Prompt Cast
History and Science of Silly Putty
TLDR Silly Putty, originally developed as a synthetic rubber, became a popular novelty toy after an article in the New Yorker mentioned it, leading to a quarter of a million orders in just three days. Silly Putty's viscoelastic properties are due to its main ingredient, polydimethylsiloxane, making it act like both a solid and a liquid.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
In this episode, the hosts discuss the history of vulcanization and the importance of rubber in the Industrial Revolution.
04:33
The rubber trade in Brazil was overtaken by Southeast Asia, leading to a need for synthetic rubber during World War II, which was successfully developed and produced in the US.
08:58
Silly Putty was initially developed as a synthetic rubber by GE, but it gained popularity when Peter Hodgson saw adults playing with it at a cocktail party and decided to sell it as an adult novelty toy in his catalog.
13:21
Silly Putty became an overnight success after an article in the New Yorker mentioned it, leading to a quarter of a million orders in just three days.
17:53
Crayola now owns Silly Putty, which was originally intended for adults but became popular with kids due to its ability to stretch and make mirror images of newsprint.
22:00
Silly Putty is a viscoelastic polymer that is subject to the science of fluid chemistry and its viscosity, or resistance to flow, can be affected by temperature.
26:34
Non-Newtonian fluids, such as ketchup, blood, and yogurt, behave differently based on the amount of stress added onto them, and a young listener described this concept well in an email to the podcast.
30:58
Silly Putty is a non-Newtonian fluid that acts like both a solid and a liquid, and its viscoelastic properties are due to its main ingredient, polydimethylsiloxane, which causes it to change depending on flow time and temperature.
35:11
Silly Putty is made by adding borax to a mixture of water and glue, which causes the polymer chains to link together and create an elastic-like substance.
39:12
The ability of the internet to store and offer up vast quantities of information doesn't necessarily wipe out sustained research or thought, and the internet might diminish our ability to store quantities of facts, but mourning that ability privileges facts, and quantities of facts are not necessarily indicative of a culture's intelligence.
Categories:
Society & Culture
