Balloon Definition and 483 Threads

A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light sources. Modern day balloons are made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, and can come in many different colors. Some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig bladder. Some balloons are used for decorative purposes or entertaining purposes, while others are used for practical purposes such as meteorology, medical treatment, military defense, or transportation. A balloon's properties, including its low density and low cost, have led to a wide range of applications.
The rubber balloon was invented by Michael Faraday in 1824, during experiments with various gases. He invented them for use in the lab.

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  1. N

    If you threw a warm water balloon into space, would it boil?

    And by how much would the balloon expand, if at all?
  2. R

    Materials for space applications?

    So I'm working on this project for a inflatable solar sail (so a spherical solar sail) and we are really only verifying the deployment of the sail in space (from a cubesat)...We are doing a mock PDR and I need to find info on the sail we'll be using. My job is to find an "off the shelf"...
  3. Monoxdifly

    MHB How Fast Does a Balloon's Radius Expand When Inflated?

    Icha is going to blow a sphere-shaped rubber balloon. She uses a pump to infuse the air with the volume addition rate 40cm^3/s. If the radius addition rate is 20 cm/s, the radius of the sphere after being blown is ... A. \frac{1}{\sqrt\pi} cm B. \frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi}} cm C. \frac{1}{2\sqrt\pi} cm...
  4. R

    Calculating Motion of a Test Balloon on a Methane Planet

    Homework Statement A planet has a gaseous atmosphere with a density of 0.1 g/cm³. The planet itself completely consists of liquid methane with a density of 0.4 g/cm³ and has a radius of 3800 km. A test balloon is dropped onto this planet, which consists of a helium spherical balloon (1 m³, mass...
  5. M

    Why does a frozen balloon have this structure?

    Hi, I forgot a water-filled balloon in my backyard last fall. When my kid brought the frozen balloon in and removed the rubber, we were surprised to see the beautiful structure inside the ball of glass. I remember that glass paperweights used to have similar designs inside them. I used to think...
  6. ZiHao

    Volume of Balloon Unchanged When Pressure Doubled & Temp Changes

    A balloon is filled with a gas to a certain volume at a certain pressure at 22.0 degrees Celsius. If the pressure exerted on the balloon is doubled. explain what must the temperature ( in degrees Celcius) be so that the volume of the balloon doesn't change. If the temperature changes, the...
  7. axer

    What happens to the pressure change inside a rising balloon?

    Hello, so i have a question regarding the pressure change inside a rising hydrogen balloon, I know that the pressure change of air outside is decreasing(as we go up = less pressure) And as the balloon is rising it's increasing its volume. but what happens do the pressure change inside the...
  8. Souhardya Nandi

    B Balloon Analogy - 3D universe on a 2D plane

    This has been a real famous analogy and I understand it, except the fact that the balloon surface is a 2D structure. How is it possible to depict a 3D universe on a 2D plane ? What happens when we work with stars at multiple planes ?
  9. C

    MHB Calculate Buoyant Force of 2.00L Helium Balloon

    Calculate the buoyant force (in N) on a 2.00 L helium balloon. Work: Upward is Buoyant Downward is weight due to gravity $$\Sigma F=0$$ $B-mg=0$ $B=mg$ $\rho=m/V$ $m=\rho*V$ $B=\rho_{fluid}*V_{fluid}*g$ I am stuck on $m=\rho*V$. Am I missing something?
  10. R

    Space Travel with balloon assist

    Near space travels with balloons. http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/05/tech/balloons-fly-edge-of-space/index.html look at above link. balloons goes just 36 km above Earth surface. but Earth orbit is 100 km away. so my thinking is if we pump oxygen outside near helium balloon artificially when u...
  11. A

    Archimedes' Principle and a weather balloon

    Homework Statement 2. Homework Equations Buoyant force= mg(mass of fluid displaced = Vpg (volume of fluid displaced) Buoyant force=weight of object (if floating) The Attempt at a Solution If the total mass is 99kg, then the total force acting downwards is 990N. It also said that the balloon...
  12. G

