======Standing on Balloons Without Popping====== **Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\ **Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\ **Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\ \\ **Categories:** {{$demo.categories}} \\ **Alternative titles:** Balloon Boarding ====Summary==== {{$demo.summary}} ====Procedure==== - Inflate 10–14 balloons to about 75% full (not tight). - Spread a towel on the floor and place the balloons on top. - Place a sturdy board, tabletop, or door flat over the balloons. - Assign two volunteers to stand at the board’s sides to stabilize it at all times. - Invite one student to step gently onto the board. Emphasize: no jumping or bouncing. - Add more students one by one until balloons begin to pop. - Compare with what happens if a student tries to stand on a single balloon. ====Links==== 📄 Balloon Boarding - Science World: [[https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/balloon-boarding/]]\\ 🎞️ Fun Science Experiments with Kevin Delaney - Kevin Delaney: [[https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1582195218563911]]\\ ====Variations==== * Relate to a bed of nails model—using a balloon pressed against a small nail board to show weight distribution in action. ====Safety Precautions==== * Always have two mature volunteers hold the board steady. * Use an inverted table so that fingers won't get crushed if the balloons burst. * Keep order—students must step on and off one at a time. * Do not allow running, rushing, or jumping onto the board. * Stop the demo if balloons begin popping rapidly. * Use a towel underneath to prevent slipping. ====Questions to Consider==== * Why do the balloons pop if one student stands on just one balloon? * How does the board spread the force across all the balloons? * Why do partially inflated balloons work better than fully inflated ones? * What do you think is happening to the air and rubber inside each balloon when compressed? * How is this similar to lying on a bed of nails?