For our latest polymer lab, we had to change certain variables in the experiment to see if the results changed. So, for our variable change, we decided to do two experiments- one with wood glue instead of school glue, and one with wood glue and more borax- about twice as much- as our original experiment. So our question would be "how will the polymer change if we change its variables?"
The wood glue polymer was very similar to the original- bouncy, stretchy, and squishy, but it had a few distinct differences as well. It was a different color-- pale yellow rather than white-- and it was stickier than the other polymer. In addition, it was much stretchier- it stretched nearly seven feet before breaking! It had a 4.5cm rebound average after four trials, making it significantly less bouncy than its school glue counterpart. Upon freezing it-- even though the wood glue said "do not freeze"-- it became less stretchy, harder, and, obviously, colder. Its differences from the original polymer made it more interesting.
Our second polymer wasn't quite as successful. We used four teaspoons of borax instead of the original two, in addition to using wood glue. Though we expected it to be exactly like the wood glue polymer because it looked exactly like it, it never ended up hardening after we mixed it. It was a soggy, goopy mess, and we couldn't do anything with it!
The answer to our question is simple. One polymer will be stickier, stretchier, and less bouncy if we use wood glue. The other polymer will be a mess that can't solidify if we use wood glue and excess borax. The moral of the story is don't use too much borax!
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