Table of Contents:
  • Ch. 1. Surface Tension
  • The Basics of Surface Tension
  • Experiments with Soap Films
  • The Laplace-Young Equation
  • Plateau's Rules for Soap Films and Consequences
  • A Sampling of Capillary Action
  • Ch. 2. A Quick Trip through Differential Geometry and Complex Variables
  • Parametrized Surfaces
  • Normal Curvature
  • Mean Curvature
  • Complex Variables
  • Gauss Curvature
  • Ch. 3. The Mathematics of Soap Films
  • The Connection
  • The Basics of Minimal Surfaces
  • Area Minimization and Soap Films
  • Isothermal Parameters
  • Harmonic Functions and Minimal Surfaces
  • The Weierstrass-Enneper Representations
  • The Gauss Map
  • Stereographic Projection and the Gauss Map
  • Creating Minimal Surfaces from Curves
  • To Be or Not To Be Area Minimizing
  • Constant Mean Curvature
  • Ch. 4. The Calculus of Variations and Shape
  • Minimizing Integrals
  • Necessary Conditions: Euler-Lagrange Equations
  • Solving the Fundamental Examples
  • Problems with Extra Constraints
  • Ch. 5. Maple, Soap Films, and Minimal Surfaces
  • Fused Bubbles
  • Capillarity: Inclined Planes
  • Capillarity: Thin Tubes
  • Minimal Surfaces of Revolution
  • The Catenoid versus Two Disks
  • Some Minimal Surfaces
  • Enneper's Surface
  • The Weierstrass-Enneper Representation
  • Bjorling's Problem
  • The Euler-Lagrange Equations
  • The Brachistochrone
  • Surfaces of Delaunay
  • The Mylar Balloon.