Here is how one can be the star of the playground: scientists have found a fail-proof technique that will produce the perfect soap bubble.
Experts at the Applied Math Lab of the New York University took things seriously and formulated the most efficient way to create bubbles.
The new study was published in the journal American Physical Society.
Creating The Perfect Bubble
After a series of bubble-blowing experiments, the researchers were able to figure out two ways a person can create the perfect bubble: first is to blow a steady and strong wind on the plastic wand, and second is to blow a gentle wind in an already inflated film of soap to create a bigger bubble. Researchers say that the first method is less common.
"This second method might explain how we often blow bubbles as kids: a quick puff bends the film outward and thereafter the film keeps growing even as the flow of air slows," stated Leif Ristroph, co-author of the study.
The first method, however, has already been demonstrated by street performers at theme parks during the summer season or science demonstrations using larger wands.
"They simply walk, sufficiently fast, it seems, with a soapy loop of rope, which provides the relative wind needed to stretch out the film," Ristoph added.
The methods are backed by a previous study from French physicists who had also played with bubbles a couple of years ago using dishwashing soap and weighted fishing line. They tested the contraption by gently pulling the wires apart to create a thin soap film and then push air through it to create bubbles.
They found that the bubbles can only be created above a certain speed and depending on the width of the jet of the air being used.
Blowing Bubbles Inside A Lab
During the study, the researchers replicated bubble blowing by using oil suspended in flowing water through a circular wand. By using water instead of wind, the team was able to monitor, control, and measure the flow of water pushing through the film of oil to create a water bubble.
Researchers also applied mathematical models to understand the mechanisms that create the perfect bubble. Watch the video demonstration below.
The methods of the perfect bubble blowing technique are also meant to be applied to consumer products that involve bubbles or any droplets such as foams, sprays, and emulsions.
