How Does Soap Film Thickness Affect Color Reflection in Optics?

[4.19mile]

Soap Bubbles in terms of optics etc. Help needed :)

Homework Statement

The opening of a metal cylinder is dipped in soapy water so that a soap film forms. The cylinder is then turned so it is horizontal (and the soap film is vertical). What happens to the thickness of the soap film?


White light is shined through the cylinder, and you view the light that reflects off of the film. What do you see?


How is the thickness of the soap film related to what you see reflected off of the film?

Homework Equations

Well this is more of a conceptual one.

The Attempt at a Solution

I'm a bit confused at this one. For the second one, do you see a spectrum of colors (the rainbow)? I'm not sure about the thickness of the soap etc. If the soap is at its thickest it becomes black.. does it progressively become darker? Not sure again.

Thanks to anyone who can help me on this!

 

[4.19mile]

Any help on this?

 

[Moetasim]

I can help you understand the phenomenon of soap bubbles in terms of optics. When a soap film is formed, it is actually a thin layer of water molecules sandwiched between two layers of soap molecules. The thickness of this film is determined by the surface tension of the soap solution and the size of the opening of the cylinder.

When the cylinder is turned horizontally, the soap film becomes vertical. This affects the thickness of the film, as gravity pulls the water molecules downwards, making the film thinner at the bottom and thicker at the top. This is why the soap film appears to have a curved surface.

When white light is shined through the cylinder and reflected off the soap film, you will see a spectrum of colors, also known as an interference pattern. This is because the thickness of the soap film varies, causing the light waves to interfere with each other. Some colors will be amplified while others will cancel out, resulting in a colorful display.

The thickness of the soap film is directly related to the colors you see reflected off of it. As the film gets thicker, the colors shift towards the red end of the spectrum, while thinner areas will appear more blue or even black. This is due to the different wavelengths of light being affected by the varying thickness of the film.

I hope this helps you understand the optics behind soap bubbles a little better. If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask.