How do bubbles in fizzy drinks get attracted to the walls and bottom of a cup?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the phenomenon of bubbles in fizzy drinks, specifically why they are attracted to and remain attached to the walls and bottom of a cup, even below the surface of the liquid. Participants explore the underlying mechanisms, including surface tension and bubble formation, while addressing both theoretical and practical aspects of the topic.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Chen questions why bubbles attach to the walls and bottom of a cup rather than rising to the surface, noting this behavior as counterintuitive.
  • R suggests that bubbles require irregularities on surfaces to form, indicating that they form on imperfections rather than being attracted to the walls.
  • Another participant agrees with R, stating that bubbles are formed on the walls and questions why they remain attached post-formation.
  • Chen posits that bubbles should rise due to buoyancy, prompting further inquiry into the forces at play that keep them attached.
  • R explains that bubbles do not detach until they grow large enough for buoyancy to overcome the "stickiness" that keeps them attached to the surface.
  • Chen seeks clarification on surface tension, asking if it is accurate to say that it results from the liquid's tendency to minimize surface area, and whether this is always the case.
  • R challenges the attribution of motives to liquids, suggesting a focus on the forces involved, while affirming that surface tension does act to minimize surface area, albeit with complicating factors.
  • Another participant recommends a book by Gennes on capillarity and wetting phenomena as a resource for understanding surface tension.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of bubble attachment and the role of surface tension. While some agree on the necessity of surface irregularities for bubble formation, the discussion remains unresolved regarding the precise mechanisms that keep bubbles attached after formation.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions about the interplay of forces acting on bubbles, including buoyancy and surface tension, as well as the role of surface imperfections. The discussion also touches on the complexities of surface tension in different contexts, such as the shape of water in a tube.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those studying fluid mechanics, surface phenomena, or anyone curious about the behavior of gases in liquids, particularly in the context of everyday experiences with carbonated beverages.

Chen
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Hello,

In this article:

http://www.deas.harvard.edu/softmat/downloads/2005-13.pdf (PDF, 175kb)

The authors give a simplifed explanation of why a bubble is attracted to the walls at the surface of the liquid. I can definitely understand this explanation, but my question is why do bubbles get attracted to the walls even below the surface? If you fill a glass with some coke (or any other fizzy drink) you will notice that a great deal of bubbles are not floating to the surface of the drink, but instead they are firmly attached to the walls of the cup. Furthermore, you can also notice bubbles attached to the bottom end of the cup! This is very counter intuitive, at least for me.

So I would like to know how you can explain the phenomenon of air bubbles that get attached to the submerged part of the walls of the cup, and even to its very bottom.

Thanks,
Chen
 
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Hi Chen

I seem to recall that bubbles need an irregularity on which to form. They won't form on perfectly smooth surfaces. The bubbles that form on the sides and bottom of the glass are actually forming on tiny scratches, dust motes, bits of stuff that did not come off in the last wash.

I hope someone here can give you a more technical answer.

R.
 
rtharbaugh1 is correct. The bubbles are not attracted to the walls, they are formed there.
 
Okay, so the bubbles are formed on the walls - but why do they stay there post formation? Their are obviously lighter than the liquid, so shouldn't they shoot up to the surface?

By the way, if you know of a good website or book that teaches about the basics of surface tension, I'd be grateful. :smile:
Would it be correct to say that surface tension is the result of the liquid trying to minimalize its surface area? Is this always the case?

Thanks!
Chen
 
Because they won't detach from the surface where they form until they get large enough that the bouyancy overcomes the natural "stickiness". (It's that stickiness that's causing the bubbles to form there in the first place).
 
Chen said:
Would it be correct to say that surface tension is the result of the liquid trying to minimalize its surface area? Is this always the case?

Thanks!
Chen

I think not. Liquid doesn't try to do anything...it just does what it has to do. This gramatical form is very common, saying that nature abhors a vacuum and so on, but it is really a sloppy way of thinking about things, and is likely to mislead you. You might be better off making it a general rule never to attribute motives to inanimate objects.

Instead, think in terms of the forces that are at work. Surface tension acts to minimize surface area. I think it is fair to say that this is always the case. But there are complicating situations. The surface of water in a tube does not take a minimal geometric cross section of the tube, but instead has a curved shape called a meniscus, if I remember the spelling. This shape has to do with the difference in the attraction of water to glass compared to its attraction to itself.

R
 
Chen said:
By the way, if you know of a good website or book that teaches about the basics of surface tension, I'd be grateful. :smile:

Gennes, "Capillarity and wetting phenomena". Springer Verlag.

I recommend this book of Gennes who got the nobel prize. Also go to Mech and Aero engineering forum here and click on the thread of experimental fluid mechanics videos. There you'll find a wonderful lesson on surface tension in the lab.
 

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