- This page is about substances rheologically similar to toothpaste. See cut and paste or copy and paste for computer text editing.
According to physicist David A. Weitz , a paste is a substance that behaves as a solid until a sufficiently large load or stress is applied, at which point it flows like a fluid. Pastes typically consist of a suspension of small particles in a background fluid. The small particles are jammed together like grains of sand on a beach, forming a disordered, glassy or amorphous structure, and giving pastes their solid-like character. It is this "jamming together" that gives pastes some of their most unusual properties.
Glue is also referred to as "paste".
Examples include toothpaste, mustard, and putty.
See also fragile matter, granular material.
