How many kinds of bubbles can you name? There are bubbles from bubble gum, bubbles in soda that we drink, bubbles in your tub and bubbles in your sink. Balloons and basketballs are also bubbles. What do they all have in common? They are all trapped gas.
Soap bubbles are trapped gas, too. The gas is the same air we breath and that fills the room around us. What's trapping it? A thin skin or film of soapy water. This film holds the air in because liquids have an interesting property: surface tension.
If you've ever watched a leaf float on a puddle, you've experience surface tension. Surface tension occurs because the molecules on the surface of a liquid stick tightly to each other, forming a kind of skin. When you dip your hand into a sink full of water, you're forcing some of the surface molecules apart, breaking the surface tension.
Have you ever tried dipping a bubble blowing wand into plain water? What happened? The water can't stretch across the hole in the wand, because its surface tension is too strong--the "skin" of the water snaps back against itself. Adding soap to the water doesn't break the surface tension, but it does weaken it. Chemicals in the soap loosen the "grip" the water molecules have on one another just enough that they will form a stretchy film.Then when you blow air--a gas--against the soapy film. The molecules have to move outward as the air presses against them, but surface tension still holds them together. If you get the air pressure just right, surface tension will wrap that film all the way around that breath of air. Congratulations! You've got a bubble.
Why do bubbles pop?
If you look close at a bubble what do you see? Shimmering colors . What causes them?
Can you cover a human in a bubble before it pops? Take predictions from the class. Then Falon and I will demonstrate a human being covered in a bubble.
There are many different activities a teacher can do in the classroom using bubbles to demonstrate this information.
http://www.bubblemania.com/ --Casey Carle's official website.
Study / Learning Guide: Casey Carle's
The Unbelievable Bubble Book by John Cassidy
Soap bubbles are trapped gas, too. The gas is the same air we breath and that fills the room around us. What's trapping it? A thin skin or film of soapy water. This film holds the air in because liquids have an interesting property: surface tension.
If you've ever watched a leaf float on a puddle, you've experience surface tension. Surface tension occurs because the molecules on the surface of a liquid stick tightly to each other, forming a kind of skin. When you dip your hand into a sink full of water, you're forcing some of the surface molecules apart, breaking the surface tension.
Have you ever tried dipping a bubble blowing wand into plain water? What happened? The water can't stretch across the hole in the wand, because its surface tension is too strong--the "skin" of the water snaps back against itself. Adding soap to the water doesn't break the surface tension, but it does weaken it. Chemicals in the soap loosen the "grip" the water molecules have on one another just enough that they will form a stretchy film.Then when you blow air--a gas--against the soapy film. The molecules have to move outward as the air presses against them, but surface tension still holds them together. If you get the air pressure just right, surface tension will wrap that film all the way around that breath of air. Congratulations! You've got a bubble.
Why do bubbles pop?
If you look close at a bubble what do you see? Shimmering colors . What causes them?
Can you cover a human in a bubble before it pops? Take predictions from the class. Then Falon and I will demonstrate a human being covered in a bubble.
There are many different activities a teacher can do in the classroom using bubbles to demonstrate this information.
http://www.bubblemania.com/ --Casey Carle's official website.
Study / Learning Guide: Casey Carle's
The Unbelievable Bubble Book by John Cassidy
Click one the following link to view information about our experiment:
Real Life Science Experiment
Can you cover a human completely in a bubble before it pops?
Materials needed:
tap or distilled water, pool, small stool,
large hola hoop, dish soap,
glycerin
1.) Place the small stool in the center of the pool.
2.) Determin how much water, dish soap, and glycerin needed using the bubble formula provided in the link.
3.) After you figure out how much is needed, you are ready to pour them in the pool.
4.) Make sure that the water, dish soap, and glycerin are mixed together. (Tip) Try not to make too many bubbles in the pool, because they will pop the bubble.
5.) Place the hola hoop around the stool and take volunteers for the experiment. Have student stand on the stool and get ready to be covered in a bubble. 
Congradulations, You are in a bubble!
Great experiment! I know students would have so much fun trying this activity :)
ReplyDeleteThis would be such a fun experiment for teachers and students. I would love to do this with my little cousins and I know they will have fun with it. Great work!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great activity. Childen would be so excited to do this.
ReplyDeleteThis experiment seems to be very fun. Great job and really good pictures. I know that it would help teach science to kids.
ReplyDelete