Make a Bubble Cube

Ever wonder if a bubble can be something other than a round sphere? Challenge geometry and create your own mind-bending, cube-shaped bubble!

 

Materials Needed

• Straws
• Pipe cleaners
• Large bowl or bucket
• Bubble solution

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Slide a pipe cleaner through 12 straws.

Step 2: Twist the exposed pipe cleaner ends together to build a 3D straw cube.

Step 3: Tuck away any loose, excess pipe cleaner ends neatly inside the straws.

Step 4: Fill a large bowl or bucket with bubble solution.

Step 5: Dip the entire straw cube into the bubble solution until it is completely submerged.

Step 6: Lift the cube out carefully to reveal the soap film planes meeting in the middle.

Step 7: Dip an extra straw into the bubble solution to coat it.

Step 8: Insert the wet straw into the center where the film planes intersect and gently blow to inflate a cube-shaped bubble!

Learn More

Bubbles are usually spherical because water molecules hold tight to each other through a force called surface tension, naturally pulling the bubble film into the shape with the smallest possible surface area for its volume! But when you submerge a 3D frame, the soap film attaches to all twelve edges of the cube. The surface tension pulls the film inward from every side, meeting in the middle to form a flat square interface. Blowing air into that central spot creates a hollow, straight-sided bubble supported by the surrounding soap walls!

If your young scientist loved experimenting with soapy geometry, dive into more bubble play with the Giant Bubbles kit from the KiwiCo Store!