Okay, so the other day I got it into my head to see what happens to helium balloons when it gets super cold outside. I mean, we all know they float, right? But does the cold mess with that? I grabbed a few balloons, a helium tank, and headed out to my backyard. It was freezing, I’m telling you!
The Experiment Begins
First, I blew up a couple of balloons inside where it was nice and warm. They puffed right up, no problem. I tied them off with some string, and they floated to the ceiling just like you’d expect.
Then, the real test. I took those balloons outside. I also blew up a few more out in the cold, just to see if that made a difference. My fingers were about to fall off, but hey, science, right?
Observations and Surprises
- The balloons I blew up inside and then took outside? They definitely shrank. Not a ton, but enough that you could see it. They weren’t floating as high, either. They kind of just hovered there, looking all sad and droopy.
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The balloons already inflated inside, that I took outside, they were all saggy looking.
- The ones I blew up in the cold… well, they didn’t really get as big to begin with. It was like the helium was already feeling the chill and didn’t want to expand as much. And yep, they also didn’t float as well as they would have inside.
What I Learned
So, to answer, The cold will definetly mess that!
It wasn’t exactly a groundbreaking scientific discovery, but it was fun to see it happen with my own eyes. Plus, now I have a good excuse to stay inside where it’s warm!