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/
                                                                                          http://www.missmoss.co.za/2009/07/06/popping-bubbles/