Elizabeth Farmer
Period 4
1/6/15
Would
a helium balloon last
longer in a warmer or cooler
temperature climate?
 Helium
is a very small atom and latex is
pretty porous at the scale of a helium atom.
When the temperature increases in a
balloon, the individual gas molecules start
moving very fast. Under high temperatures,
the molecules run into the sides of the
balloon, making it bigger. When it gets
bigger, the pores let out the air easily. When
the balloon is cool, the pores close and do
not let any air out.
 If
I place five balloons in rooms with
different temperatures, then the balloon in
the coldest temperature will lose the least
amount of helium because colder
temperatures cause balloon pores to close
and trap air inside.

1: Fill five different colored balloons with helium, so that the balloons
are the same circumference.

2: Measure the circumference of each balloon and the temperature of
each location, then record information in your journal.

3: Place the first balloon in room temperature. This will be your control.

4: Leave the balloon in the location for twelve hours. Then record
observations, including the circumference of the balloon.

5: Place the second balloon in a heated room of twenty-eight degrees
Celsius. Repeat step 4.

6: Place the third balloon in a garage or in five degrees Celsius. Repeat
step 4.

7: Place the fourth balloon in the fridge or in zero degrees Celsius.
Repeat step 4.

8: Place the fifth balloon in the freezer at negative twenty five degrees
Celsius. Repeat step 4.
 Five
(different colored) balloons
 Timer
 Fabric measuring tape
 Thermometer
 Freezer
 Refrigerator
 Heater
 Garage
 Constant:
How long the balloon is kept in the
location (Hours).
 Control: Room temperature (Celsius).
 Manipulated: Temperature of locations.
 Dependent: Circumference of balloons.
I
have noticed that the red balloon, which
was in the freezer, has lost the least amount
of helium. The light blue balloon, which was
by the heater lost the most amount of
helium. Red started at eighty-two and a half
centimeters and lost half a centimeter. Light
blue started at eighty-five and a half
centimeters and lost seventeen centimeters
and no longer floated after a few hours.
 Problem
solution: A helium balloon lasts
longer in a cooler climate because the pores
in the balloon become smaller and do not
allow any air out.
 Hypothesis: My hypothesis was supported
because the balloons in cooler temperatures
lasted longer, and lost less helium.

UCSB. "UCSB Science Line." n.d. Science Line.
Ed. National Science Foundation and UCSB.
Web. 8 December 2014.
<http://scienceline.ucsb.edu>.