Physics Circle home Student Login

Home›Chapters›Surface Tension PYQs›Excess Pressure: Drops & Bubbles›Question 20

MHT CET 2025 (26 Apr, Shift 2) · Excess Pressure: Drops & Bubbles

Excess Pressure: Drops & Bubbles question from MHT CET 2025 (26 Apr, Shift 2)

Q20MHT CET 2025 · 26 APR · SHIFT 2Medium

Excess Pressure: Drops & Bubbles

Under isothermal conditions, two soap bubbles of radii r1r_1 and r2r_2 coalesce to form a big drop. The radius of the big drop is

Show answer and solution

Answer: (c)

  1. Isothermal, pressure terms from surface tension only (vacuum / neglect outside pressure): PVPV is conserved.
  2. For a soap bubble P=4TrP = \frac{4T}{r}, so PV=4Tr⋅43πr3∝r2PV = \frac{4T}{r} \cdot \frac{4}{3}\pi r^3 \propto r^2.
  3. 4TRR3=4Tr1r13+4Tr2r23⇒R2=r12+r22\frac{4T}{R}R^3 = \frac{4T}{r_1}r_1^3 + \frac{4T}{r_2}r_2^3 \Rightarrow R^2 = r_1^2 + r_2^2
  4. So the answer is (c) (r12+r22)1/2\left(r_1^2 + r_2^2\right)^{1/2}.
Report a mistake

More questions on Excess Pressure: Drops & Bubbles