The Physics of Blowing a Bubble

What is a bubble?

When a bubble is blown there is a pressure bubble of air that is contained with in a thin elastic wall of liquid. The radius of the bubble is stabilised through an effect known as the Marangoni effect. This effect causes the pressure inside of the bubble to increase where to a point where the side of the gas inside the bubble won't contract any further. This is the point The bubble will not get any bigger with out poping.

It has been thought that the shape of a bubble is similar to that of water dripping from a facuet, where it pinches off into a tear drop and dripping from the faucet.

By taking on the circular shape the bibble enclosed the maximum amount of air into the minimum amound of space.

SURFACE TENSION:

"It comes down to the chemical make-up of water molecules. A water molecule has six dangling elcectrons it can share with neighborning molecules, allowing it to form bonds with water-molecules above and below it. But at the water's surface, the molecules dont have any other molecules to bond with. Instead they link with molecules beside them to form extra-strong bond. This bonding is what creates the skin-like surface whereever water meets air, such as in a bubble."