The excess pressure inside a soap bubble is three times the excess pressure inside a second soap bubble. The ratio between the volume of the first and the second bubble is:
- A
- B
- C
- D
The excess pressure inside a soap bubble is three times the excess pressure inside a second soap bubble. The ratio between the volume of the first and the second bubble is:
Correct answer:D
Standard Method
Given: The excess pressure inside the first soap bubble is three times that inside the second bubble.
Find: The ratio of the volumes of the first and second bubbles.
For a soap bubble, the excess pressure is
where is the surface tension and is the radius of the bubble.
According to the question,
Substituting the excess-pressure formula,
Cancelling common terms,
So,
Volume Ratio Step
The volume of a spherical bubble is
Hence,
and
Therefore,
Thus,
Therefore, the ratio of the volumes of the first and second bubbles is . The correct option is D.
Using the excess-pressure formula for a liquid drop, , instead of a soap bubble formula, . A soap bubble has two surfaces, so use .
Assuming pressure is directly proportional to radius. Since , a larger excess pressure means a smaller radius. First convert the pressure ratio into a radius ratio.
Comparing volumes linearly with radii. Volume of a sphere varies as , so after finding , cube the ratio to get the volume ratio.
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