The Wonderful World of Bubbles
Bubbles are something fun that children have been playing with for years. The beautiful rainbow of colors that reflect off of the bubble fascinate children. The way the bubbles float and break so easily give children something to enjoy. Bubbles are not just child toys. They can be just as much fun for adults. In the 1940’s the first production of bottled bubble solution began. In the 1960’s, bubbles became a symbol of peace and harmony to hippies and became popularized. Today, bubble solution is the best selling toy in the world.
Bubbles by themselves are just bits of air and gas trapped in a liquid ball. Normal bubbles always surround the most air possible with the least amount of solution needed, thus a bubble is always round. The bubbles are best made with a detergent, such as Dawn or Joy dish soap, glycerine or Karo Syrup, and water, (distilled is the best kind of water). When the internal pressure increases or decreases, the fragile thin layer of the bubble pops. In order to penetrate a bubble without breaking it, the surface of the object must be wet. This occurs because the soap in the solution tends to stick the object. When the object pushes through the bubble, the wall of the bubble sticks and gets stretched too far and then breaks.
The thin layer that makes up the bubble consists of three films. The two soap films are separated by a thin water layer. Because of these films of soap and water, the beautiful rainbow of colors shines off of the bubble. When the rays of light hit the water film, the rainbow is reflected. As the soap film settles because of gravity, the waves appear in the colors. The rays of light that bounce off of the soap film layers are not in our spectrum, so they are canceled out.