Have you ever wondered how a bubble produces spectral colors? This phenomenon of observing different colors also takes place when gasoline is spilled onto the water.
This photo was captured using a Nikon S51 8.1 Megapixels camera. It required many trials to achieve the picture without popping the bubbles. The materials needed to create “Shiny Bubbles,” are soap, water, oil, a straw and a small container. Soap, water and oil were mixed together and a small amount of it was placed on the countertop. Now take your time, use a straw and start inflating the bubbles one at a time, inside the other. When the light rays strike the upper and lower surface of the thin soap film, some of the lights are refracted, others reflected. This light rays travel in different paths. Depends on their phase difference, in some areas, we can see constructive or destructive interference. Each bubble displays the same image of spectral colors; each color of the spectrum is composed of different wavelengths.
These pictures are included in the Art of Physics travelling exposition. To get more information on how your institution can host the travelling exposition, please contact Francine Ford, CAP's Executive Director at cap@uottawa.ca.
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