Practice portal › Mechanical Properties of Fluids › Excess Pressure in Drops and Bubbles

When two soap bubbles of radii a and b (b>a) coalesce, the radius of curvature of the common surface is

Asked in JEE Main 17th March 1st Shift 2021 · Two bubbles and common surfaces

Answer: (2) (ab)/(b-a)

Step-by-step solution

Given: two soap bubbles of radii a and b with b>a, sharing a common film after coalescing.

With the outside at p₀, the interiors are at pₐ=p₀+(4T)/a and p_b=p₀+(4T)/b, so the smaller bubble holds the higher pressure.

The common surface is itself a soap film with two surfaces, bulging into the larger bubble, and it must support pₐ-p_b=(4T)/r.

(4T)/r=4T(1/a-1/b), so 1/r=(b-a)/(ab).

r=(ab)/(b-a).

Why the other options are wrong

More Excess Pressure in Drops and Bubbles questionsAll Excess Pressure in Drops and Bubbles questions →

Reading this solution needs no sign-in. You only sign in to practise against the clock and keep your progress.

Practise this with a timer