4 Fun Facts about Bubbles!
4 Fun Facts about Bubbles ⚪
Have you ever wondered why bubbles are always round? Here's some fun bubble facts you may have never thought about:
Bubbles are always round because a sphere has the least surface area for any given volume. When bubbles are formed, the soap film creates a thin layer of water molecules surrounded by soap molecules. These molecules pull on each other equally in all directions, creating whichever shape minimizes the surface area for that volume - which is always round, without any corners or edges. This minimizes the amount of energy needed to form the bubble.
A bubble's colorful swirls come from the light reflecting off the inner and outer surfaces of the bubble, which creates constructive and destructive interference patterns where the reflected light combine or cancel each other out. You can find a really good (and thorough!) explanation here: https://exetersciencecentre.org/projects/nibbles/bubbles/
Did you know that you can make your bubbles last longer by adding glycerin or sugar to your soap solution? When mixed with the water, they make water evaporate slower, which allows the water to remain in the bubble film longer!
The first commercial bubble solution was sold in the 1940's. Before that, children made their own soap solutions with leftover soap and water. Soap reduces the surface tension of water, allowing bubbles to form easier. By itself, water's surface tension is too high to form bubbles.
Who knew there was so much we could learn from a simple children's pasttime?