Bubble+Membranes+lab


 * Bubble Membranes** (SBI3C/3U Cellular Functions - cells and the cell membrane)


 * Materials:**
 * Bubble mixture: 1 part liquid dish soap (President's choice clear works well), 1 part glycerol, 1 part water
 * Shallow tray to pour the soap into (one per group)
 * Bubble making contraption (one per group): 1 straw cut in half, with kitchen string (about twice as long as the straw) running through each of the two halves. Tie the string and tuck the knot into one of the straws. You should get a rectangle when you hold the contraption up


 * Instructions to the students:**
 * Produce a bubble membrane using the soap and contraption provided
 * Pass an object (finger/pen) through the bubble membrane (object must be covered in bubble solution)
 * Use a circle of thread to create a pore within the membrane (the thread must be covered in bubble solution, float the thread on the bubble membrane and then you can pop the membrane in the middle of the thread without affecting the membrane around the thread)
 * Use another straw to create a bubble within a bubble
 * Discuss how the bubble membrane behaves similarly to the cell membrane