The science center is trying to set the world record for the largest lesson in the mud

MONTREAL – On Sunday afternoon, the Montreal Science Center attempted to win a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest “slime” lesson, as part of its temporary exhibition “The Science Behind World Records.”

In all, 500 people – children and adults alike – were invited to participate in the workshop led by chemist Yannick Bergeron, known for his scientific capsules for the popular science journal Les Débrouillards.

The Guinness World Records verdict will be announced on Monday morning.

“We were pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm for our largest lesson in mud in the world,” said the director of the science center, Cybèle Robichaud, in a phone interview. I think in three days, there are no more tickets left.

But why choose “muck”? Ms. Robichaud explained, “Because it is a huge favorite with children!” , but it’s also a chemical experiment. “We will mix the polymers, and it will create a substance that will work, and it will create a bridge to hold the polymer chains together. (…) There is a lot of science behind ‘slime.’

Students will also be able to get an answer to questions such as “What is a chemical reaction?” Why is slime so sticky? and “What ingredients can be used to make a special slime?”

The ingredients for the recipes tested on Sunday were provided by the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal.

decoding records

The Science Behind World Records exhibition, running through September 5, seeks to introduce young people to the science method while challenging them with 50 interactive activities.

When we think of Guinness World Records, we don’t think of serious scientists, but rather “the one with big nails, or the one who manages to eat sausage,” Ms. Robeichod agrees.

But she said, “It’s obviously very rigorous and quantifiable, and we have to be able to replicate it, and it also has to be quantifiable (…) We’re really in drastic measures approaching the scientific method.” explain.

Within the exhibition, “there are activities where you rely more on memory, on ability to observe, but also obviously having more physical records, like throwing the most basketballs into a moving ring in just one minute.”