Andreas Arnez, Konrad Polthier,
Martin Steffens, Christian Teitzel

The video "Touching Soap Films" is an educational film about the world of SOAP FILMS, or in mathematical words, the world of MINIMAL SURFACES. Few other physical problems have influenced as many branches of mathematics in the past 200 years as have the study of soap films. A soap film is physically similar to a piece of rubber surface which tries to contract itself under surface tension to a surface with least area. Surfaces with least area appear as optimal solutions of many problems, for example, since the 1960's, they have been used in architecture as models for light roof constructions such as the Olympic stadium in Munich. Also, in crystallography, physics and chemistry soap films are used as separating surfaces between grids of atoms.

The young boy Kalle (here) is the main actor in the video. He explores the palace of soap films and dives into the science of minimal surfaces. The video is intended for pupils and popular scientifically interested people. Nevertheless, most of the geometric animations come from latest mathematical research on minimal surfaces, and most material is new even for experts.