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glass will be wet and sticky from the same effect, which happens because the surface of even the most expensive glass is covered with tiny tubular particles. Air is trapped in the tubes when the champagne is poured, and acts to "nucleate" the formation of a rapid succession of bubbles from the dissolved carbon dioxide. Most of the tubes eventually fill with liquid, but this takes a few seconds, during which the champagne foams furiously before it settles down to a slow rate of bubble release from the few tubes that have not filled up.
Understanding this process provides a clue to solving the problem of wet hands and sticky trays. Just pour a tiny bit of champagne and let it foam up (but not over the top) for a few seconds before pouring the rest in. A tiny spot of white wine, or even – heaven forbid – water added previously to the glass will have the same effect, which is to deactivate most of the nucleation sites by filling the tubes with liquid, so that foaming will be minimal when the rest of the champagne is poured.
Sorting the Chaos
The drinks table gets people into the room, but there is danger of another jam unless you get them moving away again. The answer is to separate the food and drinks tables, so that each serves as a node  to which guests will be drawn. The addition of a third node - for ... |
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The Science Of Parties
Mathematician Rob Eastaway and physicist Len Fisher reveal their scientific approach to making a party go with a bang.
A good party begins with congestion, evolves through chaos, continues with chat, and ends with cheers. Science can help to smooth the transition from one phase to the next, to the benefit of partygoer and host alike.
Sorting the Congestion
The host's first job is to relieve the congestion that occurs when a jam of guests forms inside the doorway. Traffic jams arise on motorways when cars arrive at the back of a queue at a faster rate than those leaving the front. Crushes of people occur in doorways for a similar reason. You can't control the rate at which guests arrive, but you can speed up their exit from the front of the jam by placing the drinks at the far end of the room to provide a magnet that will draw guests through the space.
Passing Your Fizzical
A favourite welcoming drink is champagne, but the welcome is quickly damped if the precious bubbly foams up as it is poured and runs down the outside of the glass to cover the hand and arm of the eager recipient. Even if the champagne is pre-poured, there is a fair chance that the outside of the |
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