BUBBLES IN THE BATHROOM

Ten easy-to-perform demonstrations of scientific principles at work in the bathroom are presented with short explanations and related facts.

This British import, part of the Science Around You series, features lively design and cartoon-style illustrations filled with bubbles, children, cats and mice. Clear instructions demonstrate the use of soap to make water elastic, the condensation of steam on a mirror, air pressure holding water in a glass, flotation, siphons, the bending of light in water, water pressure, water swirling in a vortex down a drain and skin wrinkling in a long bath. On each spread, the left-hand page contains the directions (three or four steps), while the opposite page offers a very short explanation of the results readers might see, plus a related quiz question, an interesting fact and a bathroom reminder. (“Don't forget to clean your teeth twice a day.”) Strictly speaking, these are not the “experiments” the author calls them. There are no assumptions to be tested or statements to be verified or refuted. The only question to be answered is “what happens if...” readers follow the directions. The nod to the scientific method is the suggestion of using a notebook to record observations. No special equipment is required, fun will be had, but little learning will result. Publishing simultaneously are Shadows in the Bedroom and Bugs in the Garden.

More foam than substance.