A Wonderleaf question
How is rubber made stretchy?
a real page from the book
Rubber is stretchy because it is built from long polymer chains that can unbend when you pull them and bunch up again when you let go. Small chemical links tie the chains together, so the material changes shape without the chains slipping away from one another.
A balloon, an eraser, and a playground ball all depend on this tiny tug-of-war. Inside each one, invisible strands are constantly being pulled into straighter shapes, then crowding back into a relaxed jumble as soon as the force disappears.
Wonder words
- polymer
- molecule
- elastic
- tension
Try it out
Stretch a rubber band beside a piece of string and compare what each one does when you let go.
Read the whole picture book
Watercolour scenes, straight answers, about three minutes cover to cover.
Open the picture bookKeep wondering
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