Special Sub-Topic: Blowing a Bubble Gum Bubble Click Here To Play: Blowing a Bubble Gum Bubble

First of all, with which of these brands of bubble gum would you most-likely be able to blow the biggest bubble?

Bazooka. Bubblicious and Bubble Yum are not recommended for blowing bubbles because they are not sticky, and so the bubble falls apart too easily. Dubble Bubble is recommended because it is sticky, but Bazooka is recommended the most because it is hard and sticks to itself well. However, it is a bit too sticky, and is quite painful to remove from your face.

It is recommended that, when blowing a bubble gum bubble, you should hold your lips around the bubble like you are kissing someone.

F. This is not recommended because it makes you blow harder. The bigger your bubble gets, the more fragile (and messy) it becomes, so there are several suggested techniques for blowing the bubble. The most important thing is that you must be careful. You should breathe slowly, so as to give the gum time to stretch and grow. Your breaths should also be even, which keeps the pressure undisturbed. Keeping your lips around the bubble also give your bubble a smaller hole through which to inflate, thus increasing its chances of popping sooner.

Sugar prevents bubble gum bubbles from getting larger.

T. This is true, and is the reason why you should chew the flavor out of the gum. Interestingly enough, many bubble blowing experts suggest removing the sugar without chewing the gum for too long, for this might take a very long time. The way to do this is to chew the gum for approximately five minutes, then take it out of your mouth, roll it into a ball, and hold it under warm, running water for five minutes (you should do these things simultaneously: hold it under warm, running water while you are rolling it into a ball). The sugar should then come out onto your hands and wash off in the water.

If you can see through your bubble, it is a good thing.

F. No, no, no, no, no. This is not good at all, because it means your bubble is too thin. It is a sign that, in about a second or two of blowing, your bubble will pop and gum will splatter all over your face and it will take you the rest of the day to wash it off. Ok, so I'm being a bit dramatic, sorry. Anyways, if you can see through your bubble, you should stop blowing and start over.

Ok ladies, here's one for you: if a bubble pops and you get bubble gum stuck in your hair, which of these is the best thing to use to get it out?

Peanut Butter. Strangely enough, the oils in peanut butter have been known to soften the gum. This, of course, makes it easier to loosen the gum and pull it out with your fingers (or comb, if you wish to keep your fingers sticky-free). Mayonnaise and butter work as well. Ice cubes are recommended for gum in other places, such as furniture or the bottom of your shoe. They harden the gum so that you can chip away at it. Rubbing alcohol and cotton are recommended only if you get gum stuck to the soles of your shoes, otherwise the rubbing alcohol may damage the fabric or leather part.

If your goal is to produce the biggest bubble gum bubble possible, you should blow it in a very warm room.

F. Room temperature is very important when blowing bubble gum bubbles. If the room temperature is too cold, the bubbles pop with a snap before they can get big. If it is a very warm room, as in the question, the bubble will sag and collapse. It is important that the room temperature is just right. http://www.dubblebubble.com/bubble_fact/bubble_trubble.html http://www.dimensional.com/~bkelly/bgpage/tips.html http://www.gwnews.com/gwnews/new/kids_feature_gum.asp

The more gum in your mouth, the bigger the bubble will get.

F. Maybe, but not necessarily true. In fact, putting more gum in your mouth when you already have some may hurt your performance rather than enhance it. For example, if you already have been chewing a few pieces of gum, your mouth will be tired, so you would not want to chew more when your jaw already aches. Also, it is possible that more gum in your mouth may mean just that: more gum in your mouth, not a bigger bubble. It is possible that if you put another piece of gum into your mouth, it will just sit there instead of becoming part of the bubble. If most of the gum in your mouth is not part of the bubble, it means that more practice, and not more gum, is needed. Finally, if you plan on breaking Susan Montgomery Williams's world record, you are permitted three pieces of gum. So, you have to learn to blow more with less.

As long as the bubble is not deformed, you are allowed to use your hands to hold the bubble as it grows.

T. This is true. In fact, when your bubbles get very big, this is almost required in order to prevent the bubble from sagging or popping. If you are going to do this, it is easy to do it with just one hand by keeping it close to the mouth. The reason for this is that the bubble is thickest here (thus, as I've previously mentioned, the bigger the bubble, the thinner and more fragile it is). The current world record holder uses both hands to hold her bubbles on each side. This helps shape them while they grow, and is also a recommended technique.

Let's say I put a piece of bubble gum into my mouth, and chew it for a little while. I then decide to blow a bubble. I blow a small one, and then it pops. True or false: the moment the bubble pops, the gum in my mouth becomes very soft, and then hardens up after a few seconds.

F. Actually, the opposite is true. Right after the bubble pops, the gum is slightly harder than before. This is because the gum cooled off to room temperature while I was blowing the bubble. A few seconds after the bubble pops, the gum starts to get softer because it warms back up to your body temperature. This shows the importance of blowing bubble gum at the right room temperature.

It is recommended that bubble gum bubbles be blown outdoors for the largest size.

F. This cannot be stressed enough. If you blow the bubble outside, it will pop quickly. Remember that large bubbles are so fragile that even the slightest breeze will be able to make it pop. Blow bubbles inside, and at perfect room temperature. Well, thanks for taking my quiz, and please feel free to send me and notes about it. Good luck with your bubbles! For further reference, visit one of these sites: http://www.dubblebubble.com/bubble_fact/bubble_trubble.html http://www.dimensional.com/~bkelly/bgpage/tips.html http://www.gwnews.com/gwnews/new/kids_feature_gum.asp