Soap bubbles burst more quickly in summer because hot and dry air accelerates the evaporation of the bubble's liquid, leaving the soap film thinner and therefore more fragile.
When it's hot, the heat strongly promotes the evaporation of water. The water contained in the thin film of soap bubbles evaporates much faster in the summer than in winter or spring, which makes the bubbles thinner and more fragile. As a result, the wall becomes so thin that it can no longer hold, and the bubble eventually bursts quickly. The higher the thermometer climbs, the faster your bubble will disappear, because each additional degree accelerates this evaporation phenomenon a little more.
Low humidity is simply drier air that speeds up the evaporation of water on the surface of bubbles. In summer, when the air is low in water vapor, bubbles dehydrate super quickly, becoming very thin and fragile. As a result, the bubble wall quickly loses all its elasticity and pops in no time. It's a bit like when your skin dries out quickly in the summer: the water disappears immediately into the parched air. In short, if you want to observe lasting bubbles, look for shade and humid areas instead!
Direct solar radiation accelerates the evaporation of water on the surface of the bubbles, which quickly thins their already fragile film. The film then becomes very thin in certain places, making the bubble much more sensitive and fragile to the slightest shock or change in balance. The sun also heats the internal air of the bubble, slightly increasing the internal pressure and making it less stable. Finally, the UV rays contained in sunlight also affect the resistance of soap molecules, degrading their chemical structure and further weakening the walls of the bubble. As a result, in full sun, pretty soap bubbles generally do not last long.
In summer, the wind often blows in a drier and more frequent manner. As a result, the air currents are stronger, making soap bubbles particularly unstable. Since their thin layer of soapy water is fragile, even the slightest gust of wind creates rapid fluctuations, quickly leading to their bursting. Basically, the summer wind enhances surface deformations until the bubble cracks. So if you thought that bubbles just don’t like the heat, know that they really don’t appreciate those sneaky little air currents typical of summer either.
When it's hot, the soap molecules in your bubble quickly lose their stable organization. Classic soap is mainly made up of water and substances called surfactants, which create a solid yet flexible film. But at high temperatures, these surfactants become less effective at holding water in the film. The bubble quickly loses its flexibility and becomes fragile, bursting much more quickly. In short, the hotter it gets, the more the chemical composition of the soap struggles to maintain the ideal structure for a strong bubble.
The sunlight reflected on the surface of soap bubbles creates a beautiful display of iridescent colors due to the light interference between the two surfaces of the thin film of soapy water.
Adding sugar or glycerin to the soapy solution helps the bubbles last longer, as these substances reduce the evaporation of water from their surface, which is especially helpful on hot summer days!
The extreme thinness of a soap bubble, typically between 10 and 100 nanometers, explains why it naturally adopts a spherical shape: it is the form that requires the least amount of energy to contain the maximum amount of air!
The earliest known paintings depicting the use of soap bubbles date back to the 16th century, often representing the fragility of life and the brevity of pleasure. An astonishing philosophical symbol behind seemingly innocuous bubbles!
The optimal conditions for creating giant bubbles include high humidity, a light to moderate wind, and moderate temperatures to limit accelerated evaporation.
Yes, in the presence of high humidity, the evaporation of water on the surface of the bubbles is slowed down, allowing them to last longer. Conversely, low humidity speeds up their bursting.
The iridescent colors of the bubbles come from the interference of light reflected off their very thin layers of water and soap. These colors constantly change according to the thickness of the soap-water wall.
An ideal solution for summer generally contains distilled water, mild dish soap, and a thickening agent such as glycerin or sugar, which reduces the evaporation rate under high heat and wind.
To obtain more durable bubbles, you can add a thickener like glycerin or sugar to your soap-water mixture. This will slow down evaporation and enhance the stability of the soap bubble walls.
No one has answered this quiz yet, be the first!' :-)
Question 1/5
