So yesterday my kid asks me about how big his birthday balloon really is. Seems simple right? But when I grabbed a tape measure, man was it harder than I thought. Those shiny rubber things just won’t hold still! So I figured I’d actually test different ways to measure this properly. Here’s how it went down.
The Tape Measure Mess
First I grabbed my trusty tape measure from the toolbox. Held the end against one side of the inflated balloon and tried stretching it across. Total fail. The balloon squished weirdly under the metal end. Got 16 inches… then 15… then 17. No consistency at all. And the dang thing kept rolling off the table!
Then I thought – maybe wrap it around like a belt? Still useless. Tape measure won’t stick to the surface, plus it kept sliding down when I lifted the balloon. Felt kinda stupid wrestling with a $2 balloon and heavy metal tape.
Enter The String Trick
Remembered my grandma’s old sewing trick. Cut a piece of ordinary kitchen twine about two feet long. Carefully wrapped it around the fattest part of the balloon – where a belt would sit. Made sure it wasn’t squeezing the air out. Pinched exactly where the ends met and laid that section flat.
Grabbed my ruler next. Measured the pinched part of the string. Boom – steady 15.5 inches every dang time. That’s the circumference. Did this five times because trust issues. All between 15.4 and 15.6 inches.
The Real Diameter Reveal
Now here’s where the 5th grade math kicked in. Divided that circumference number by 3.14 (roughly pi).
- 15.5 divided by 3.14 = about 4.93 inches.
So the actual width straight through the center? Right at 5 inches. Measured a collapsed balloon before inflating too – just 4 inches long flat. Made sense!
Why Bother Though?
Honestly? It bugged me that eyeballing it was so wrong. Looked way bigger inflated! Actually knowing feels… solid. Plus the string method? Cheap as dirt and works anywhere. Next party I’m blowing minds with balloon facts. Or annoying people. Either way. Try it!