Saturday, March 13, 2010

Are the bubbles in a bath (from bubble bath) a solid or a liquid?

My year 5 class would like to know.Are the bubbles in a bath (from bubble bath) a solid or a liquid?
They are a mixture of two states of matter (phases).


Bubble bath foam is a liquid/gas mixture.


(Liquid round the edge and gas in the middle)





Other examples of 'two phase' mixtures are:





Smoke (solid and gas)


Fog (liquid and gas)


Emulsions (can be solid and liquid like paint or liquid and liquid like mayonaisse)


Clay (solid and liquid)


Meringue (when crispy) (solid and gas)





When the two substances are very finely divided they are termed 'colloids'. Other related terms you could look at are 'gel' and 'sol'





I find colloids great sources of extension work when teaching young scientists about states of matter. Good examples in foods and tactile substances ... enjoy :)Are the bubbles in a bath (from bubble bath) a solid or a liquid?
they are thin membranes of liquid stretched around small balls of air. The soap in the bubble bath keeps the liquid together as is stretches around the air. The bubbles pop when they lose their surface tension by getting too thin or being touched by something.
inside it is air(gas) and the bubble is made of liquid
A gas involoped in a liquid film
liquid
They are liquid filled with gas?
i believe it is a liquid!
all bubbles are air trapped inside liquid... they are called foam.. cant put them under liquid or gas.. and they can never be solids.. hope that answers your question..
Liquid - filled with air... causing the bubbles...


just like when you blow a bubble...
Neither they are a gas
Liquid!
The bubble itself is definitely a liquid.





Liquid, while fluid, still has some parameters that help it have a shape. For example, if you put water in a thin tube, you will see it actually has a curve downwards if you look at it very closely. (It's called a meniscus, and it is concave) It clings to the side of the glass due to the concept of surface tension.





The same concept with bubbles - the soap and other things in the liquid influence the surface tension and make it strong enough to actually 'trap' the air.
Well, surely the actual bubble is a solid- think about the laws of solids, liquids and gases. Why not buy some lasting bubbles- try Hawkins bazaar. These last a little longer than the regular kind, so long as they don't touch the surface too quickly, and they will be able to explore them more fully

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