Soap-Bubbles and the Forces Which Mould ThemBoys, C. V. (Charles Vernon)
Science
Soap-Bubbles and the Forces Which Mould Them
Boys, C. V. (Charles Vernon)
Bubbles; Capillarity; Surface tension
[Illustration: Fig. 68. Length of Stem 9 Inches]
To blow one bubble inside another, the first, as large as an average
orange, should be blown on the lower side of a horizontal ring. A light
wire ring should then be hung on to this bubble to slightly pull it out
of shape. For this purpose thin aluminium rings are hardly heavy enough,
and so either a heavier metal should be used, or a small weight should
be fastened to the handle of the ring. The ring should be so heavy that
the sides of the bubble make an angle of thirty or forty degrees with
the vertical, where they meet the ring as indicated in Fig. 56. The
wetted end of the pipe is now to be inserted through the top of the
bubble, until it has penetrated a clear half inch or so. A new bubble
can now be blown any size almost that may be desired. To remove the pipe
a slow motion will be fatal, because it will raise the inner bubble
until it and the outer one both meet the pipe at the same place. This
will bring them into true contact. On the other hand, a violent jerk
will almost certainly produce too great a disturbance. A rather rapid
motion, or a slight jerk, is all that is required. It is advisable
before passing the pipe up through the lower ring, so as to touch the
inner bubble, and so drain away the heavy drop, to steady this with the
other hand. The superfluous liquid can then be drained from both bubbles
simultaneously. Care must be taken after this that the inner bubble is
not allowed to come against either wire ring, nor must the pipe be
passed through the side where the two bubbles are very close together.
To peel off the lower ring it should be pulled down a very little way
and then inclined to one side. The peeling will then start more readily,
but as soon as it has begun the ring should be raised so as not to make
the peeling too rapid, otherwise the final jerk, when it leaves the
lower ring, will be too much for the bubbles to withstand.
Bubbles coloured with fluorescine, or uranine, do not show their
brilliant fluorescence unless sunlight or electric light is concentrated
upon them with a lens or mirror. The quantity of dye required is so
small that it may be difficult to take little enough. As much as can be
picked up on the last eighth of an inch of a pointed pen-knife will be,
roughly speaking, enough for a wine-glassful of the soap solution. If
the quantity is increased beyond something like the proportion stated,
the fluorescence becomes less and very soon disappears. The best
quantity can be found in a few minutes by trial.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account