In this demonstration students learn what causes bubbles to pop and what they can do to increase the longevity of their bubbles.
Why bubbles pop
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The film of soapy water that forms the ‘skin’ of a bubble has a structure like a sandwich. Two layers of soap molecules (the “bread”) sandwich a “filling” of water.
A bubble will stay a bubble as long as its water “filling” is trapped between the layers of soap. It will pop when that water is lost in some way. There are a few different ways that a bubble can lose its water and pop:
- When you make bubbles in the sun, or in a place with very dry air, they evaporate quickly.
- In the wind, bubbles are much more difficult to create and will be popped by puffs of air.
- If a bubble touches a dry finger, it pops because the water molecules are attracted to your dry skin.
Increasing bubble life expectancy
Here are some recommendations for the best conditions for making bubbles:
- Avoid bright sunlight: play in shady areas, in the early morning, or just after sunset.
- Avoid the wind: choose a calm day or a sheltered location.
- Choose a damp day. Immediately after a rainstorm is ideal.
- Move to where your bubbles don’t run into dry objects.
- Add glycerine to the bubble solution to make your bubbles last longer. Glycerine is hydroscopic, which means that it attracts water, so the bubbles evaporate more slowly.
- Keep your hands and bubble tools really wet with bubble solution.