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. H

    Can Balloon Pressure Change Be Calculated by Squeezing?

    Homework Statement Is it possible to find out the increase in pressure in a balloon if I know how much pressure I apply when I squeeze it? Or, alternatively, can I find out the change in volume of the balloon if I know how much pressure I'm applying? I know the initial volume, pressure...
  2. M

    Kooky Idea: Electron Balloon Rocket

    One of the biggest problems with launching things into space is that fuel weighs a lot. With conventional rocketry, mass of fuel per unit of stored energy is high enough that it requires huge rockets to lift even a couple of tons into orbit. Electrons are very light, and can be used to store...
  3. M

    Transmitting video via radio wave from weather balloon

    My friend and I had an idea to put camera on the weather balloon and we wanted to have like a live picture from camera. But because we don't know so much about electronics we don't know how to do it. Fe figured out that we can do it via radio waves, maybe there is some more efficient way. That...
  4. P

    The lowest pressure on the balloon

    1. Four balloons with the same size are dropped off from the same height on boards that have different numbers of nails. In which of the cases in the balloon will be the lowest pressure? 2. p=F/S 3. I am not sure about the correct answer, but I am saying my opinion about the right answer. By...
  5. S

    If it takes 17 seconds to blow up a balloon to 8 cm in diameter

    Homework Statement If it takes 17 seconds to blow up a balloon to 8 cm in diameter, how much longer will it take to inflate the balloon to 24 cm in diameter? Assume that the pressure that the balloon exerts on the air inside is proportional to the surface area of the balloon, that you blow...
  6. M

    Vertical tandem balloon aircraft

    I find hot air balloons and zeppelins fascinating since they can carry significant weight. I watched a mythbuster episode in which they busted the myth that an inflatable boat filled with helium could hover, and carry the weight of a human. The rubber boat couldn't even carry its own weight so...
  7. phinds

    Update to the BALLOON ANALOGY web page

    I have updated my web page on the balloon analogy by going carefully through all of the comments in the original thread and I THINK I have managed to eliminate all of the problems that the first one had by incorporating suggested changes (thanks everyone), although NOT all of the suggested...
  8. phinds

    The balloon analogy (please critique)

    I'm sure there must be umteen dozen sites on the internet that explain the balloon analogy, but many of them must do a really bad job, since we see questions here all the time that show how badly misunderstood it is. I have tired of responding in detail to these misconceptions, so have...
  9. B

    Forces on a constrained party balloon

    Hi, A party balloon is glued onto an straw. The user inflates the balloon by blowing through the straw. However, the balloon is constrained due the presence of a rigid wall just beyond it (causing the balloon to expand upwards or backwards towards the person inflating it!). I would like to know...
  10. D

    Reclaim Helium from Weather Balloon

    Is there a way to reclaim the Helium that I put into a weather balloon? Meaning, I empty out a cylinder of Helium into a weather balloon, and for some reason I want to get it back into the tank (bad weather, missed launch time, MacGyver is on, etc.) and can't launch my balloon. Is there a way...
  11. 4

    Calculate Balloon Volume from Helium Mass: 199 kg

    The total mass of helium in a balloon is 199 kg. What is the volume of the balloon? Enter only the numeric portion of the answer, not the units. That is the problem. I am having trouble locating a simple forumla for this. All I can seem to find involve having the radius of the balloon which...
  12. E

    Can a Balloon be Filled with Vacuum in a Vacuum?

    Could a balloon be filled with vacuum - in a vacuum? And if a balloon was filled with any other gas and put in a vacuum, it would just expand until it popped, no doubt?
  13. E

    How Does a Black Body Balloon Behave in a Vacuum?

    Homework Statement There is a perfectly spherical balloon with surface painted black. It is placed in a perfect vacuum. It is gently inflated with an ideal mono-atomic gas at Kelvin temperature Ti, slowly enough so that it reaches thermal equilibrium with the gas, and then it is sealed off. It...
  14. F

    Calculating Electric Force between Charged Balloon and Denim

    Question: A baloon rubbed aginst denim gains a charge of -8microC. What is the electric force between the balloon and the denim when the two are separated by a distance of 5.0 cm? (Assume that the charges are located at a point.) Equations used: F electric = K q1 X q 2 / r^2 Steps...
  15. E

    Does a balloon's temperature increase when a balloon is popped?

    Homework Statement We blew up a balloon, attached a data logger inside the balloon. We then popped it and checked if the temperature increased or decreased. Most of the time, the temperature increased (from around 29 degrees Celsius to 29.2 degrees Celsius). Why is this so? Homework...
  16. B

    Controlling helium balloon attitude

    Hi, Is it possible to control the attitude of helium balloons without cutting the balloons or dropping the weight? (e.g. using a remote control to control "something" to adjust the attitude) Thanks,
  17. V

    Relationship Between Charge, Mass, and Balloon Intrinsic Energy

    Problem : A conducting metal balloon of Radius ' R ', essentially of negligible mass is charged with charge ' Q '. It has to carry a payload of mass ' M '. Find how the charge ' Q ' depends on the mass M and the Intrinsic Energy ' W ' of the balloon. Attempt: We have P_{atm} =...
  18. Z

    Calculating Average Temperature in a Hot Air Balloon | Homework Guide

    Homework Statement Estimate the average temperature inside a hot-air balloon. Assume that the total mass of the unfilled balloon and payload, which we will all call mp is 500kg. Homework Equations Archimedes principle, ideal gas law ... The Attempt at a Solution Okay I'm not really...
  19. A

    What is the maximum altitude for an industrial grade weather balloon?

