Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory Office of Science NEWTON's Homepage NEWTON's Homepage
NEWTON, Ask A Scientist!
NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Physics of a Bubble 
Name: N/A
Status: N/A
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
I want to be able to find how heavy a solid can a bubble in a solution hold up, before the solid 'falls' into the solution. I need specific formulas, and I was wondering where can I start looking a in a physics book? A.B.


Replies:
The original "Eureka!": Archimedes' principle of buoyancy.

christopher grayce

If I am reading your question correctly, you are asking about "balancing" a solid on top of a bubble (or supporting it on a foam). This is related to the surface tension of the solution and the wettability of the solid -- I think the contact area between the two needs to be in there too. Hopefully someone else can be a little more specific!

gregory r bradburn


Click here to return to the Physics Archives

NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.

For assistance with NEWTON contact a System Operator (help@newton.dep.anl.gov), or at Argonne's Educational Programs

NEWTON AND ASK A SCIENTIST
Educational Programs
Building 360
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne, Illinois
60439-4845, USA
Update: June 2012
Weclome To Newton

Argonne National Laboratory