Procedure

We now know all about bubbles and their shapes. I am looking forward to completing the experimental portion of this project, in hopes that I will be successful in creating a square bubble.

We have knowledge and background on what square bubbles are and how they work, it is time to do my experiment. To do this experiment I needed several supplies. I included a materials list:

  • 1 bucket of water (large enough to fit a cube in)
  • Dish soap (or dish detergent)
  • Glycerin
  • Corn Syrup
  • 6 straws
  • 6 pipe cleaners
  • Scissors

Once I gathered all of my materials, I started by cutting all of my straws and pipe cleaners in half. I cut these in half because I needed to make a cube . I twisted each end of the pipe cleaners together to make the cube. The straws should go over each pipe cleaner to make the cube sturdier. I twisted every corner together until I had my cube. The next step was to make the bubble solution. So, I added the soap and the glycerin to the bucket of water. Then, I soaked the cube into the mixture and waited for the square bubble to form. When making a square bubble, you may have a little difficulty. When doing this make sure to get the whole cube into the mixture at once, or else it won’t form the correct square bubble.

I did the same experiment again but instead of glycerin, I used corn syrup, a replacement for glycerin. My project was to find out what ingredient make square bubbles last the longest. So, I tested both substitutes several times to see which bubble lasted the longest.

While I was doing my experiment, I noticed that when you use the cube, you can make several other shapes such as, triangles and prisms. The different shapes are so cool because they will form anywhere inside of the cube, such as the middle and many of times in the corners! I also realized that each time you put the cube into the mixture, it may make a square bubble, or it may not. So, if you ever happen to do this experiment and don’t get the square bubble right away, keep trying and it will soon form. You may also need to shake the cube against the bowl so it will form the square bubble.

I also noted that the cube was not as sturdy as I would have liked it to be. I think this all depends on which material you use, but I would suggest getting strong materials so, the cube can support itself. In the middle of this picture below, you can see the square that was formed. Unlike the other shapes, the square formed in the middle or close to the middle every time I tested it.

As I mentioned, I tested the glycerin and the corn syrup many times. My results were that the glycerin helped the bubble last longer than the corn syrup did. They were both close, but glycerin helped the bubble last a little bit longer. If you don’t have glycerin, corn syrup still works. On one occasion, the corn syrup lasted longer than the glycerin. But every other time glycerin lasted longer. I was so shocked to see what the square bubble would look like in person. I was surprised that I made the square bubble after only a few tries. Nothing in the experiment went wrong, except for me spilling water everywhere when I was testing the bubble! Everything actually turned out to be amazing, and a lot cooler than I thought it would be. After all, this experiment was a success! I was in fact able to not only make a square bubble, but also make it last longer. This proves my hypothesis to be correct! My other hypothesis was that the glycerin was going to help the bubble last the longest, and this was also true.

If I did this experiment again, I would find other stronger materials to use for the cube. I would probably try to find strong, durable straws and pipe cleaners. I would also try to make even more shapes with the cube. I am also interested in trying to blow different-shaped bubbles. Blowing different bubble shapes is a lot harder, maybe even impossible, but I would still love to try it!

I really enjoyed this experiment and I know for sure my partner did as well. At first I was nervous, because I had never seen a square bubble before, but now I am so glad that we chose this topic.