What is the design of the “best” slime to play with?”

Polymers and Engineering Design

Abstract

In the chemistry laboratory activity “What is the design of the “best” slime to play with?” students model polymer structures with paperclips, apply concepts of polymer structure to the reaction of borax and glue, and use engineering design principles to create what they define as the best slime.  The intent is to incorporate more polymer content into the undergraduate curriculum as per the ACS guidelines and to introduce students to engineering design as advocated by NGSS.  The learning goals are to identify major classes of polymer types and to connect polymer properties to their structural characteristics.   Students engage in the process skill of problem solving via reiterative testing while engaging in the engineering design process.

Level: Undergraduate
Setting: POGIL laboratory
Activity Type: Learning Cycle
Discipline: Chemistry
Course: General Chemistry
Keywords: Polymers, Engineering Design, slime