Soap Bubbles: Their Colors and Forces Which Mold Them

by C.V. Boys and Charles Vernon Boys

Book Overview

An excellent primer and the classic work on the topic of soap bubbles and films, this book employs simple experiments to establish a practical basis for the existence and function of surface tension and energy minimization. Dozens of experiments require nothing more than soap, straws, and bits of rubber, yet they impart profound and fundamental concepts relating to the science of fluids. Geared toward readers without much background in the subject,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486205428
• ISBN13: 9780486205427
• Release Date: June 2012
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.4" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Practical demonstrations with detailed how to

In this thin, 156 page volume, CV Boys extends the love of physics to the study of soap bubbles. The book is a classic based on a series of lecture/demonstrations given at London Institution in 1889. The demonstrations explore surface tension and the forces that effect bubble formation. The demonstrations are straightforward and for the most part employ household equipment. The book ends with a detailed description of the materials used in the experiments. Included is a recipe for a soap bubble solution (though commercial bubble solutions can be used) which is enhanced by the addition of glycerine. The formula consists of a 2.5% solution of sodium oleate (or home made soap from lye and olive oil) in pure water (distilled preferred or deionized or rain water), dissolved by allowing to stand 5 days. A one-third volume of pure glycerine is added and mixed thoroughly. An oily upper layer forms which is removed (as in a gravy separator) retaining the clear lower layer. Add a few drops of stronger ammonia. If stored in a well stoppered bottle and opened infrequently, the solution is stable for up to two years. This book will be of interest to young scientists and their teachers, who may enjoy the delightful demonstrations using simple, non-hazardous materials. It may also suggest a few science fair projects. No index. No references.

100 Years Old, and the Best

Boys book is about 100 years old and is flat out the best first book on bubbles. It takes you through a lot of interesting experiments that Boys did into areas that are very remote from soap and bubbles. Full of "oh, wows", it is a book that I reread about once a year (I do bubbles professionally, and every rereading contains new insights for me).

Excellent Introduction to topic

This book serves as an excellent primer to the topic of soap bubbles and films. Using simple experiments the author establishes a practical basis for why surface tension and energy minimization exist, and why they are such a prolific and enigmatic force. Tailored for those without much background in the subject, the beginning of the book is nearly devoid of any serious numbers and the end of the book contains only simple equations, but the underpinnings of a more complex understanding of the bubbles is created by the end of the book. Ideas developed in lucid and concise experiments allow the observant reader to formulate their own practical understanding of soap bubbles, providing a much needed foundation for more serious studies in this field. The experiments are simple and easy, requiring nothing more than some soap, straws, and bits of rubber, yet the ideas they impart are both profound and fundamental to the science of fluids.In short, this book is the first that should be read by anyone new to fluids and soap films, but contains no serious theoretical jargon.

A magical journey into a fascinating world

I read this book while I was a Physics student and was immediately captivated by this magical glimpse into the Physics of soap bubbles - an area where even today there remains unsolved mathematical questions.While the likes of quantum mechanics and chaos theory often steal the limelight, I for one find it refreshing to find an equally intriguing subject in something closer to our direct experience. This is a fun, non mathematical introduction, written in a distinctively excentric English style. I loved it; if you love Physics, you will too.