Soap Bubbles: Their Colors and Forces Which Mold Them [Paperback]

C. V. Boys (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 2012

An excellent primer and the classic work on the topic of soap bubbles and films, this book employs simple experiments to establish a practical basis for the existence and function of surface tension and energy minimization. Experiments require nothing more than soap, straws, and bits of rubber, yet they impart profound and fundamental concepts relating to the science of fluids. 83 illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 21, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486205428
• ISBN-13: 978-0486205427
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #431,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction to topic, May 26, 2001

By 

Mark S. Snow (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soap Bubbles: Their Colors and Forces Which Mold Them (Paperback)

This book serves as an excellent primer to the topic of soap bubbles and films. Using simple experiments the author establishes a practical basis for why surface tension and energy minimization exist, and why they are such a prolific and enigmatic force. Tailored for those without much background in the subject, the beginning of the book is nearly devoid of any serious numbers and the end of the book contains only simple equations, but the underpinnings of a more complex understanding of the bubbles is created by the end of the book. Ideas developed in lucid and concise experiments allow the observant reader to formulate their own practical understanding of soap bubbles, providing a much needed foundation for more serious studies in this field. The experiments are simple and easy, requiring nothing more than some soap, straws, and bits of rubber, yet the ideas they impart are both profound and fundamental to the science of fluids.

In short, this book is the first that should be read by anyone new to fluids and soap films, but contains no serious theoretical jargon.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 100 Years Old, and the Best, December 26, 2001

By 

Sterling Johnson (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soap Bubbles: Their Colors and Forces Which Mold Them (Paperback)

Boys book is about 100 years old and is flat out the best first book on bubbles. It takes you through a lot of interesting experiments that Boys did into areas that are very remote from soap and bubbles. Full of "oh, wows", it is a book that I reread about once a year (I do bubbles professionally, and every rereading contains new insights for me).

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A magical journey into a fascinating world, May 29, 1998

By 

Daniel Tang ([e-mail]) (Manchester, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soap Bubbles: Their Colors and Forces Which Mold Them (Paperback)

I read this book while I was a Physics student and was immediately captivated by this magical glimpse into the Physics of soap bubbles - an area where even today there remains unsolved mathematical questions.

While the likes of quantum mechanics and chaos theory often steal the limelight, I for one find it refreshing to find an equally intriguing subject in something closer to our direct experience. This is a fun, non mathematical introduction, written in a distinctively excentric English style. I loved it; if you love Physics, you will too.