Flubber

Robin Williams plays an absent minded professor and scientist in the movie “Flubber.” From the opening scenes we are mesmerized by exciting robotics and talking, flying computers, which are all products of scientific research.

The professor stumbles upon “Flubber” by accident concocting polymers and

catalysts, and a dash of electricity. Flubber is a polymer made by a chemical reaction.

Polymers are very long chains of repeating units. When the two solutions are combined,

chains are linked together by ions and other chemical bonds. This produces the thick,

sticky polymer called flubber. As in real life with trial and error scientist conduct

hundreds of experiments and make hypothesis after hypothesis to reach a final product.

How often it is though scientists find their creation by mistake.

This “floating rubber” is manipulated through experimentation, trial and error. Each time the professor is trying to find a way to control flubber with gamma radiation