Hair Dryer Hot Air Balloon Experiment
Learn about effect of air density change with change in temperature and how this can be used to fly your very own hot air balloon with this hands-on experiment
Science behind it.
As air warms, it starts to expand. Expansion means that the molecules are moving faster then before, and they’re further apart from each other. The result of this is that the warm air inside the balloon is less dense and therefore lighter than regular air in the atmosphere. Once I stopped putting hot air into the balloon it rises, but starts to descends as the air cools down. As a real hot air balloon continuously puts hot air into the balloon and maintains to stay in the air.
One of the important properties of gas is that it expands when it gets hot and contracts when it cools. This means that when a gas is heated, the individual molecules that form it move faster and spread further apart from each other. As a result, the gas also gets lighter as it gets hotter, since the molecules are less densely concentrated.
My first attempt with my home made tissue hot air balloon didn’t go very high for a couple reasons. One the tissue paper was heaver then the plastic I first tried and second we had the heater on in the house and the hot air in the balloon was the same temperature as in the room. So went outside in the cold air and as you saw my balloon shot up and over the house as the hot air was a lot lighter and then came down as the air inside cooled and landed on the roof. diy hot air balloon kids fun science how to make hot air balloon
hair dryer hot air balloon