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{{short description|Thin film of soapy water enclosing air}}
[[File:Reflection in a soap bubble edit.jpg|thumb|A soap bubble
[[File:
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A '''soap bubble''' (commonly referred to as simply a '''bubble''') is an extremely thin [[soap film|film]] of [[soap]] or [[detergent]] and water enclosing air that forms a hollow [[sphere]] with an [[iridescent]] surface. Soap bubbles usually last for only a few seconds before bursting, either on their own or on contact with another object. They are often used for children's enjoyment, but they are also used in artistic [[performance]]s. Assembling many bubbles results in [[foam]].▼
▲A '''soap bubble''' is an extremely thin [[soap film|film]] of [[soap]] or [[detergent]] and water enclosing air that forms a hollow [[sphere]] with an [[iridescent]] surface. Soap bubbles usually last for only a few seconds before bursting, either on their own or on contact with another object. They are often used for children's enjoyment, but they are also used in artistic [[performance]]s. Assembling many bubbles results in [[foam]].
When light shines onto a bubble it appears to change colour. Unlike those seen in a rainbow, which arise from differential refraction, the colours seen in a soap bubble arise from light [[wave interference]], reflecting off the front and back surfaces of the thin soap film. Depending on the thickness of the film, different colours interfere constructively and destructively.
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While it has been known since 1884 that a spherical soap bubble is the least-area way of enclosing a given volume of air (a theorem of [[H. A. Schwarz]]), it was not until 2000 that it was proven that two merged soap bubbles provide the optimum way of enclosing two given volumes of air of different size with the least surface area. This has been dubbed the ''[[double bubble conjecture]]''.<ref>{{ cite journal| last1 = Hutchings | first1 = Michael | first2= Frank |last2 = Morgan| first3=Manuel |last3= Ritoré | first4= Antonio| last4= Ros | date = July 17, 2000 | title = Proof of the double bubble conjecture | journal = Electronic Research Announcements | volume = 6| issue = 6 |pages = 45–49 | doi = 10.1090/S1079-6762-00-00079-2
| doi-access = free | hdl = 10481/32449 | hdl-access = free }}</ref>
Because of these qualities, soap bubble films have been used in practical problem solving applications. [[Structural engineer]] [[Frei Otto]] used soap bubble films to determine the geometry of a sheet of least surface area that spreads between several points, and translated this geometry into revolutionary [[tension structure|tensile roof structures]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2004/oct/04/architecture Jonathan Glancey, The Guardian November 28, 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108193633/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2004/oct/04/architecture |date=January 8, 2017 }}</ref> A famous example is his West German Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal.
=== Soap bubbles as unconventional computing ===▼
{{see also|Unconventional computing}}▼
The structures that soap films make can not just be enclosed as spheres, but virtually any shape, for example in wire frames. Therefore, many different minimal surfaces can be designed. It is actually sometimes easier to physically make them than to compute them by [[mathematical modelling]]. This is why the soap films can be considered as [[analog computer]]s which can outperform conventional computers, depending on the complexity of the system.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1511/2012.96.1| title = The Soap Film: An Analogue Computer| journal = American Scientist| volume = 100| issue = 3| pages = 1| year = 2012| last1 = Isenberg | first1 = Cyril }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1511/2012.96.1| title = The Soap Film: An Analogue Computer| journal = American Scientist| volume = 64| issue = 3| pages = 514–518| year = 1976| last1 = Isenberg | first1 = Cyril | bibcode = 1976AmSci..64..514I}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1511/2012.96.1| title = Soap Film Letters| journal = American Scientist| volume = 100| issue = January–February| pages = 1| year = 1977| last1 = Taylor | first1 = Jean E. }}</ref>▼
== Physics ==
=== Merging ===
[[File:Ggb in soap bubble 1.jpg|thumb|Soap bubbles can easily merge
[[File:Soap bubbles being formed by a bubble wand - slow motion - 2022 July 28.webm|thumb|Slow motion video of soap bubbles being formed by a bubble wand
When two bubbles merge, they adopt a shape which makes the sum of their surface areas as small as possible, compatible with the volume of air each bubble encloses. If the bubbles are of equal size, their common wall is flat. If they
At a point where three or more bubbles meet, they sort themselves out so that only three bubble walls meet along a line. Since the surface tension is the same in each of the three surfaces, the three angles between them must be equal to 120°. Only four bubble walls can meet at a point, with the lines where triplets of bubble walls meet separated by cos<sup>−1</sup>(−1/3) ≈ 109.47°. All these rules, known as [[Plateau's laws]], determine how a [[foam]] is built from bubbles.
