Worldschooling Science Fun: Big, Big Bubbles

What child (or adult) is not fascinated by bubbles? There's something almost magical about them. They delight and enchant.

But did you know that bubbles are science and math at work? What a great way for your family to learn about solutions, air pressure, surface tension, geometry and more.

Bubbles form because of surface tension. They are actually a layer of air sandwiched between a layer of water and a layer of detergent. The surface tension of the water and detergent hold them together.

No matter what shape they begin in, bubbles will move to the form of a sphere, in an effort to reduce and balance surface tension.

We created these big bubbles using Klutz Big Bubbles

I was able to capture the bubbles as they popped. A bubble pops when the surface tension is reduced. This can be affected by factors such as evaporation and temperature. See how interesting they look:

Try your own bubble experiments at home - Mix the solution (chemistry), perfect the technique of getting the right surface tension (physics) and see them take shape (geometry).

We found this site which shows how much fun you can have with bubbles if you practice. They have some INCREDIBLE photos and videos. Here are a couple of our favorites:

If you can't view this video, watch it on YouTube.