The Mathematics of Bubble Spheres and Surface Tension

Bubbles are micro- or macroscopic structures typically formed within liquids and filled with gas; they naturally assume a spherical shape. This sphericity arises from the tendency of a bubble to enclose a fixed volume with the smallest possible surface area. This phenomenon can be explained by a combination of physical and mathematical principles.

Geometric Foundation and the Isoperimetric Problem

The mathematical basis for the shape of bubbles is a classical optimization problem known as the isoperimetric problem. This problem investigates how to shape a body with a fixed volume so that it has the minimum possible surface area. The solution to this problem is the sphere.

The sphere is the geometric shape with the smallest surface area among all solids of fixed volume. This principle reflects the natural law of energy minimization: systems tend to reach the state of lowest possible potential energy.

Surface Tension

Surface tension is the intermolecular cohesive force that arises at the surface of a liquid and tends to reduce its surface area. Molecules within the bulk of a liquid experience equal forces in all directions. However, molecules at the surface experience a stronger net inward pull due to the absence of neighboring molecules above them. This causes the liquid surface to behave like an elastic membrane, minimizing its area.

Droplet - stockcake

Surface tension is defined as the force required to reduce the boundary length by one unit and is commonly denoted by γ (gamma).

γ is fundamentally expressed by the following formula:

<span class="katex"><span class="katex-html" aria-hidden="true"><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.625em;vertical-align:-0.1944em;"></span><span class="mord mathnormal" style="margin-right:0.05556em;">γ</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">=</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:1.2173em;vertical-align:-0.345em;"></span><span class="mord">​</span><span class="mord"><span class="mopen nulldelimiter"></span><span class="mfrac"><span class="vlist-t vlist-t2"><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.8723em;"><span style="top:-2.655em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="sizing reset-size6 size3 mtight"><span class="mord mtight"><span class="mord mathnormal mtight">L</span></span></span></span><span style="top:-3.23em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="frac-line" style="border-bottom-width:0.04em;"></span></span><span style="top:-3.394em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="sizing reset-size6 size3 mtight"><span class="mord mtight"><span class="mord mathnormal mtight" style="margin-right:0.13889em;">F</span></span></span></span></span><span class="vlist-s">​</span></span><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.345em;"><span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="mclose nulldelimiter"></span></span></span></span></span>

Here, 𝐹 is the total tensile force acting on the surface (in newtons), and 𝐿 is the length of the boundary (in meters).

Bubbles maintain equilibrium between the internal gas pressure and the external liquid pressure. This equilibrium is described by the Young-Laplace equation:

<span class="katex"><span class="katex-html" aria-hidden="true"><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6833em;"></span><span class="mord">Δ</span><span class="mord mathnormal" style="margin-right:0.13889em;">P</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">=</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:1.8em;vertical-align:-0.65em;"></span><span class="mord mathnormal" style="margin-right:0.05556em;">γ</span><span class="mord"><span class="delimsizing size2">(</span></span><span class="mord"><span class="mopen nulldelimiter"></span><span class="mfrac"><span class="vlist-t vlist-t2"><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.8451em;"><span style="top:-2.655em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="sizing reset-size6 size3 mtight"><span class="mord mtight"><span class="mord mtight"><span class="mord mathnormal mtight" style="margin-right:0.00773em;">R</span><span class="msupsub"><span class="vlist-t vlist-t2"><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.3173em;"><span style="top:-2.357em;margin-left:-0.0077em;margin-right:0.0714em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:2.5em;"></span><span class="sizing reset-size3 size1 mtight"><span class="mord mtight">1</span></span></span></span><span class="vlist-s">​</span></span><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.143em;"><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="top:-3.23em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="frac-line" style="border-bottom-width:0.04em;"></span></span><span style="top:-3.394em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="sizing reset-size6 size3 mtight"><span class="mord mtight"><span class="mord mtight">1</span></span></span></span></span><span class="vlist-s">​</span></span><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.4451em;"><span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="mclose nulldelimiter"></span></span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span><span class="mbin">+</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2222em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:1.8em;vertical-align:-0.65em;"></span><span class="mord"><span class="mopen nulldelimiter"></span><span class="mfrac"><span class="vlist-t vlist-t2"><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.8451em;"><span style="top:-2.655em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="sizing reset-size6 size3 mtight"><span class="mord mtight"><span class="mord mtight"><span class="mord mathnormal mtight" style="margin-right:0.00773em;">R</span><span class="msupsub"><span class="vlist-t vlist-t2"><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.3173em;"><span style="top:-2.357em;margin-left:-0.0077em;margin-right:0.0714em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:2.5em;"></span><span class="sizing reset-size3 size1 mtight"><span class="mord mtight">2</span></span></span></span><span class="vlist-s">​</span></span><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.143em;"><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="top:-3.23em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="frac-line" style="border-bottom-width:0.04em;"></span></span><span style="top:-3.394em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="sizing reset-size6 size3 mtight"><span class="mord mtight"><span class="mord mtight">1</span></span></span></span></span><span class="vlist-s">​</span></span><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.4451em;"><span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="mclose nulldelimiter"></span></span><span class="mord"><span class="delimsizing size2">)</span></span></span></span></span>

Here, ΔP is the pressure difference between the interior and exterior, and R₁ and R₂ are the two principal radii of curvature of the surface.

For a spherical shape, the equation simplifies to:

<span class="katex"><span class="katex-html" aria-hidden="true"><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:0.6833em;"></span><span class="mord">Δ</span><span class="mord mathnormal" style="margin-right:0.13889em;">P</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span><span class="mrel">=</span><span class="mspace" style="margin-right:0.2778em;"></span></span><span class="base"><span class="strut" style="height:1.2422em;vertical-align:-0.345em;"></span><span class="mord"><span class="mopen nulldelimiter"></span><span class="mfrac"><span class="vlist-t vlist-t2"><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.8972em;"><span style="top:-2.655em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="sizing reset-size6 size3 mtight"><span class="mord mtight"><span class="mord mathnormal mtight" style="margin-right:0.00773em;">R</span></span></span></span><span style="top:-3.23em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="frac-line" style="border-bottom-width:0.04em;"></span></span><span style="top:-3.4461em;"><span class="pstrut" style="height:3em;"></span><span class="sizing reset-size6 size3 mtight"><span class="mord mtight"><span class="mord mtight">2</span><span class="mord mathnormal mtight" style="margin-right:0.05556em;">γ</span></span></span></span></span><span class="vlist-s">​</span></span><span class="vlist-r"><span class="vlist" style="height:0.345em;"><span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="mclose nulldelimiter"></span></span></span></span></span>

This expression shows that the internal pressure increases as the bubble radius decreases.

The effort to minimize the bubble’s surface area reduces the total surface energy of the system. Energy minimization plays a fundamental role in shaping many forms and structures in nature.