    A hot air balloon rises at a constant acceleration

    Homework Statement A hot air balloon is released from the ground & rises up with a constant acceleration of 4 m/s^2. When it is 16 meters above a sandbag is dropped. What is the time taken for the sandbag to hit the ground? Homework Equations v^2=u^2+2as v=u+atThe Attempt at a Solution...
  13. C

    I Buoyancy of Helium and Hydrogen Balloons: Calculations and STP Considerations

    As a note, this is my first post on this site. I was looking at some bouyancy calculations with regard to balloons being in air when I came across this post. I cannot understand why the calculation for the net force of bouyancy done by Vintage (the last post on the page) does not include the...
  14. psuedoben

    Measure the volume of a lighter than air balloon

    hello, i am trying to calculate the volume of a balloon (which is quite large). It has been filled with helium via a valve connecting helium storage tanks to the balloon. The knowns I have are the volume of the storage tanks, the intital pressure in the tanks, and the final pressure in the tanks...
  15. B

    Difficulty extracting fluid from balloon via syringe

    Hello, New to the forum, so apologies if this is not the correct sub-category. I am testing compliances of materials by filling balloons with different fluids. I do this by filling up a 30 mL syringe with fluid and placing it into an infusion pump set to infuse at a rate of 0.1 mL/min. The...
  16. Dimani4

    Classical mechanics -- Throwing a balloon up into the air....

    Hi people. Here the situation. Balloon filled with air I throw in the air. Balloon starts to move upstairs. It slows down and then is starts to fall down to the Earth. I'm interesting only in the movement of upstairs. Here the picture. In the first case (left) I choose the direction of...
  17. S

    Can an Electrostatic Fluid Accelerator inflate a balloon?

    Hey guys, I am trying out an idea. I want to see if I can make an electrostatic fluid accelerator inflate a balloon. Attached is an image of a concept I came up with that works a little differently. Before I dive in, I was wondering if anyone on the forum could tell me if my concept might or...
  18. C

    Balloon Vacuum: Pressure Calculation w/ R0, σ

    Homework Statement Balloon in vacuum, radius R0 = 5,0 cm, surface tension σ = 25 N/m. a/ the pressure in the balloon p in,0 by radius R0………. pin,0 = ? b/ relation to the pressure inside the balloon pin, depending on its radius R…? c/relation to the pressure inside the balloon pin , depending...
  19. T

    I Galileo's experiment and a lack of understanding....

    Could anyone offer me a little help with understanding why the principles demonstrated in Galileo's (probably fictional, I know) experiment involving two spheres of the same mass from a tower don't apply in the following situation please? As I understand it, the principle is essentially that...
  20. Ian Baughman

    How Does Temperature Affect the Lifting Capacity of a Hot Air Balloon?

    Homework Statement A hot-air balloon stays afloat because hot air at atmospheric pressure is less dense than cooler air at the same pressure.If the volume of the balloon is 500 m3 and the surrounding air is at 60◦F. What is the maximum load (including the weight of balloon, but excluding the...
  21. Hamal_Arietis

    Balloon in Train: Angles of A, B, and C Explained

    Homework Statement As show in the figure below, balloon A (containing gas of density ##ρ_A##) and balloon B (containing gas of density ##ρ_B##) are each suspended by string from the ceiling of a train at rest. Balloon C (containing gas of density ##ρ_C## is attached to the train floor by...
  22. A

    Solve Water Balloon Lab Homework

    Homework Statement "In part 2 of the lab you will be firing a water balloon over a tall fence, aiming to hit a target." The fence is 3 meters high. You may fire the balloon from anywhere behind the fence, up to 4 meters away from it: the target will be 20 meters away. Find the angle to shoot...
  23. T

    How to gain percentage of atoms that are ionized in balloon?

    Homework Statement [/B] You have two inflated balloons. You rub them against your hair and hang them as shown in the figure. The length of the strings is 50 cm and the angle between them is 50°. For each balloon, what is the percentage of atoms that are ionized? Provide a rough estimate. You...
  24. F

    Hot Air Balloon Descent: Does it Keep Accelerating Until Impact?

