Question and Hypothesis
Question
Does
the life span of a soap bubble increase in cold clear weather or hot humid
weather?
Hypothesis
My
hypothesis is that the life span of the soap bubble will increase in cold clear
weather.
Review of Literature
Bubbles have been around since the early 18th
century and have continually developed ever since. Though bubbles range from
different colors and sizes there are some things they have in common. For
example, one thing all bubbles have in common are their shape, no matter how
hard you try, you’ll always end up with a sphere shaped bubble. Different kinds
of bubbles vary as well. There are gas bubbles, air bubbles, soap bubble…etc.
Soap bubbles are formed when soap and water are
mixed; they become known as low-free-energy. There are two end of a soap
molecule, the hydrophilic, which is attracted to water, and the hydrophobic
hydrocarbon which tries to avoid water. When soap and water mingle the
hydrophobic hydrocarbon forces its way to the top and spreads the water molecules.
As the water molecules begin to separate the surface tension also decreases,
thus, forming a soap bubble. A soap
bubble is a three layered film encasing a slight sphere of compressed air or
gasses. The three layered film which involves a layer of water sandwiched by
soapy films. These soapy film are, in comparison, much like a plastic film,
able to hold what is on the inside, but once the center is gone, it folds in on
itself.
All bubbles, soap or gas, form into a sphere. A
sphere, unlike any of the other three dimensional shapes takes the absolute
least amount of energy to form into. A sphere also enables the least amount of
surface tension giving the bubble a longer life period. No matter how you blow
a bubble, it will always form into a sphere.
Once a soap bubble is air born it has a short period
of time before it evaporates or bumps into something and pops. To keep the
bubbles alive longer add glycerol. Glycerol is found at your local drug store
to enable the slowing of the water film thinning and helps slow down the
process of evaporation. Like glycerol, polymer also helps slow down evaporation
enabling a bubble to live longer. The recommended soap bubble solution, for a
longer life span, is: 19 ml of soap in 750 ml of water and 1000 ml of glycerol.
The soap bubble solution is not the only
contribution to a longer life span of the bubble but also the atmospheric
pressure, temperature, chemical composition and how hard or soft the surface
tension is. Henry’s law- The less atmospheric pressure, the less gas in the
solution, along with Bernoulli’s principle: Pressure affects the long live of
bubbles, both support this composition.
In warmer, humid air, a bubble is most likely to pop
sooner than a bubble floating in cold, clear air. Bubbles pop for one of two
reasons- The water evaporates or the bubble bumps into something and the
pressure is too great. In warmer times, when the sun is out, the bubble will
likely pop from the evaporation of the sun. The humidity would create a
barometric pressure that would close in on the bubble and once overwhelmed the
bubble would merely pop. In contradiction a bubble airborne on a cold day, when
the sun is not as effective a bubble would most likely not pop, and since the
air is clear there is no atmospheric pressure so the bubble is free to float in
a vast area.
Today, bubbles are admired not only by adults and
children but pets as well! Doing some experiments, companies were eventually
able to create scent flavored bubbles. Now bubbles range from a smell of happy
bubbles, bacon or even cat-nip! Giving pleasure to the whole family. Though it
may surprise, bubbles are not only used for fun but also to help solve
mathematical equations and help scientist get a better grasp on the universe.
Bibliography
Calvert, J.B. Bubbles and Soap. N.p., 20
Mar 2004. Web. 19 Oct 2013.
<http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/phys/bubbles.htm>.
Helminstine, Anne. "About.com." Bubble
Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct 2013. <http://chemistry.about.com/od/bubbles/a/bubblescience.htm>.
"Science Daily." Soap Bubbles.
N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct 2013.
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/s/soap_bubble.htm>.
Smith, Lisa. "Ehow." The Effect of
Temperature on Bubble Solution. N.p.. Web. 19 Oct 2013.
<http://www.ehow.com/info_8744446_effect-temperature-bubble-solution.html>.
Pepling, Rachel. "Chemical &
Engineering News." Soap Bubbles. N.p., 28 Apr 2003. Web. 19 Oct
2013. <https://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/8117sci3.html>.
