Today I typed up what will be on my poster and today after school I am doing my experiments.

Making Moon Sand

I created moon sand, I used natural sand and play sand.  The natural sand did not work, it turned into a giant mud puddle.  The play sand however, somewhat worked, I was able to mold it into certain shapes but after about two minutes it would slide out into pile of mush.  So far my hypothesis, that Moon Sand has special chemicals, therefore you cannot make it at home, is correct.  I have one more experiment, with wax to do.  My hypothesis is that it will not work, and that when the wax hardens it will just clump together. That is all.

Figure Out The Next Level

Today I have planned what will be on my boards.  I have also decided that I will try to make the Moon Sand with both real sand and play sand, to see if that has an effect on whether or not it works.  I know exactly what is going to be on the history side of my poster.  I plan on attempting my experiments tomorrow, then I will be basically done with all of my research.

Getting Closer

I have found out nothing today, but plan on doing so research later this week to make sure my information is correct.  Then I will start working out what I need for my presentation, and what I will need to accomplish my goal on figuring out how moon sand work.

Poster

Today I planned what is going to be on my poster, and what other information I need to find out to accomplish my goal.  On my poster, I will have 3 sections, History, How it works, and My own try.  This history I have already posted about, and how it works, now I need to try to make my own.  I also plan on finding out more information on how it works, so I can have a better knowledge about to exact science.  I found out how to make Moon Sand, using corn starch, water, and play sand.  I will also try using the melted wax that was talked about in The Boy Mechanic Book 2.  I predict that the corn starch experiment will work better than the melted wax.  I'll blog about my experiments later.

More History

Most people expect Moon Sand to be made out of some special kind of sand, but really it is made out normal sand.  As I said in my previous entry normal sand is made of silica and that Moon Sand is coated in a chemical compound.  When the silica compounds and the other chemical compound combine they make the sand hydrophobic.

History

Technically Moon Sand, or Magic Sand wasn't created until 1980 but water repelling sand was mentioned in The Boy Mechanic Book 2 by Popular Mechanics.  This book talks about how East Indians had thought to have created water repelling sand, by mixing sand with melted wax.  The wax would surround the sand and then it would repel the water.

presentation

Today I figured out that I am going to present this information using a poster, and it will include the information about the history and how it works.  Moon Sand is unlike regular sand; regular sand, like what you find at the beach, is a silica (SiO2), Moon Sand is sand but its reaction to water is the complete opposite.

Reference: http://chicagoacs.net/ChmShort/CS98.html

I found out today that Moon Sand is made out of sand that is coated in a chemical compound which makes it hydrophobic , or water repellent. 

History

Moon Sand was also known as Magic Sand, which was originally made to help clean up oil spills, in the ocean.  It was used for oil spills, because once it has contact with water it starts to stick together.  Thus creating a layer of sand that will sooner or later get to heavy for the water to hold up, so it sinks with the oil as well.  Moon Sand or Magic Sand was actually created around 1970's to 1980's.

Adding to my research, I will try to figure out the maximum weight it can be before it sinks to the bottom of the water.

Moon Sand is a product that repels water, therefore it stays dry all the time.  My task in the investigation to find out how Moon Sand repels water, or what elements make this possible.  Moon Sand when in the water is more like dough, the sand sticks together, but out of the water it is normal sand.  I have found out what Moon Sand isn't made out of wheat, eggs, milk, gluten, casein, and peanuts.

http://www.moonplaysand.com/

The Beginning

Today is my first day of my physics project.  I will be figuring out how the kids toy, Moon Sand, works.  I have not found out any of the elements used in making Moon Sand.  That is what my project will mostly be about, I will figure out the elements, and I might try to make my own Moon Sand.