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* Drainage within the soap film: water falls down due to gravity. This can be slowed by increasing the water viscosity, for instance by adding glycerol. Still, there is an ultimate height limit, which is the [[capillary length]], very high for soap bubbles: around 13 feet (4 meters). In principle, there is no limit in the length it can reach.
* [[Evaporation]]: This can be slowed by blowing bubbles in a wet atmosphere, or by adding some sugar to the water.
* Dirt and fat: When the bubble touches
After experiments, researchers found that a solution containing:
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* 85.9 % water
* 10 % [[glycerol]]
* 4 % [[
* 0.1 % [[guar gum]]
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=== Wetting ===
[[File:Bubble on an ultrahydrophobic surface.jpg|thumb|A soap bubble wetting an ultrahydrophobic surface]]▼
[[File:Bubble on a liquid surface.jpg|thumb|A soap bubble wetting a liquid surface]]▼
When a soap bubble is in contact with a solid or a liquid surface [[wetting]] is observed. On a solid surface, the [[contact angle]] of the bubble depends on the [[surface energy]] of the solid.,<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1016/j.jcis.2009.05.062| pmid=19541324| title=Contact angle of a hemispherical bubble: An analytical approach| journal=Journal of Colloid and Interface Science| volume=338| issue=1| pages=193–200| year=2009| last1=Teixeira| first1=M.A.C.| last2=Teixeira| first2=P.I.C.| bibcode=2009JCIS..338..193T| url=http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/29242/1/contact_rev3.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1063/1.4812710|title = Wetting of soap bubbles on hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and superhydrophobic surfaces|journal = Applied Physics Letters|volume = 102|issue = 25|pages = 254103|year = 2013|last1 = Arscott|first1 = Steve|bibcode = 2013ApPhL.102y4103A|arxiv = 1303.6414|s2cid = 118645574}}</ref> A soap bubble has a larger contact angle on a solid surface displaying [[ultrahydrophobicity]] than on a hydrophilic surface – see [[Wetting]]. On a liquid surface, the contact angle of the soap bubble depends on its size - smaller bubbles have lower contact angles.<ref>M.A.C. Teixeira, S. Arscott, S.J. Cox and P.I.C. Teixeira, Langmuir 31, 13708 (2015).[http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b03970]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ciencias.ulisboa.pt/pt/noticia/08-02-2016/o-despertar-da-bolha |title=O despertar da bolha |access-date=2016-02-09 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212130252/http://ciencias.ulisboa.pt/pt/noticia/08-02-2016/o-despertar-da-bolha |archive-date=2016-02-12 }}</ref>▼
▲When a soap bubble is in contact with a solid or a liquid surface [[wetting]] is observed. On a solid surface, the [[contact angle]] of the bubble depends on the [[surface energy]] of the solid.,<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1016/j.jcis.2009.05.062| pmid=19541324| title=Contact angle of a hemispherical bubble: An analytical approach| journal=Journal of Colloid and Interface Science| volume=338| issue=1| pages=193–200| year=2009| last1=Teixeira| first1=M.A.C.| last2=Teixeira| first2=P.I.C.| bibcode=2009JCIS..338..193T| s2cid=205804300| url=http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/29242/1/contact_rev3.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1063/1.4812710|title = Wetting of soap bubbles on hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and superhydrophobic surfaces|journal = Applied Physics Letters|volume = 102|issue = 25|pages = 254103|year = 2013|last1 = Arscott|first1 = Steve|bibcode = 2013ApPhL.102y4103A|arxiv = 1303.6414|s2cid = 118645574}}</ref> A soap bubble has a larger contact angle on a solid surface displaying [[ultrahydrophobicity]] than on a hydrophilic surface – see [[Wetting]]. On a liquid surface, the contact angle of the soap bubble depends on its size - smaller bubbles have lower contact angles.<ref>M.A.C. Teixeira, S. Arscott, S.J. Cox and P.I.C. Teixeira, Langmuir 31, 13708 (2015).[http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b03970]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ciencias.ulisboa.pt/pt/noticia/08-02-2016/o-despertar-da-bolha |title=O despertar da bolha |access-date=2016-02-09 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212130252/http://ciencias.ulisboa.pt/pt/noticia/08-02-2016/o-despertar-da-bolha |archive-date=2016-02-12 }}</ref>
