This question has stumped all my teachers since the 8th grade. So I thought I'd try here.
2007-01-05 11:17:49 · 8 answers · asked by Sean G 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
I am surprised that your teachers would not get this. What actually happens is that the pressurized air inside the balloon is released very rapidly and in its movement toward equalization collides violently with the relatively still air surrounding it. The movement of the pressurized air creates waves, or vibrations, that our ears perceive as sound, generally the same way that forced air leaving our lungs and vibrated by our voice box allows others to hear us talk. The harder you force the air out, the louder the sound.
2007-01-05 11:55:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
When a balloon is fully blown, it is extremely stretched and its shape becomes very different from the original form. At this stage, the balloon holds a very high level of elastic energy (the energy for the balloon to resume its original shape).
When we poke a fully blown balloon with a needle, it pops and instantly breaks into a piece of rubber although the original puncture made by the needle is very tiny. This tiny puncture stretches into a long slit consuming a small portion of the elastic energy that has been stored in the balloon. The rest (probably the most part) of the elastic energy is converted to sound and heat. The smaller the energy for popping the balloon (or expanding the puncture into a slit), the higher the sound and heat become.
Now a sound is a vibration. When the puncture expands, it creates vibration, which spreads into the air as sound waves and then reaches our ears. (Although I am not certain about how the vibrations are created.)
Acknowledgement
Dr. Todo Mitsugu
He is studying the breakdown behaviour of polymeric materials.
2007-01-05 11:34:00 · answer #2 · answered by Puzzling 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
All your teachers should be ashamed!
Think about it, "sound" is just a product of different areas of pressure moving through the air (or water, or whatever) reaching your eardrum.
When you burst a balloon, all the air inside it goes from being at one pressure (the pressure inside the balloon) to atmospheric pressure (the pressure outside the balloon)* very, very suddenly, which creates a "shockwave" in the air that your ears perceive as a "bang".
*(while these two pressures may be very, very similar, they are in fact different. another factor contributing to the soundwaves is the rapid contraction of the rubber the balloon is made of)
Great question!
2007-01-05 12:19:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because of the particles of the filled balloon moving outward rapidly.
Same with your hands clapping.
2007-01-05 11:22:53 · answer #4 · answered by Logan 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because of the air pressure
2007-01-05 11:22:15 · answer #5 · answered by Miss Me 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i hate balloons, they scare me to dying. i wont even touch one. whilst they popped balloons in school i had to leave. in the event that they pop its even worse, i bounce and scream and commence crying.
2016-10-30 02:51:38 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sudden surge of air through the small hole.
2007-01-05 11:20:32 · answer #7 · answered by blue2blnde 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What a great question! Maybe it's a mini sonic boom. (That's all I could think of.)
2007-01-05 11:21:39 · answer #8 · answered by wasabi_luvva 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