Bubbles inside Bubbles inside Bubbles inside ...

Bubbles can be separate or inside other bubbles. They do not touch or join together (or burst!).

This diagram shows the 4 different ways that three bubbles can be blown:

Here are some of the ways that four bubbles can be blown:

1 Find other ways of blowing four bubbles. Have you found all possible ways?
 
2 Copy and complete this table of results :

Number of bubbles (N)

1

2

3

4

...

Number of ways (B)

3 Extend your results table to five bubbles. Try to be systematic when drawing your bubble pictures. Finding all the possibilities is not easy.
Hint: It may be easier trying to add a fifth bubble to each four-bubble picture. Where are all the possible places the fifth bubble could go? Work through each picture in sequence. Watch out for repeats though!
 
This page was brought to you from
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/madras/maths
 
continue to next page

return to Resources

return to Home Page