<gallery mode=packed heights=180>
▲
</gallery>
=== Floatation ===
▲== Soap bubbles as unconventional computing ==
The gas inside a bubble is less dense than air because it is mostly water vapor. Water vapor is a gas that is formed when water molecules evaporate. When water molecules evaporate, they escape from the liquid state and enter the gas state. In the gas state, water molecules are further apart than they are in the liquid state. This is because water molecules are attracted to each other. When they evaporate, they break away from these attractions and move further apart.
▲{{see also|Unconventional computing}}
▲The structures that soap films make can not just be enclosed as spheres, but virtually any shape, for example in wire frames. Therefore, many different minimal surfaces can be designed. It is actually sometimes easier to physically make them than to compute them by [[mathematical modelling]]. This is why the soap films can be considered as [[analog computer]]s which can outperform conventional computers, depending on the complexity of the system.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1511/2012.96.1| title = The Soap Film: An Analogue Computer| journal = American Scientist| volume = 100| issue = 3| pages = 1| year = 2012| last1 = Isenberg | first1 = Cyril }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1511/2012.96.1| title = The Soap Film: An Analogue Computer| journal = American Scientist| volume = 64| issue = 3| pages = 514–518| year = 1976| last1 = Isenberg | first1 = Cyril | bibcode = 1976AmSci..64..514I}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1511/2012.96.1| title = Soap Film Letters| journal = American Scientist| volume = 100| issue = January–February| pages = 1| year = 1977| last1 = Taylor | first1 = Jean E. }}</ref>
The further apart water molecules are, the less dense they are. This is why water vapor is less dense than air. The gas inside a bubble is mostly water vapor, so it is also less dense than air.
Bubbles can be effectively used to teach and explore a wide variety of concepts to even young children. Flexibility, colour formation, reflective or mirrored surfaces, concave and convex surfaces, transparency, a variety of shapes (circle, square, triangle, sphere, cube, tetrahedron, hexagon), elastic properties, and comparative sizing, as well as the more esoteric properties of bubbles listed on this page. Bubbles are useful in teaching concepts starting from 2 years old and into college years. A Swiss university professor, Dr. Natalie Hartzell, has theorized that the usage of artificial bubbles for entertainment purposes of young children has shown a positive effect in the region of the child's brain that controls motor skills and is responsible for coordination with children exposed to bubbles at a young age showing measurably better motion skills than those who were not.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.2307/1970949| jstor = 1970949| title = The Structure of Singularities in Soap-Bubble-Like and Soap-Film-Like Minimal Surfaces| journal = The Annals of Mathematics| volume = 103| issue = 3| pages = 489–539| year = 1976| last1 = Taylor | first1 = J. E. }}</ref>▼
The density of a gas can also be affected by its temperature. As the temperature of a gas increases, the molecules of the gas move faster. This causes them to spread out and become less dense. The opposite is also true. As the temperature of a gas decreases, the molecules of the gas move slower. This causes them to bunch together and become more dense.
The temperature of the gas inside a bubble is affected by the temperature of the water around it. The warmer the water, the warmer the gas inside the bubble. This means that the gas inside a bubble will be less dense if the water is warm than if the water is cold.
