Mathematics of Soap Bubbles

Date: 22 Feb 1995 12:15:40 -0500
From: CAROL SCARBOROUGH
Subject: soap bubbles

Do you know anything or can you direct me to someone
who does know something about the mathematics of soap
bubbles?  This is a great way to find minimization of area.
My e-mail address is scar5773@mars.rowan.edu
Thanks for anything you can tell me.  I am doing my senior
seminar paper on soap bubbles.

Date: 22 Feb 1995 16:54:06 -0500
From: Dr. Ken
Subject: Re: soap bubbles

Hello there!

I did a search on our library's catalog and found a book that you might want
to take a look at.

 AUTHOR       Isenberg, Cyril.
 TITLE        The science of soap films and soap bubbles / Cyril Isenberg.
 PUBLISHER    New York : Dover Publications, 1992.
 DESCRIPT     xiv, 188 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
 SUBJECT      Soap-bubbles.
              Soap films.
 NOTE         Originally published: Clevedon, Avon, England : Tieto, 1978.
              Includes bibliographical references (p. 178-182) and index.
 ISBN         0486269604.


I presume that this book gives a pretty general introduction to the science
and mathematics of soap films.

If you want a more in-depth look at soap films from a mathematical point of
view, you'll need to look at some Differential Geometry.  Soap bubbles are
an example of what's called a Minimal Surface, defined as a surface that has
mean curvature zero everywhere (mean curvature is only one of several ways
to measure the curvature of a surface at a point).

A good Differential Geometry book is Do Carmo's text:

 AUTHOR       Carmo, Manfredo Perdigao do.
 TITLE        Differential geometry of curves and surfaces / Manfredo P. do
                Carmo.
 PUBLISHER    Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, c1976.
 DESCRIPT     viii, 503 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
 SUBJECT      Geometry, Differential.
              Curves.
              Surfaces.
 NOTE         "A free translation, with additional material, of a book and a
                set of notes, both published originally in Portuguese."
              Includes bibliographical references and index.
 ISBN         0132125897 :


I hope this helps you!

-Ken "Dr." Math