How high does a ballon fly before it pops
By shelagh77
@shelagh77 (3643)
December 11, 2007 12:43pm CST
It is that season again. The season of more money than sense when, in spite of holding about 100 carrier bags, we take leave of our senses and buy one of those helium balloon thingies for the kids.
Nine times out of ten this is a bad idea, as they become distracted by all the tinsel and lights and forget to hold the wretched thing, and as you know, this always ends in tears.
I tell a white lie and say that the balloon will now float around the sky forever, to cheer up all the birdies, but we all know the thing will go pop at some stage.
Assuming it rises and rises and does not get attacked by said birds, how high could it right before it pops all by itself, does anyone know that please?
5 responses
@shelagh77 (3643)
•
26 Oct 08
Pretty high then. I wonder how long it takes to get up that high? And whether there is anything alive up there to be scared to pieces when if finally does go bang.
@ozzie13 (177)
• Australia
17 Dec 07
I think it would have to rise higher than it ever would to explode, do you get me? I think for the pressure of the atmosphere to pop the balloon, i would be higher than the helium could rise the balloon because of the wind and stuff, you might think im silly but i think i would just float and be blow around in the wind until it struck something it would pop against. Please have a look on my profile i have just started first discussion that has no answers yet! :( i think you might like it, my brain works like yours and thinks of these stupid kind of questions, please look.
@shelagh77 (3643)
•
26 Oct 08
Hi there, I hope you have had an answer by now but I will have a look anyways. I have had a bit of a frantic time and do not get in here half as often as I should like.
So you think that the helium doesn't allow the balloon to rise too high, that is interesting.I always thought they floated right out into outer space lol. Hmm something to think about, thank you.
@raydene (9871)
• United States
12 Dec 07
Lost balloons are aweful for wildlife and nature...Many ducks,fish,etc die or are crippled each year because the balloon tangles up inside and they can not eat...or it tangles around a limb and they loose the function of it..
Advise eveyone you know to tie them fast so they will not get loose...This way the kids don't loose their balloon and the wildlife doesn't loose it's life!
xooxxoxoxo
1 person likes this
@shelagh77 (3643)
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26 Oct 08
That is a very thought provoking response, thank you. It just goes to show how the light hearted and, to a child, enjoyable, vision of the balloon floating and floating towards heaven has far reaching consequences for the wild life. So sad. That is another little pleasure I shall have to stop though, I wouldn't want any wild life to be harmed.
@pismeof (855)
• United States
12 Dec 07
Well Shelagh,It all depends on the atmospheric pressure on any given day that would most effect the bursting of said balloon.As the balloon rises the air pressure around the outside of the balloon becomes increasingly less ,while the inside of the balloon remains relatively constant thus once the balloon begins to rise it will also begin to expand from the inside till the structure(rubber or plastic) can no longer hold the air inside and *POP*.
1 person likes this
@shelagh77 (3643)
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26 Oct 08
Thank you, that is very interesting and the variables are also interesting, so this is another of life's questions to which there is no one definitive answer. When I was a child I thought balloons which escaped went to heaven so that the angels could play with them!
@anjohanna (156)
• Philippines
1 Mar 10
I guess 50 feet to 100. I cannot give out specific numbers. But then, as far as I know, it will depend on the temperature. The hotter the surface, the more easier for the balloon to pop.
