Demonstrating science with soap films

This text attempts to pass on some of the fun which can be obtained from studying soap films and soap bubbles. At the same time, it has a much more serious objective, that of using films to help readers to understand the principles of physics in particular and other aspects of science in general. This book is not only about soap films, but also about the importance of energy minimization to the establishment of the world around us, and the patterns that are set up as a result of this minimization. In most topics in the physical sciences, it is difficult to avoid mathematics. The study of soap films is no exception, and simple calculations and algebraic equations have been dispersed throughout this book. Where the account of mathematics is more significant, the relevant section of text is boxed and can be ignored by the reader, if desired.