PHYSICS:
All Kinds of Bubbles
A review by G. C. Barker
The Physics of Foams
Denis Weaire and Stefan Hutzler
Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1999. 260 pp. $80, £47.50. ISBN 0-19-850551-5.
Universal Foam From Cappuccino to the Cosmos
Sidney Perkowitz
Walker and Company, New York, 2000. 206 pp. $24, C$35.95. ISBN 0-8027-1357-2.
These two broad-ranging and enlightening books offer complimentary perspectives on the physics of foam. Writing for a general audience, Perkowitz pursues the topic's alliance of physics and chemistry from the kitchen to the laboratory to the structure of the universe. Weaire and Hutzler's more technical account, which pays considerable attention to the recent progress and future prospects enabled by computer simulations, will benefit researchers at all levels.
The author is at the Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich NR4 7UA, UK. E-mail: gary.barker{at}bbsrc.ac.uk
