How Does a Bubble Wand Work?

The Wand

A bubble wand is a small plastic wand that fits inside a bottle of children's bubbles. At the far end of the wand stick is a round opening made of plastic. When dipped in the bubble solution, this open area holds a thin membrane of bubble solution ready for blowing. When soap is added to water, it helps stabilize the thin membrane of liquid on the wand's end, and lightens the surface tension to one-third, making it easier to stretch, form and maintain a bubble.

Blowing the Bubble

The wand's serrated edges hold onto the solution while the air blown through the middle of the wand to expand the bubble outwards, forming a perfect "O." The bubble will then detach from the wand and float in the air. The spherical shape is used because a sphere has the smallest surface area for increasing volume. As the surface tension increases, the bubble grows, and the soap thins out, spreading over the bubble. The soap helps reinforce and maintain the expanding bubble.

Sizes of Bubbles

How much and how fast a child blows determines the amount and size of the bubbles. If the child blows slowly, one big bubble will form. If the child blows quickly, or waves the wand around, multiple tiny bubbles will be forced out of the wand in rapid succession from the quick thrust of air. The soap helps lengthen the life of the bubbles, decreasing evaporation by a small margin.