The Stability of a Bubble
While fun to look at, bubbles
very rarely last longer than ten seconds. The
variables that effect the lifetime of a bubble are
typically: drainage, evaporation, and contact.
Drainage: Drainage is the process that
occurs within a bubble. As a bubble floats in air,
it is affected by gravity, pulling the water of the
bubble down to the bottom. As more and more water
drains to the bottom, the thickness of the top of
the bubble becomes thinner and thinner, eventually
rupturing due to more unequal pressure, and the
bubble will pop. Theoretically, this issue could be
addressed by increasing the amount of soap in the
bubble solution, which in turn increases both the
viscosity and lifetime of a bubble.
Evaporation: Due to a bubble
being composed of water, it is prone to its walls
evaporating into its surrounding environment. A
solution to this pesky problem would be by avoiding
the bubbles in a more humid environment, or by
adding sugar to the solution, which also increases
the viscosity of the bubble solution, preventing
evaporation.
Contact: As thousands of children
(and adults) have found out when subjected to these
soapy wonders, bubbles typically pop upon coming
into contact with other objects. This is usually
because the objects have some dirt on them which is
incompatible with the continuity of the walls of the
bubble. While not particularly practical, this could
be solved by covering any surfaces--no, the entire
world, with the same bubble solution, so that they
could live forever.
http://www.missmoss.co.za/2009/07/06/popping-bubbles/