A HOME Balloon Lab :
What's the "Matter" with my balloon?
Directions: Blow up and tie off a balloon. Do not inflate it the whole way. It should have a diameter of
about 5-6 inches. Carefully tie a string around the middle of the balloon so that it is tight around the
outside. Put the balloon with the string around it inside of the freezer. After 30 minutes, check the
balloon and record your observations. Also check the balloon after one hour and record your
observations.
Let's start by writing your predictions as to what will happen to the balloon in the freezer over time.
Predictions: What are two things you think might happen to the balloon?
1. _______________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________
3. What state of matter is inside the balloon after you blow it up? ____________________
4. What state of matter is the balloon itself?
_________________________________
After 30 minutes look at the balloon and make two observations.
5. ________________________________________________________________________________
6. ________________________________________________________________________________
After 60 minutes look at the balloon and make two observations.
7. ________________________________________________________________________________
8.
9. Did the balloon increase in size, decrease in size, or stay the same? (circle what happened)
Increased
Decreased
Stayed the same
10. If it did change, by how much? _____________________________________________________
11-12. In what way might particle movement inside the balloon have changed for this to have been
observed?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
13-14. The way you were asked to conduct this balloon experiment had some flaws. What is missing in the
way I asked you to do the balloon experiment? How could it be conducted to make the findings more
valid?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
In the boxes below draw a sketch of what the particles of gas were doing before
the balloon was put into the freezer and after the balloon was put into the freezer.
15. Gas particles before the
balloon goes into the freezer
16-17. Gas particles and balloon after
the balloon has been in the freezer
(draw the balloon size compared to the first balloon )
18. Did the collisions between particles (circle one):
increase
19. Did the overall movement of the particles (circle one): increase
Solids
decrease
decrease
Liquids
stay the same
stay the same
Gases
20-22. Motion or Speed
of molecules/atoms
23-25. Position and
distance between
molecules/atoms
State Standard on Structure of Matter
d. Students know the states of matter (solid, liquid, gas) depend on molecular motion.
e. Students know that in solids the atoms are closely locked in position and can only vibrate; in
liquids the atoms and molecules are more loosely connected and can collide with and move
past one another; and in gases the atoms and molecules are free to move independently,
colliding frequently.
26-27. State Standard "d" says: Students know the states of matter (solid, liquid, gas) depend on
molecular motion. How did your balloon experiment show this standard?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
28-29. How did your balloon experiment show standard "E" above?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
30. What might happen if we heated the balloon instead of cooling it?
_____________________________________________________________________________