THE COMPLETE BOOK · FREE TO READ
Bubbles and Wands
Follow Vince from a square wand to a round bubble. A dry hand, a wet palm and a wet plate invite comparisons, while neighbouring bubbles and an empty plate give him more to notice.
Turn the pagesOr scroll to readA square window
Pages 1–2
A square window. What will come out?
Explore together · A wand holds a liquid film
Vince dips a blue square wand, then lifts a shimmering film across its opening. Bubble solution can form a thin film across a wand. The square loop gives this flat film its edges; the opening question invites a prediction.
Ask together: What do you notice inside the square?
A round surprise
Pages 3–4
I blow... A round bubble!
Explore together · A free bubble can change shape
Vince blows through the square loop. A round bubble floats free while the wand stays square. Blowing stretches the film around air. Once free, a small bubble tends toward a sphere, even when its wand is square. Bubbles attached to a tool or surface can have other shapes.
Ask together: What changed when the bubble left the wand?
Trying to hold it
Pages 5–6
Can I hold it? Pop!
Explore together · Contact can break a film
Vince reaches for a bubble with a dry palm. The next picture shows an empty hand with wet flecks. Dry contact can disrupt a bubble film. This is one observed outcome; the pictures do not establish that every dry touch will always pop every bubble.
Ask together: What is different in Vince’s hand after the pop?
A wet hand
Pages 7–8
I wet my hand. This one stays!
Explore together · Changing the receiving surface
Vince wets his left hand in the bubble solution, then a small bubble rests on that same palm. A hand coated in the same bubble solution can support a small bubble briefly. Clean surfaces, calm air and the solution matter; not every catch works.
Ask together: What did Vince change before trying again?
A place to rest
Pages 9–10
A wet place to rest. Round on top.
Explore together · A surface changes the bubble’s shape
Vince spreads solution on a white plate, then watches a bubble resting there with a curved top. A wet plate can support a dome-shaped bubble. Its surface contact makes its shape different from the free round bubble earlier in the story.
Ask together: Where is this bubble curved, and where does it meet the plate?
A neighbour
Pages 11–12
One more beside it. They join!
Explore together · Two bubbles can share a film
Vince makes another bubble beside the first. A close view shows two joined domes with a narrow common seam. Two bubbles can join and share a film. For similar-sized bubbles the common wall is nearly flat, shown edge-on here; unequal bubbles generally have a curved shared wall. Bubbles may also pop or merge.
Ask together: Where do the two bubbles meet?
Only watching
Pages 13–14
I only watch... Gone.
Explore together · Bubbles can burst without a touch
Vince keeps his hands folded away from the joined bubbles. Later the plate has only wet traces. A bubble can burst without someone touching it. Drainage, evaporation or a disturbance can weaken the film. These pictures show moments, not a measured lifetime or simultaneous popping.
Ask together: What stayed the same about Vince’s hands? What changed on the plate?
Begin again
Pages 15–16
Another dip. Hello, bubble.
Explore together · A new film begins another bubble
Vince dips the square wand again, then quietly watches another round bubble. A fresh dip puts another film across the wand. Vince returns to the opening action after trying, changing a surface and watching what happens.
Ask together: What do you notice about how Vince watches this bubble?
A quiet notebook
Pages 17–18
For grown-ups
Pages 19–20
For Grown-Ups A bubble is air wrapped in a very thin film of water and detergent. Vince follows the film from a wand to a bubble, then watches what happens when it meets different surfaces. 1–4 A square window, a round bubble What changes when the bubble leaves the wand? The loop holds a flat film with square edges. Blowing stretches the film around air. Once free, a small bubble tends toward a sphere: the least surface area enclosing that volume. A bubble attached to a tool or surface can have a different shape. 5–8 Trying to hold it What does Vince change about his hand? Dry contact can disrupt the film. A hand coated with the same bubble solution can support a small bubble briefly. Not every catch works; clean surfaces, calm air and the solution all matter. 9–12 A place and a neighbour Where is each bubble curved? Where do they meet? The wet plate supports a dome. Two bubbles can join and share a film. With similar-sized bubbles, this wall is nearly flat; unequal bubbles generally have a curved wall. Touching bubbles may also pop or merge, so this picture shows one possible result. 13–18 Looking, losing, beginning again A bubble can burst without a touch. Liquid drains through the film and water evaporates; disturbances can also break it. The film becomes tiny droplets or a wet trace, and the enclosed air mixes with surrounding air. These pictures show moments, not a measured lifetime. Explore together Use ordinary bubble solution and smooth, small wands with a grown-up in a sheltered place. Compare a round and a square loop, or try a solution-wet hand. Try again if a bubble pops. Watch closely or draw what you notice; joining in need not mean blowing. Keep solution away from mouths and eyes, wash hands afterwards and wipe spills. The activities shown have published science-centre support; this exact setup has not been physically trialled. Science sources: American Chemical Society, B is for Bubble; Science World, Magic Bubble Wands, Catch a Bubble and Bubble Sculptures; Exploratorium, Soap Bubbles. Bird et al., Nature (2010), bubble rupture.
Open these pages in the readerSources and evidence
A dip leaves a thin liquid film across a flat wand; blowing can inflate it around air and release a bubble.
B is for Bubble, American Chemical Society
Ordinary bubble solution contains water and detergent. The depicted setup has not been physically trialled.
A square planar wand can hold a square-edged flat film, but its small detached bubble tends toward a round, approximately spherical shape.
Magic Bubble Wands, Science World
The Shape of Bubbles, Exploratorium
A small free bubble tends toward a sphere. Bubbles still attached to a tool or surface may have different shapes.
Dry hand contact can rupture a soap film; coating the hand with the same bubble solution can let a small bubble rest briefly.
A solution-wet palm can support a small bubble briefly; not every catch works. Clean surfaces, calm air and solution affect the result.
A small bubble can rest as a dome on a plastic plate wetted with bubble solution.
Bubble Sculptures, Science World
The picture shows one possible dome on a solution-wet plate, not a guaranteed household result.
Two similar-sized joined soap bubbles can share an approximately flat film, changing their shapes at the join.
When Bubble Meets Bubble, Exploratorium
Bubble Sculptures, Science World
Two bubbles may join, pop or merge. The similar-sized pair shown shares a nearly flat wall seen edge-on; unequal bubbles generally have a curved common wall.
A bubble can rupture without being touched as its liquid film thins; the liquid remains as tiny drops or wet traces and its air joins surrounding air.
The views show moments, not an exact lifetime or simultaneous rupture. Liquid remains as tiny droplets or wet traces, while the enclosed air mixes with surrounding air.
A story worth keeping?
Read it here as often as you like. The physical edition is coming soon.