In the Bubble Lab, we were trying to figure out whether adding salt or sugar to a bubble solution would affect the size of the bubbles. A bubble is a globule of gas, such as air or carbon dioxide. We hypothesized that when salt was added to the solution, the size of the bubbles would decrease, and the same results when sugar was added.
The materials we used in the lab were as follows:
 |
| www.google.com |
 |
| www.google.com |
 |
| www.google.com |
 |
| www.google.com |
 |
| www.google.com |
- 3 plastic drinking cups
- liquid dish detergent
- measuring cup and spoons
- water
- table sugar
- table salt
- drinking straw
 |
|
In the lab, we took three cups and put one teaspoon of liquid dish detergent and 2/3 cups of water to each cup. In one cup we added half a teaspoon of sugar, to another cup we added half a teaspoon of salt, and to the last cup nothing. We proceeded to mix each cup individually with the straw. Continuing on, we dipped the straw into the first cup (which contained only water and soap), pulled it out, and gently blew into it to make the biggest bubble we possible could. We then repeated this with both of the other cups.
During the lab we observed that the bubbles from the regular mixture were all about the same size. When experimenting with the salt mixture we found that those bubbles were considerably larger than those of the regular mixture. The sugar mixture produced bubbles that were generally larger than the regular mixture but smaller than the salt mixture. The salt and sugar mixtures both affected the reflection of colors off the bubbles.
The average size of the bubbles was on a larger end of the bubbles produced in the regular mixture but on the smaller end of the salt mixture. The largest bubble we managed to achieve blowing was out of the salt mixture. The regular mixture was the one we found to have the smallest bubbles. Bubbles are in the shape of a sphere and thus try to create the smallest surface area possible. This is applicable to life because spheres are everywhere in the world, and even the universe, so it is logical that this occurs everywhere.
The Bubble Lab was a great opportunity to learn how to better observe your surroundings and take data from it, as it was necessary to do so to get all the information required of us. It also taught how to follow directions precisely. If you didn't follow each direction exactly as it was stated, the data taken would be unreliable and incorrect. Through the things we learned, our group found that the salt and sugar actually increased the size of the bubbles. rather decreasing it. Now we have a better understanding of solutions and lab work.
