Soap bubbles represent a delicate balance of forces. Water tension creates the force that holds the thin film of the bubble together. Soap within the bubble solution offsets these forces and allows the bulb to stabilize. This results in a lightweight sphere whose shape is easily changed by static forces.
Things Required:
Bubble solution
Drinking straw
Mug or plastic container
Balloon
Directions:
Fill a mug one-third full with bubble solution. Insert a straw into the solution. Blow into the solution with a slow and steady exhale. A mountain of bubbles should climb over the rim of the mug.
Charge a balloon by rubbing it through your hair. Move the balloon close to the bubbles. What happens? Describe how the bubble becomes distorted. Is the attraction strong enough to “rip” a bubble from the mug?
This Is What Happens:
Like the packaging “peanuts” and puffed cereal grains, soap bubbles react well to static charges. Their light weight and ease of charging make them an ideal subject for studying the effects of static attraction.
As the charged balloon approached the bubbles, the nearby electrons of the bubbles reacted. These negatively charged particles migrated to the far side of the bubbles. This created a bubble top with a positive charge. The top was attracted to the negative balloon. This attraction caused the bubbles to stretch out and form an egg shape.
