Balloon Volume and Temperature
Materials: ★☆☆ Easy to get from supermarket or hardware store
Difficulty: ★☆☆ Can be easily done by most teenagers
Safety: ★☆☆ Minimal safety procedures required
Categories: Gases, Particles and States of Matter, Pressure and Fluids
Alternative titles: The Effects of Temperature on Balloons, Charles's Law
Summary
This experiment demonstrates how temperature affects the volume of gas inside a balloon. By placing balloons over bottles in hot water, a refrigerator, and a freezer, students observe how gases expand when heated and contract when cooled, illustrating Charles’s Law.
Procedure
- Stretch a balloon over the mouth of an empty 2-liter bottle.
- Place one bottle in the refrigerator and predict what will happen to the balloon.
- Place the second bottle in a pan of hot water and record how the balloon changes.
- After observing both, move both bottles to the freezer for several minutes.
- Record observations about how the extreme cold affects the balloons.
- Sketch the balloons in each condition on poster board to illustrate results.
Links
Science at Home - SE2 - EP10: Charles's Law of Ideal Gases - The Sci Guys:
Balloon at Room Temperature Verse Freezing Find Volume (Ideal Gas Law Physics Problem) - VAM! Physics & Engineering:
📄 The Effects of Temperature on Balloons - Education.com: https://www.education.com/activity/article/effects-temperature-balloons/
Variations
- Try different temperatures (room temperature, warm water, ice water) to compare results.
- Test different sized balloons to see if volume changes are more dramatic.
- Measure balloon circumference with a string or tape measure for more quantitative data.
Safety Precautions
- Handle hot water carefully to avoid burns.
- Place bottles in the refrigerator/freezer gently to avoid breakage.
- Ensure proper supervision when children use hot water.
Questions to Consider
- What happened to the balloon in hot water? Why?
- What happened to the balloon in the refrigerator and freezer?
- How does this experiment demonstrate Charles’s Law (volume ∝ temperature at constant pressure)?
- What real-world examples show this principle (e.g., hot air balloons, weather balloons, car tire pressure in different temperatures)?
- Why is it important to fill balloons or tires with room-temperature air rather than very hot or very cold air?