The Science Behind Bubbles: Human Disasters Around The World

The Science Behind Bubbles Bubbles are fascinating. They are used by children around the world as a source of entertainment. But, there’s more to them than meets the eye. The science around bubbles deals with chemical bonds, surface tension, air density, and more. The anatomy of a bubble seems simple, but it is actually very complicated. Bubbles are usually looked at as something very simple, but scientists think otherwise. Standard bubbles that you can make at home consist of soapy detergent and water. The bubbles made with this have a very thin film that are extremely sensitive to the touch. A bubble can contain all sorts of gases, but in this case, it’s human breath. A bubble can keep its form because the soap molecules trap the water …show more content…
The bubbles that humans blow float because the air exhaled into the bubble is less dense (warmer) than the air around it. This is what causes it to rise. If a gas that were more dense than air, like Sulfur Hexafluoride, were blown into a bubble then it would drop. In warmer climates, a very dense bubble would not drop to the ground as quickly because that difference in air densities is not as drastic. This is the same principle for a less dense bubble in cold air; the bubble would not rise as quick. Air density has varying effects on bubbles, but one thing is for certain: Bubbles do not always …show more content…
This question can be answered with the term “surface tension”. Surface tension is water molecules’ attraction to other water molecules causing the outer surface of a body of water to have a mildly elastic film over it. The type of surface tension connection made with hydrogen and oxygen molecules are called hydrogen bonds. A simple bubble mixture must contain these elements because hydrogen is electrostatic and the other elements are electronegative. Naturally, opposites attract, so the water molecules form together to make surface tension. Bodies of water unaffected by gravity will always form a sphere because the water molecules inside try to minimize their surface area, and a sphere is the most energy efficient shape. Because bubbles almost always have water in their chemical composition, a bubble will always take the shape of a sphere.
A mysterious property of bubbles are it’s sensitivity to dry things. If one were to take a dry needle and poke a bubble with it then it would of course pop. On the other hand, if the bubble is poked with a wet needle then it will not pop, it will just slide through. This is because the water molecules wrap around anything that is wet. The negatively charged particles in the water attract the positively charged particles in the bubble mix, so they stick together when they come in contact. When the wet object is no longer in contact with the bubble, it fills the hole instantly and the bubbles stays