If you pour a glass of beer onto a wide flat surface it loses its bubbles faster than in the glass. Why?

Answer 1

The above answers are correct. There is also one more surface area effect. Bubbles are created at "nucleation sites" (pits and bumps in the surface, dirt, etc.)

When you pour out the beer onto the surface, more of the beer is in contact with the surface so there are many more nucleation sites that create the bubbles (which, as mentioned above, will then pop more rapidly at the larger area surface).

Answer 2

Surface area. When it's in a glass, the bubbles can only escape through the couple of square inches exposed to atmospheric pressure at the top of the glass. On a wide flat surface, a lot more of the interface is in contact with air at atmospheric pressure, and the bubbles escape that much faster.

Answer 3

Simple.
Beer is loaded with CO2, and that's the guy that creates the bubbles...
CO2 vapourises with heat gain.
Material poured out on a wide flat surface would gain heat much faster than that contained in a glass.

Answer 4

Well, Well, you've got two things going for you: A) More surface area for bubbles to form on (the bottom of the pan)... B) More surface area for bubbles to escape from on the surface...

Answer 5

First you've created a much larger surface area thus making it easier for CO2 to escape form solution. Second you're causing a rapid increase in the liquid temperature wich also helps the CO2 to come out of solution.

Answer 6

the increased surface area hence greater surface area or pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the bubbles

Answer 7

More surface area for the bubbles to come to the surface and pop.

Answer 8

more surface area to accept the air exchange in a wider glass

Answer 9

larger surface area:volume ratio