Nicole Chica
02/10/2019
English 21003
Jane Bolster
Technical Description
How do Bubbles Work?

No matter how grumpy you are bubbles should always trigger joy, fun and fascination!!
Bubbles are never out of fashion. However how many of us have consider the mechanism of
these bubbles? Why are they round ? Why are some bigger ? Why do some last longer? Why do
they have color ? Many of us might have but how many of us have done research to answer all
these question ? Maybe few, not too many. Yet, all of these questions have clarifying answers
that drift away from the magic we see and into the science within.

Bubbles are usually made up of air trapped inside but can also be made up of other gasses
such as carbon dioxide. A bubble can be described as a film with layers. Two layers are made off soap and the third layer consist of only water. Hydrophilic are molecules that dissolve in water and create an attraction that leads to bonding of two different molecules. In this case, the two layers of soap are hydrophilic. They have the polar side facing the water. As expressed by Anne Marie Helmenstine Ph.D. she describes this process as a sandwich. Basically these layers create a sandwich.Where the soap layers are the bread and the water layer is what you put in your sandwich (1). This can also be described as a container. A container keeps something inside. For bubbles, these three layers create a container in which they keep air inside and creates a bubble.(1) Not only are these bubbles trapping air inside but also attempt to make the biggest air bubble they can. Have you ever seen a bubble in the shape of a star, triangle perhaps even a square? If you answered yes, well you are lying. Regardless of how much you puff and huff you will never create a bubble that is not round. This has to do with the amount of energy that is needed to create shapes with greater surface area. Bubbles want to create the biggest bubble with air but want to minimize the amount of energy used and the surface tension. Therefore a rounded shape creates the “smallest surface area for the amount of volume” and by decreasing the surface tension, bubbles can expand while holding their shape ( Koontz 1).

Once we have beautiful, fun and well rounded bubbles in the air; most of us are tempted
to poke the bubble and watch it dissolve in just seconds. What about when the bubbles are not
poked into disappearance or when we are too far to poke them. Have you ever wonder why did abubble last longer or why it went higher. Well, there is also a process to those unanswered
questions. Evaporation. The process in which water turns into gas. The time that it takes for these molecules are influenced by temperature. “The colder the outside temperature is, the higher a (2) bubble might fly” (Koontz 1 ). As the water begins to evaporate the distance between all three layers begin to decrease which eventually leads to the popping of a bubble. The space between these layers also creates color. Although bubbles are transparent you can see reflection of colors within the bubbles. Remember those bright beautiful rainbow colors you see on bubbles they are “light waves reflecting between the soap film’s outer and inner surfaces”( Koontz 2). Another fascination that comes with bubbles is the eagerness to emerge two bubbles. Holding one bubble with your wand and placing it right next to another in hopes of creating a bigger bubble. Although the magic all seem so simple, there is a little more to it. The emerging of two or more bubbles makes sense. Since bubbles tend to minimize surface tension to expand and increase in volume, by emerging it is decreasing the surface tension and adding air to the bubble that expands. When poking a bubble with your finger, you are making a hole. That hole releases the air trapped but dissolves the bubble. Unlike emerging bubbles. When a bubble taps another bubble, it is indeed making a hole but that hole is covered up the film of the bubble entering.

Bubbles may seem simple but like everything in life, there is always a bit of science
involved. Next time you blow a bubble you will not only appreciate their magic but also
understand. You might be able to challenge the process and control the factors to create the