Then add your bar magnet and continue stirring, more slowly, for several minutes. Carefully nudge the magnet around the bottom of the bowl a few times, then let the mixture stand for about ten minutes. Chemists will find this easy to do using a magnetic stir plate, and a large beaker and stir bar. If there are just a few cooked strands in a boiling pot of water, chances are they won't touch each other. But when a whole box is cooking the strands can't avoid touching each other.
Some molecules are so long and skinny that they act like strands of spaghetti.
In this experiment we will see how the long, skinny molecules called polymers can sometimes behave the same way. To one-half cup of cold water add anywhere from 5 to 10 heaping tablespoons of household corn starch, one at a time with complete mixing each time. The amount varies with the quality of both the water and the cornstarch. You will know you have the right amount when the following tests work. The starch mix should act almost like a solid when confronted with a fast motion.