching STEM subjects in UK schools.
Putty
This short film from the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP) is one of a series of clips which were produced to demonstrate the properties and use of a range of smart materials.
‘Silly putty’ has long been available as an amusing toy. However, this type of material – properly known as visco-elastic polymer or dilatent compound – has serious engineering applications. This class of material has the remarkable property that it usually behaves as a soft mouldable plastic (like chewing gum), but instantly becomes a rubber if impacted. Proposed uses in design and technology include: demonstration of an unusual polymer; product sample for toy design and packing projects; unusual products that utilise the inherent properties such as very slow flow or ‘creep’. The gum version of the putty flows more readily and can be used, for example, as a clock. A ball bearing (or similar) will descend slowly through a tube of clear gum at a uniform rate.
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