    If a hot air balloon cools enough to start descending, does it keep accelerating until it hits the ground? Assume that the air inside does not cool off anymore, and pretend that the air pressure stays the same at all altitudes. I tried testing it by dropping a coin into a pool. It didn't seem...
  25. D

    Elastic energy stored in a balloon

    Hi, I have a balloon filled with glass beads (exercise-stress ball). When I squeeze the balloon, it changes its shape. Let's assume the initial shape is a sphere with radius R0 and thickness h0 and the final shape is like a pancake (cylinder R1 + half torus R2 with thickness h1). Can you help me...
  26. Diwakar

    How does changing altitude affect the pressure inside a balloon?

    here is something confusing me about air pressure inside balloons. I got three questions: Assume I am sitting at sea level, with a balloon. I fill it to 1/3 its capacity with air. Then I place an absolute pressure sensor at its opening. 1- What pressure value do I read ? Do I get the 1013 mbar...
  27. morganj2003

    LaTeX Is a latex balloon's maximum strain independent of thickness?

    Is latex balloon maximum strain independent of latex thickness? I have been in search of a latex balloon that is relatively small when deflated and very large when fully inflated. Standard balloons that reach the desired inflated dimensions are much larger deflated than I would like...
  28. J

    How Does Changing the Temperature Affect a Hot Air Balloon's Buoyancy?

    Homework Statement To research the physics of how a hot air balloon works. Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution I just would like someone to check the main points I am going to include. The air inside the balloon is less dense because it is heated so that particles of air are further...
  29. M

    How can the surface tension of a spherical balloon affect its radius over time?

    Homework Statement Consider the process of blowing up a spherical balloon. Measurements indicate that the “surface tension” of the balloon material is ##k## (assumed constant here with units of force per unit length). Assuming that an air compressor used to blow up the balloon can deliver a...
  30. C

    Questions about this question on Hooke's Law in Balloons

    Hi, I would like to do an experiment for my physics class about which balloon has the highest stretch ratio and found the following page on this forum: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/hookes-law-for-a-balloon.670566/ First of all, can you please explain this function? σ=σ(λ). I'm...
  31. Evangeline101

    Projectile Motion of water balloon

    Homework Statement A water balloon is fired at 34.0 m/s from a water cannon, which is aimed at an angle of 18° above the ground. The centre of the cannon's target (which has a radius of 1.0m) is painted on the asphalt 42.0 m away from the water cannon. Will the balloon hit the target? Justify...
  32. K

    Estimating balloon internal pressure

    Hi guys, firstly this is not a homework question despite looking like one. I'm curious about how one would go about estimating the internal pressure in a compliant balloon. I am assuming that I would need the following: 1. Stress-strain curve of the material 2. Diameter of the uninflated...
  33. C

    Balloon and Ballast: Find Max Height of Dropped Ballast

    Homework Statement A balloon is ascending at an speed of 13 m/s. At 300 m from the ground a ballast is drop from the balloon. Find the maximum height the ballast reach. My doubt is: When the ballast is drop ¿it starts falling inmediately?. The solution of the problem implies that the ballast...
  34. M

    Fill Balloons Homework: Max # People for Bday Party Balloon

    Homework Statement A clown at a birthday party has brought along a helium cylinder, with which he intends to fill balloons. When full, each balloon contains 0.00260 m3 of helium at an absolute pressure of 1.10 x 105 Pa. The cylinder contains helium at an absolute pressure of 1.80 x 105 Pa and...
  35. vinamas

    How Do You Calculate the Acceleration of This Inflated Balloon?

    Homework Statement The mass of an empty balloon is 0.41 kg it got inflated with 0.0938 kg of helium which ressulted in his volume being 0.524 m^3 after being inflated then left to ascend considering the air's density is constant and is 1.30 kg/m^3 what is the acceleration of the balloon (dont...
  36. vinamas

    How to Calculate the Height a Helium Balloon Ascends Using Mass and Density

    Homework Statement A heluim filled spherical balloon with a radius of 40 cm got tied into a uniform thread (uniform density) the threads length is 2 meters and its mass is 50 g the balloon ascends when left and ascends a the thread for h meters before it stabalizes again given the empty...
  37. Eclair_de_XII

    What is the acceleration of a falling object from a balloon?

