Friday 25 January 2013

Pretty bubbles in the snow

Since the snow arrived we've been learning about Antarctica. 
Explorers such as Henry Hudson noticed that unexpected things often happen to common materials in the very cold Arctic climate.
Today was definitely cold enough to try this bubble experiment.




If you blow bubbles on a very cold day they act differently to bubbles blown on a warm day. They  don't float around, but shatter in mid air.
It wasn't quite cold enough(!) this morning, so we blew bubbles into the freezer, there is a definite 'pop' as they shatter.

 We tried blowing bubbles again later, and saw more of the shattering effect.
When the bubble is blown in cold air, tiny ice crystals form, which shatter the bubble. Also the warm air inside the bubble expands and the pressure increases.The cold air stops the expansion and often causes the bubble to shatter.

Reuben also found this icicle, which is now in the freezer for safe keeping.

12 comments:

  1. Thats amazing about the bubbles shattering! We never knew that!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for linking up at Share It Saturday! That is so neat!! We will need to try that. We are a new follower.
    Colleen at www.sugaraunts.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I never knew that either! I will definitely be trying this out on a frosty morning. You're not only teaching your kids, I am learning lots too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. We love bubbles in this house. This sounds very cool indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think we will be trying this 'speriment this weekend!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. How fun; wish I knew to try this when my teenager was younger. (We did build ice castles out of colored blocks we made with dyed water left out overnight in plastic containers. Great fun!) I'm visiting from Bloggy Moms; stop by and see me at www.pushingonarope.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. We did this with the Cub Scouts a couple of weeks ago. They loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh I will have to try this with my girls. That is cool! Thanks so much for sharing on We Made That!

    ReplyDelete
  9. that is a great experiment! i had no idea about that, with the bubbles. and i love that icicle.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is on my list to do when its freezing next. I forgot last time. Oops!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I didn't know they did that. I'm going up to Colorado for a funeral, and I wonder if everyone would think I'm crazy if I tried this.........

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow! How fun! I'll have to remember to get some bubbles the next time we go to the snow!
    Congrats.! You won the Most Clicked On Feature at my Super Link Party! I will feature you on Wednesday. :-)
    Please let me know if you have a blog button, and I will display it under Featured Guests on my sidebar for the week. :-)

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...