y does helium shrink?

Question

like whenever i have a balloon with helium in it the next day not only is it on the ground but it is smaller by a hell of a lot. why is that???

thx for the help. =D

Answer 1

Helium particles are very small, in fact they are the smallest free particles that normally exist in nature. Although the plastic your balloon is made out of can stop water and sand and marbles and various other materials that have large particles, helium is small enough to go through, so it leaks.

Now, there are certain kinds of balloons which are made out of special plastics and leak hardly any helium at all. However they are more expensive than the standard, cheap, leaky ones.

Answer 2

The helium diffuses out through the ballon into the atmoshpere, and it does not "shrink." Every balloon will eventually "shrink" down in size because of diffusion. The outside air is exerting some pressure on the balloon, and the helium is also exerting pressure from inside the balloon, which is what makes it expand in the first place. But eventually the helium will leave the balloon to equalize the pressure of inside the balloon and outside (since a lot of gas in a little area like inside the balloon has a lot more pressure than standard atmospheric air.

Answer 3

Any balloon shrinks because the gas molecules within the balloon can slowly pass through the thin material of which the balloon is made. A helium molecule may be the smallest molecule in existence, composed of an individual helium atom. A carbon dioxide molecule (what you breath into a balloon) is much larger, composed of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.

Also, helium molecules don't interact. They can be right next to another molecule and hardly be affected. Carbon dioxide interacts quite a bit with many other molecules. The balloon has much more trouble holding the small, non-interactive helium molecules than the large, interactive carbon dioxide.

HANK (Josh)

Answer 4

Helium is the most penetrating gas there is, and diffuses through the material of the balloon at a rapid rate. Atoms of helium do not combine into molecules, so are quite small and move very rapidly -- faster than those of any other gas than hydrogen. The high speed means that the speed of sound is high in helium, which accounts for the squeakiness of your voice if you inhale some and then speak: the resonant frequencies of your throat and nose cavities increase, and that affects the sound.

Answer 5

The helium isnt shrinking, it is slowly leaking out of the balloon, the pressures are equalizing, so the balloon will no longer float.

Answer 6

The helium passes through pores in the rubber material of the balloon.

Answer 7

The helium doesn't "shrink," it passes through the balloon into the air.

Answer 8

Helium does not shrink.
What happens is that the gas escapes through the porous rubber, or latex balloon.

Answer 9

latex is porous.
the helium molecule is small enough to go thru the pores.
air can too, but it is much slower, because the aggrate molucles of air is much larger.

Answer 10

its cuz the balloon leaks

yes, all gasses shrink though

PV/T and all that