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Note that these shows can be tailored to suit syllabus or other requirements.
Lower Primary School.
I demonstrate a range of interesting phenomena including bubbles inside bubbles, cubic bubbles, a flowing bubble film as tall as the ceiling, bubbles floating on a heavy layer of carbon dioxide and the vivid colours of thin film interference. I talk about water molecules and the forces between them and what makes bubbles round and the shapes taken by bubbles joined together.
Possible class workshops/ home experiments include blowing bubbles with various implements and experimenting with joining bubbles together: can you make a cubic bubble?
Upper Primary School.
For an older primary school audience the show is similar. I include a more detailed explanation of soaps an detergents; how they work to clean and how they allow bubbles to form. There is more discussion and explanation in general. I can also include other demonstrations such as the effects of static electricity on bubbles.
Possible class workshops and home experiments are similar to lower primary.
High School
For high schools I have a range of options and will tailor my performance to suit the syllabus and the interests of teachers and students. I include a selection of the phenomena mentioned above, with more detailed discussion of chosen areas such as:
Light waves and thin film interference.
The chemistry of detergents and soaps.
The mathematics of minimum surfaces and their applications in architecture.
I can also use bubbles and soap films to spectacularly demonstrate some other areas in physics for example:
Static electricity: if we use a Van der Graaf generator to electrically charge bubbles the effect of the electrostatic forces is dramatic because bubbles are so light.
Fluid dynamics: Soap films have been used in recent research as two dimensional fluids to study phenomena such as turbulent flow and thermal convection . To demonstrate this I am working on apparatus for repeating these experiments and projecting the vividly coloured images live onto a screen.
Possible class workshops/ home experiments include making a light table to demonstrate thin film interference or making a small bubble projector using a light and a few lenses.
Testimonials.
"I have never seen such an enthusiastic response to a performance in eleven years of teaching."
Sue Hobson, Year 1 Teacher
"The best show we've ever had".
Year 2/3 Teacher at Southern Cross Primary School.
"Educational and entertaining"
Mary-Anne Waldren, Executive Director, Australian Science Festival.
"He can make the most enormous bubbles you have ever seen. It is really cool."
Josh, Year 2/3
"Your show was fantastic. My brother and I went home and tried to make some of your bubbles."
Emily, Year 2/3
"His bubbles can grow as high as a ceiling."
CSIRO's Double Helix magazine.
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