| Description |
xiii, 114 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 22 cm. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (p. [109]-110) and index. |
| Contents |
The physics of fizzy : gas bubbles in liquid. Bubbles in beer and volcanoes ; The ins and outs of bubble oscillations ; Springboard and platform diving ; Propellers, pumps, and porpoises ; Knuckle cracking ; Dams ; Cartesian divers ; Bubbles in your bubbly ; The ascent of sap in trees ; Ceramic bubbles ; White-water physics -- Raining cats and dogs : liquid droplets in a gas. Faucet physics ; Spider's web ; Liquid-drop model of the atomic nucleus ; The swirl of bath water ; Morning dew ; Acid rain ; Bubble chambers and atom smashers ; Clouds ; Thunder and lightning ; Snow ; Hail ; Vapor trails ; The rainbow ; Halos ; Glories ; The green flash ; The blue sky -- The perfect pint : the science of foams. Liquid foams ; Fire-fighting foams ; Honeycombs and mattresses ; Bones ; Mining foams ; Foams on the farm -- Where there's life, there's soap : the science of surface tension. Soap bubbles ; Coffee rings ; Soap molecules ; The bubble that lived ; The soapy computer ; Bubble rafts ; Anti-bubbles ; Feeling the tension ; Record-breaking bubbles -- Poetry in the ocean : bubbles in the sea. A storm at sea ; Bubble nets ; Fish-killing bubbles ; Bubbles hiding mines -- What light from yonder bubble breaks? Sonoluminescence. The star in the jar ; Sonoluminescent sources ; Liquid light ; Light from breaking glass ; Sonoluminescence in space -- In the operating theatre : medical bubbles. Cleaning a wound ; The bends ; Bubbles in the blood ; Bubbles in the bladder ; Designer bubbles. |
| Summary |
"We've all spent summers past blowing bubbles in the backyard. But the humble bubble (and its opposite, the droplet) are fascinating cornerstones of the world around us. This book, breathtaking in its scope, describes for a general reader (no math, no physics, no equations) the compelling behavior of these seemingly simple objects. Young reveals the secrets of successful springboard diving, whether knuckle cracking gives you arthritis, and why dolphins can't go faster. The realm of droplets allows our author to showcase why the sky is blue, how atom smashers work, and the rich source of science that is the kitchen faucet. He explores collections of bubbles--foams--and discusses the early years of Margaret Thatcher, how a metallic foam might save the planet, and the never-ending quest for the perfect pint. Then, by looking at soap films, he tells you how to construct a soapy computer, why coffee rings form, and exactly how a detergent gets dishes clean. Beyond these basics, Young shows how humans put bubbles to use, whether in technology (refining minerals, making concrete harder, or generating light) or in medicine (cleaning wounds with hydrogen peroxide, the debilitating process of the bends, and how pharmaceutical bubbles can make ultrasounds far clearer). This is more than a book that explains science. It is a love letter written to sing the praises of the bubble, and can be read by the bright middle schooler on upward"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Subject |
Gases -- Popular works.
|
|
Bubbles -- Popular works.
|
| ISBN |
9780801898921 (pbk.) |
|
0801898927 |
|
9780801898914 (hardback) |
|
0801898919 (hardcover) |
|
