One of my students came in to my room after school yesterday, and gave me a small cube of Aerogel, one of the world’s lightest solid materials. It is amazing stuff! Even though it is called “gel”, it is actually a dry, translucent solid…feels sort of like styrofoam. http://www.aerogel.org/
The way they make this is by replacing the liquid in gels with gas. It is an ultra-porous, ultra-lightweight solid that can support up to 1000 times its mass, and is also a great insulator! Check out the video below, where a piece of Aerogel protects a Hershey’s kiss from a blowtorch:
You can buy a little bit of this amazing material from Amazon and play around with it: http://www.amazon.com/Educational-Innovations-Aerogel/dp/B008MB1R0Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1347998261&sr=8-3&keywords=aerogel
What are some other amazing solids you have heard of? What are some properties of solid matter than you know of?
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Cool
Thanks for leaving a positive comment, Seth! We are glad you’re WONDERing with us today!
That was awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for commenting on Wonder Family Nichols’ blog post– we think WONDERing about matter is so much FUN!
FANTABULOUS
Hehe, we like your style, Wonder Friend!
I am speechless… OR NOT THAT WAS AAAAWWSSSOOOOOMMEEE!!!
He he, we really like your enthusiasm, Libby! Thanks for sharing your comment about our Wonder Family’s blog post– we hope you learned something WONDERful!
I have GOT to show my dad this!
That’s great news, Libby! We think that sharing Wonders is one of the best ways to use your creativity and imagination– together, with Wonder Friends! We hope you and your dad have a SUPER day!
How do you do that cool?
The material, aerogel superinsulation, can withstand very, very high heat! Isn’t it fascinating, Kendoll?