Why are there colours in soap bubbles?

By Stephen Ashworth2013-05-01T08:44:00

A close-up image of soap bubbles illustrating the multicoloured rainbow effect that is visible on their surface

Source: © Shutterstock

Explore the chemistry of bubbles and what causes the colours we can see in them, and find out how you can experiment with soap films and bubbles yourself.

Have you ever wondered why you can see a rainbow in soap bubbles? Or why a film of oil on a puddle appears to have many different colours even when the oil has no colour? It is all to do with the way light reflects.

Read on to find out more, and discover a simple experiment to help you investigate soap films and make some giant bubbles!

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