    Does anyone know the highest altitude the biggest industrial grade weather balloon can go?
  20. S

    Buoyancy force of a hot-air balloon

    Homework Statement The envelope and basket of a hot-air balloon have combined mass of 331 kg. The spherical envelope of the balloon has a radius of 10 m when fully inflated. What is the maximum mass of the passengers the balloon can carry when the temperature of the gas is 108 o C? Use...
  21. K

    Force and Air Balloon problem help

    Homework Statement A hot-air balloon consists of a basket, one passenger, and some cargo. Let the total mass be M. Even though there is an upward lift force on the balloon, the balloon is initially accelerating downward at a rate of g/3. The passenger notices that he is heading straight for...
  22. L

    Finding Terminal Velocity of a Balloon in Free Fall

    Hi everyone, I am doing a lab report about free fall, but I have to find the terminal velocity for the balloon, but I don't know if I can use the formula velocity = Distance / Time because I have 10 measures from free fall ( 0.2 m - 2 m) , and I have the time that it took to hit the ground...
  23. N

    Hot Air Balloon Rises due to Kinetic Energy of Molecules

    When you heat the gases inside a hot air balloon it makes more sense (for myself at least) to say that it rises due to the velocity and kinetic energy of the molecules in their relation to the gases outside. Outside the balloon the molecules are obviously cooler, more dense, and moving slower...
  24. T

    How Do You Calculate the Buoyant Force of a Helium Balloon?

    Homework Statement A helium balloon ride lifts up passengers in a basket. Assume the density of air is 1.28 kg1m-3 and the density of helium in the balloon is 0.18 kg1m-3. The radius of the balloon (when filled) is R = 5 m. The total mass of the empty balloon and basket is mb = 123 kg and the...
  25. R

    Pressure inside a helium balloon

    Homework Statement g) A spherical balloon of radius R = 1.95 m is made from a material of mass M = 4.56 kg and is filled with helium gas at temperature T = 289 K. Assume the thickness of the balloon is negligible compared to the radius of the balloon, and the balloon just floats on air...
  26. V

    The total weight o a gas filled balloon is 1500N.

    Homework Statement The total weight o a gas filled balloon is 1500N.THE BALLOON RAISES AT CONSTANT SPEED OF 10m/s.Calculate the resultant force acting on the balloon? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution
  27. G

    Ant Motion on an Expanding Balloon: A Paradox?

    This isn't homework but nobody is going to believe that so here it is: Homework Statement at t=1 (or any nonzero value of t) an ant starts moving across a balloon at velocity v=c=1 (c is the speed of light) the radius of the balloon as a function of time is given by r(t)=nct (n is a...
  28. Z

    Magnetic Balloon Theory: Exploring the Potential of Charged Particles for Lift

    Hello there all, I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to a couple of these subjects but i was wondering if there is a particle of some sort that could be energized with an electrical charge and when this electrical charge passes through these particles it could make them act like hot air or helium...
  29. L

    Elastic Balloon Filled with Ideal Gas

    This is the equation I'm talking about: PV = nRT So say I had a bit of Ideal Gas in a completely insulated elastic balloon, and I raised a temperature just a little bit. PV = nR(2T) Because this is an elastic balloon, would the volume also double? P(2V) = nR(2T) But what if the...
  30. S

    Does a Ball Dropped from a Rising Hot Air Balloon Continue Ascending?

    Hi, I was watching a hot air balloon show, and one of the demonstrations was someone dropping a ball out of a rising hot air balloon. If a hot air balloon is rising at let's say 19.6m/s, and you drop a ball directly down, will the ball continue to rise for two seconds because it has an...
  31. J

    What is the Volume Change Rate of a Spherical Balloon?

    Homework Statement the volume v=(4/3)(pie symbol 3.14..)r of a spherical balloon changes with the radius a)at what rate does the volume change with respect to radius when r= 2ft? b) by approximately how much does the volume increase when the radius changes from 2 to 2.2ft? Homework...
  32. H

    Potential energy of hydrogen balloon

    Hydrogen balloon naturally moves from low altitude to high altitude in Earth's atmosphere. Any object moves from higher to lower potential. So can we call low altitude high potential region?
  33. N

    A hot air balloon has just lifted off and is rising at the constant

    Homework Statement A hot air balloon has just lifted off and is rising at the constant rate of 1.6 m/s. Suddenly, one of the passengers realizes she has left her camera on the ground. A friend picks it up and tosses it straight upward with an initial speed of 10.8 m/s. If the passenger is 2.5 m...
  34. C