==Recreation==
=== Use in play ===
[[File:Girl Blowing Bubbles.jpg|thumb|left|180px|A woman creating bubbles with a long soap bubble wand]]▼
Soap bubbles have been used as entertainment for at least 400 years, as evidenced by 17th-century Flemish paintings showing children blowing bubbles with clay pipes. The London-based firm [[Pears (soap)|A. & F. Pears]] created a famous advertising campaign for its soaps in 1886 using a painting by John Everett Millais of a child playing with bubbles. The Chicago company Chemtoy began selling bubble solution in the 1940s, and bubble solution has been popular with children ever since. According to one industry estimate, retailers sell around 200 million bottles annually. [[Dishwashing liquid]] with water and additional ingredients such as [[Glycerol|glycerin]] and [[sugar]] is used as a popular alternative to a ready made bubble solution. <ref>{{
[[File:Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin 022.jpg|thumb|left|180px|[[Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin]], ''[[Soap Bubbles (painting)|Soap Bubbles]]'' (ca. 1734)]]▼
<gallery mode=packed>
▲Soap bubbles have been used as entertainment for at least 400 years, as evidenced by 17th-century Flemish paintings showing children blowing bubbles with clay pipes. The London-based firm [[Pears (soap)|A. & F. Pears]] created a famous advertising campaign for its soaps in 1886 using a painting by John Everett Millais of a child playing with bubbles. The Chicago company Chemtoy began selling bubble solution in the 1940s, and bubble solution has been popular with children ever since. According to one industry estimate, retailers sell around 200 million bottles annually.{{citation needed|date=August 2010}}
File:Bhutan, "Prayer Bubbles" - Flickr - babasteve.jpg|Blowing bubbles through a small wand
▲
File:Adriaen Hanneman Two Boys Blowing Bubbles.JPG|[[Adriaen Hanneman]], ''Two Boys Blowing Bubbles'' ({{circa|1630}})
▲
</gallery>
=== Colored bubbles ===
[[File:Macro Photography of a soap bubble.jpg|thumb|left|A single light soap bubble photograph taken under macro photography]]
A bubble is made of transparent water enclosing transparent air. However, the [[soap film]] is as thin as the visible light [[wavelength]], resulting in [[Interference (wave propagation)|interferences]]. This creates [[iridescence]] which, together with the bubble's spherical shape and fragility, contributes to its magical effect on children and adults alike. Each colour is the result of varying thicknesses of soap bubble film. [[Tom Noddy]] (who featured in the second episode of [[Marcus du Sautoy]]'s ''[[The Code (2011 TV series)|The Code]]'') gave the analogy of looking at a [[contour line|contour]] map of the bubbles' surface. However, it has become a challenge to produce artificially coloured bubbles.▼
▲A bubble is made of transparent water enclosing transparent air. However, the [[soap film]] is as thin as the visible light [[wavelength]], resulting in [[
Byron, Melody & Enoch Swetland invented a patented non-toxic bubble (Tekno Bubbles)<ref>{{cite web |author=Mary Bellis |url=http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa061500a.htm |title=Interview with Byron and Melody Swetland - The Inventors of Tekno Bubbles |publisher=Inventors.about.com |date=1999-10-05 |access-date=2013-10-04 |url-status=
[[File:Triple layer soap bubble.jpg|thumb|A single soap bubble displaying three layers]]
Adding coloured [[dye]] to bubble mixtures fails to produce coloured bubbles, because the dye attaches to the water molecules as opposed to the surfactant. Therefore, a colourless bubble forms with the dye falling to a point at the base. Dye [[chemist]] [[Ram Sabnis|Dr. Ram Sabnis]] has developed a [[lactone]] dye that sticks to the surfactants, enabling brightly coloured bubbles to be formed. [[Crystal violet lactone]] is an example. Another man named Tim Kehoe invented a coloured bubble which loses its colour when exposed to pressure or oxygen, which he is now marketing online as [[Zubbles]], which are non-toxic and non-staining. In 2010, Japanese astronaut [[Naoko Yamazaki]] demonstrated that it is possible to create coloured bubbles in [[microgravity]]. The reason is that the water molecules are spread evenly around the bubble in the low-gravity environment.