    Homework Statement "A hot-air balloon is ascending at the rate of 12 m/s and is 80 m above the ground when a package is dropped over the side. (a) How long does the package take to reach the ground? (b) With what speed does it hit the ground?" Homework Equations ##v_B=12\frac{m}{s}##...
  38. E

    Calculating Work Done in Inflating a Square Balloon

    Homework Statement Hi, A question on work done in inflating a square balloon. Homework Equations Work done = integral of p*dv (see below). The Attempt at a Solution I just wanted some pointers on the following. Work done = integral of p*dv. But I don't know if p0 would be taken into...
  39. X

    How to deploy parachute after balloon pops

    Hello, not sure if this is the correct forum to post this under, but anyway. I am planning on sending a gopro around 100,000 feet up. When the balloon pops, I want it to eventually open a parachute and fall down to the ground safely. Although if the parachute opens right away, it could drift...
  40. alw34

    Does this dynamic model complement the Balloon Analogy?

    This is a kind of cooperative problem solving post. But don't be too terribly 'focused' because likely I have missed important issues. I had not seen a dynamic illustration like this before: maybe I am over impressed, weak-kneed, like seeing Kate Hudson the first time?? In Wikipedia at...
  41. Rob Haskell

    Questions about the balloon analogy

    I've been thinking about the balloon surface analogy and I want to ask some questions. Perhaps I am pushing it too far. But in that case it seems important to find its limits. My understanding is that the this analogy is used to illustrate the expansion of the universe and in particular how it...
  42. O

    Blowing up a balloon using centrifugal force

    Hey guys, So I had what I thought was a cool simple idea to show the effects of the apparent centrifical force. I glued the mouth of a balloon onto the end of a 1.5m length of a 10mm flexible tube. The idea in my head was that by spinning it around the inertial forces would result in effective...
  43. M

    Finding mass of cargo dropped from hot air balloon

    Homework Statement Some hot air balloonists find themselves accelerating downward with acceleration a at a moment when the mass of the balloon plus the passengers and cargo is M. They want to accelerate upwards at the same rate, so they toss out some of the cargo mass m (and maybe one or...
  44. vetgirl1990

    How high will a helium balloon rise?

    Homework Statement A helium balloon of mass 0.2kg and volume 1m3 is attached to a long thin rope of mass density 1g/m. The coils of rope lay flat on the ground, so that as the balloon moves up the rope unwinds without resistance. How high will the balloon rise? Air density = 1.204kg/m3 a)...
  45. Sunanda Goh

    Burning a Water Balloon: Exploring Heat Capacity, Conductivity, and Density

    I want to ask : The reason for water balloons to not pop while you're burning it is because of both Heat Capacity and Conductivity right ? But is it related to the density also ? Coz if the density is high, the molecules of the water will transfer the heat quicker. Hope i can get my answer :)...
  46. N

    Deriving Balloon Shrinkage: A Diffusion Problem

    Homework Statement A (spherical) rubbery balloon of 20 cm in diameter is filed with helium. The rubber balloon wall has a thickness of 0.05 cm and diffusivity of 0.1x10-10 cm2 /s for helium. When the balloon is left in the air at 25°C, helium leaks into the air by diffusion through the rubbery...
  47. phinds

    Insights The Balloon Analogy .... the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Comments

    phinds submitted a new PF Insights post The Balloon Analogy ... the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
  48. V

    Balloon Pipe Expt: Reviews Needed for Thought Experiment

    Just made up a thought experiment. Looking for reviews. As follows: Assuming an "inflatable pipe" operating in vacuum to neglect ext. Influence, fluid flows through the pipe such that supports are only at the two rigid end connectors.The pipe will sag during operation due to fluid self weight...
  49. X

    What Happens to Energy When a Balloon Deflates?

    Homework Statement Hi, I'm currently trying out a practical problem where I'm trying to calculate the energy present in an inflated balloon, as well as what happens to that energy once the air is let out from inside the balloon. The balloon is attached to a car, so that as the air escapes it...
  50. D

    High Altitude Balloon Internal Pressure Calculation?

    One of my hobbies is launching high altitude weather balloons carrying video cameras and scientific instruments to record various environmental parameters at high altitude — 90,000 to 100,000-feet. I'm planning another project and I was wondering how much pressure is being exerted inside my...
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