How do bubbles work?

Why do bubbles pop when you touch them? This video explores the science behind bubbles and shows an experiment you can try when you're washing up!

Instructions

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises. Remember you can read the transcript at any time.

Transcript

Can you see that the bubbles pop as soon as I tried to touch them? That's because when we touch a bubble with our dry hands, we break the bubble's surface tension.

Our hands have a little bit of oil in them, and that keeps them nice and soft. But soap loves oil – that's why we use it to clean dirty, oily dishes. So when a soap bubble lands on our oily hands, those soap molecules try to take the oil away. But this bursts the bubble.

So what can I use to try and help me catch a bubble without it bursting? I'm going to use a glove. Now let's see what happens!

Wow! The glove is stopping the soapy bubble mixing with the oil on my hands, which means I can catch the bubble, and even bounce it! Wow!