Dover Publications, 1992, 188 pages
Superb presentation of the molecular and macroscopic properties of soap films and bubbles, including many demonstrations that can be readily performed with simple household materials. Emphasis on application of soap films to solution of physical problems, e.g. the motorway and minimum area problems. Over 120 black-and-white illus., 41 color photographs.
The first four chapters should be easily comprehended by anyone with an undergraduate training, or a strong sixth form background, as they contain mainly school mathematics. Chapter 1 contains a general introduction to the chemical, physical and mathematical concepts that will be developed in later chapters. Chapter 2 is conceed with the optical interference phenomena that are produced by soap films and their application to the study of the draining and thinning mechanisms present in the films. Chapters 3 and 4 explain how soap films can be used as an analogue computer to solve mathematical minimization problems in two and three dimensions. They also give some mathematical analysis and discussion. Chapter 5 investigates the shape of liquid drops, bubbles, and the liquid surface in the vicinity of a solid surface, using the Laplace-Young equation. The last chapter, Chapter 6, contains a number of interesting properties and applications, such as the vibrational oscillations of soap film membranes and the application of soap films to the analogue solutions of the differential equations of Poisson and Laplace.
Superb presentation of the molecular and macroscopic properties of soap films and bubbles, including many demonstrations that can be readily performed with simple household materials. Emphasis on application of soap films to solution of physical problems, e.g. the motorway and minimum area problems. Over 120 black-and-white illus., 41 color photographs.
The first four chapters should be easily comprehended by anyone with an undergraduate training, or a strong sixth form background, as they contain mainly school mathematics. Chapter 1 contains a general introduction to the chemical, physical and mathematical concepts that will be developed in later chapters. Chapter 2 is conceed with the optical interference phenomena that are produced by soap films and their application to the study of the draining and thinning mechanisms present in the films. Chapters 3 and 4 explain how soap films can be used as an analogue computer to solve mathematical minimization problems in two and three dimensions. They also give some mathematical analysis and discussion. Chapter 5 investigates the shape of liquid drops, bubbles, and the liquid surface in the vicinity of a solid surface, using the Laplace-Young equation. The last chapter, Chapter 6, contains a number of interesting properties and applications, such as the vibrational oscillations of soap film membranes and the application of soap films to the analogue solutions of the differential equations of Poisson and Laplace.