2007-08-21 22:52:11 · 3 answers · asked by ? 6 in Environment ➔ Other - Environment
Bibs is essentially correct, however not all balloons will burst (pop). Balloons rise because they are lighter than air (in other words the air is heavier and "falls" under the balloon which pushes the balloon up). It is possible for this "upward" force to be balanced by the gravity of the balloon material itself. That is why the balloon on your ceiling last night now hovers in the middle of your room in the morning. Some of the helium has escaped and it does not have the "upward" force it had before. It has now reached equilibrium in your bedroom (rather than trying to climb even higher in the atmosphere). If you cut the string holding the balloon it will slowly float back up (some) because you have removed some of the mass of the balloon and changed its equilibrium position.
2007-08-22 00:58:15 · answer #1 · answered by Randy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It depends. As a balloon rises, the atmospheric pressure decreases, and the gas inside the balloon expands. This continues until the balloon becomes so large that the balloon breaks. Now if less gas is put into the balloon originally, the balloon could rise higher before breaking.
2007-08-22 06:09:02 · answer #2 · answered by Bibs 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As has been said above, it depends. A typical party balloon might go up a few thousand feet. A high altitude research balloon can go well over 100,000 feet. Those balloons are extremely large and light weight compared to the party balloon.
2007-08-22 09:38:10 · answer #3 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