=== Freezing ===
[[File:Frozen Ice Bubble.jpg|thumb
If soap bubbles are blown into air that is below a [[temperature]] of {{convert|-15|C|F|lk=on}}, they will freeze when they [[Nucleation|touch a surface]]. The air inside will gradually [[diffusion|diffuse]] out, causing the bubble to crumble under its own weight. At temperatures below about {{convert|-25|C|F}}, bubbles will freeze in the air and may shatter when hitting the ground. When a bubble is blown with warm air, the bubble will freeze to an almost perfect sphere at first, but when the warm air cools, and a reduction in volume occurs, there will be a partial collapse of the bubble. A bubble, created successfully at this low temperature, will always be rather small; it will freeze quickly and will shatter if increased further.<ref>Hope Thurston Carter: [http://hopecarter.photoshelter.com/gallery/Frozen-Frosted-Fun/G0000C2ixRgR2ecg/ Frozen Frosted Fun] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215083224/http://hopecarter.photoshelter.com/gallery/Frozen-Frosted-Fun/G0000C2ixRgR2ecg |date=2016-02-15 }} hopecarter.photoshelter.com, Michigan, USA, 2014, retrieved 25 January 2017. – Photo catalogue.</ref>
Freezing of small soap bubbles happens within 2 seconds after setting on snow (at air temperature around –10...–14 °C).<!--http://www.accuweather.com/de/de/regensburg/93047/january-weather/167556 recorded –8/–14°C for 23 January 2017, the pictures seem to be taken during nighttime and outside of town. --><ref>pilleuspulcher: [https://plus.google.com/+pilleuspulcher/posts/3ZbXqEr5iYc Freezing soap bubbles on snow] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202095553/https://plus.google.com/+pilleuspulcher/posts/3ZbXqEr5iYc |date=2017-02-02 }} google+, Regensburg, Germany, 23 January 2017, retrieved 25 January 2017. – Photos, description in German.</ref>
== Art ==
[[File:Professional bubble.jpg|thumb
[[File:Szappanbuborék - Alex, Deák tér (1).JPG|thumb|Soap bubbles in downtown Budapest]]
Soap bubble [[performance]]s combine [[entertainment]] with artistic achievement. They require a high degree of skill.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} Some performers use common commercially available bubble liquids while others compose their own solutions. Some artists create giant bubbles or tubes, often enveloping objects or even humans. Others manage to create bubbles forming cubes, tetrahedra and other shapes and forms. Bubbles are sometimes handled with bare hands. To add to the visual experience, they are sometimes filled with [[smoke]], vapour or [[helium]] and combined with [[laser]] lights or fire. Soap bubbles can be filled with a flammable gas such as [[natural gas]] and then ignited.
Professional bubble artists include [[Tom Noddy]], [[Fan Yang (artist)|Fan Yang]] and [[The Amazing Bubble Man]].
== Education ==
▲Bubbles can be effectively used to teach and explore a wide variety of concepts to even young children. Flexibility, colour formation, reflective or mirrored surfaces, concave and convex surfaces, transparency, a variety of shapes (circle, square, triangle, sphere, cube, tetrahedron, hexagon), elastic properties, and comparative sizing, as well as the more esoteric properties of bubbles listed on this page. Bubbles are useful in teaching concepts starting from 2 years old and into college years. A Swiss university professor, Dr. Natalie Hartzell, has theorized that the usage of artificial bubbles for entertainment purposes of young children has shown a positive effect in the region of the child's brain that controls motor skills and is responsible for coordination with children exposed to bubbles at a young age showing measurably better motion skills than those who were not.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.2307/1970949| jstor = 1970949| title = The Structure of Singularities in Soap-Bubble-Like and Soap-Film-Like Minimal Surfaces| journal = The Annals of Mathematics| volume = 103| issue = 3| pages = 489–539| year = 1976| last1 = Taylor | first1 = J. E. }}</ref>
== See also ==
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* [[Stretched grid method]]
* [[Tom Noddy]]
* [[The Amazing Bubble Man]]
* [[Weaire–Phelan structure]]
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