    Can a vacuum balloon float like a helium balloon?

    would a baloon or a barrel 'filled' with vacuum act as a hellium balloon and float in air? of curse that would require hard shell balloon... density of air at sea level is 1.22521 kg/m3. so if we could make a vacuum chamber one m3 big that would weigh 1.22 kg it would float right...
  35. D

    Hot air balloon gravity homework

    Homework Statement A hot air balloon is traveling vertically upward at a constant speed of 3.4 m/s. When it is 11 m above the ground, a package is released from the balloon. After it is released, for how long is the package in the air? The acceleration of gravity is 9.8 m/s^2. Answer in units...
  36. T

    Calculating Ascent Rate and Peak Altitude of a High Altitude Balloon

    Howdy, I am looking to find the rate of ascent for a weather balloon filled with helium. My assumptions as of now are total payload weight=10lbs, total balloon weight=2lbs, total balloon volume(at launch)=150ft^3, balloon diameter(at launch)=6ft. Also, how does the rate of ascent change with...
  37. N

    Constant Acceleration - Sandbag Dropped From a Rising Balloon

    Homework Statement A hot air ballonist rising verticlly at a constant velocity "vb", releases a sandbag at the instant the sandbag is "h" meters above the ground. Given [vb,h] Determine: a. The time for the sandbag to hit the ground b. The speed of the sandbag just before hitting the...
  38. T

    Could a model rocket be launched into space by balloon?

    Say you had a small platform lifted by a high altitude balloon capable of reaching 30 miles above the earth. And on the platfrom you had a small model rocket. If you launched this small rocket from 30 miles above the earth, could it reach the Kármán line? How powerful would the rocket have to be?
  39. C

    Path of a Balloon Tied to a Thread

    Question : A balloon tied to a thread whose other end is fixed to the bottom of a beaker is held such that the string is horizontal. The path traced by the balloon if it is released is ? Answer : The path is along the arc of a circle Please explain why the path will be along the arc of a...
  40. R

    ANSYS APDL Inflated Balloon Volume

    I feel like this should be a fairly easy problem to solve in ANSYS but can't work it out. My actual problem is a bit more complex that what I've written below, but the solution method should be the same. A hollow cylinder is pressurised from the inside, the cylinder inflates. What is the...
  41. T

    How high would a helium balloon rise if it never popped?

    If you released a helium balloon and if it never popped how high would it rise?
  42. L

    The principle of the ECD of a GC (and possible balloon modification)

    I got this question from a british friend, who has worked with GCs before. I was not sure if to post it here or in the Nuclear Physics section, but I hope here is the right place to ask. As he is also involved with high altitude balloons, he once thought of a device similar to the Electron...
  43. S

    Calculating Temperature Needed for Hot Air Balloon Lift

    Homework Statement A man wants to go on a hot air balloon trip, and wants to build a balloon with a capacity of 10,000 m^3. The envelope and the balloon have a combined mass of 250 kg. His luggage would be 800 kg. Assume that the ambient air is at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. What...
  44. 1

    Related rates and a spherical weather balloon

    (b]1. Homework Statement [/b] A spherical weather balloon has a radius of 1m when it is 1500m high. You observe that the radius increases at a rate of 2cm/min as it continues to rise. At what rate is the surface area increasing when the radius is 4m? Homework Equations I thought...
  45. M

    Help figuring out what a balloon diameter should be with x amount of helium.

    I am planning to do a high altitude balloon launch and I was wondering if anyone on this forum could help me figure out a few things. The payload+the balloon+the parachute= weigh around 2 pounds. I am looking to get 3 pounds of free lift (each pound of free lift equals 300 feet per minute...
  46. A

    Acceleration of Hot Air Balloon

    Homework Statement A hot air balloon of mass M has two forces acting on it. An upward lift force and its weight due to gravity. The balloon is initially accelerating at a rate of -g/3. A)Find the upward lift force in terms of the initial weight Mg. B) What fraction of the total weight...
  47. S

    What is the Young's modulus of balloon?

    Are ballons mostly made of latex? I suppose the Young's modulus of balloon may be similar to that of latex condom. Thanks a lot.
  48. T

    What is the cheapest option for a high altitude balloon altimeter?

    What would be the cheapest option to measure the altitude of a near space balloon? I know GPS can't be used because it is restricted to work below a certain point.
  49. T

    DIY Near Space Balloon Transmitter: 60 Mile Range on a Budget

    I am thinking about launching a near space balloon. I'm going to send up a microcontroller with a pressure sensor that outputs audible beeps according to the height data from the pressure sensor. The problem is I don't have a way to transmit this audio data back down to earth. What is the...
  50. N

    Deployment Mechanism to be tested on a meteorological balloon

    I want to perform a high altitude balloon experiment where I will be launching a payload onboard a meteorological balloon to demonstrate its feasilbilty and the fact that it works as a precursor to a cubesat mission. A cubesat is a very tiny satellite, usually weighing about 1kg which is usually...
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