Soap bubble

<p>A soap bubble (commonly referred to as simply a bubble) is an extremely thin <a href="/facts/Soap_film/JCTzDK23">film</a> of <a href="/facts/Soap/S3nJa1oY">soap</a> or <a href="/facts/Detergent/4FLKXR6p">detergent</a> and water enclosing air that forms a hollow <a href="/facts/Sphere/jywYLNM2">sphere</a> with an <a href="/facts/Iridescent/ykc1opK8">iridescent</a> surface. Soap bubbles usually last for only a few seconds before bursting, either on their own or on contact with another object. They are often used for children's enjoyment, but they are also used in artistic <a href="/facts/Performance/LoPW1hxp">performances</a>. Assembling many bubbles results in <a href="/facts/Foam/kGrXWWcb">foam</a>.
</p><p>When light shines onto a bubble it appears to change colour. Unlike those seen in a rainbow, which arise from differential refraction, the colours seen in a soap bubble arise from light <a href="/facts/Wave_interference/lI5f78I4">wave interference</a>, reflecting off the front and back surfaces of the thin soap film. Depending on the thickness of the film, different colours interfere constructively and destructively.
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Soap bubble open-in-new

Soap bubble