Question
If a balloon is taken outside on a very cold day, what will occur?
Answers
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
It will shrink (get smaller, flabbier) — and may become brittle or pop if handled.
Why: the gas inside cools so its temperature T falls. For a flexible balloon the gas amount n is fixed, so by the ideal-gas relation (roughly) V ∝ T (in kelvin). Cooler gas occupies less volume, so the balloon contracts. The latex also stiffens at low temperature, making it less elastic and more likely to crack or burst. A helium balloon will also lose lift and droop or fall.
Example: going from 20°C (293 K) to −20°C (253 K) would reduce volume to about 253/293 ≈ 0.86 (≈14% smaller). When returned to a warm room the balloon re‑expands and may pop if the material is weakened.
Why: the gas inside cools so its temperature T falls. For a flexible balloon the gas amount n is fixed, so by the ideal-gas relation (roughly) V ∝ T (in kelvin). Cooler gas occupies less volume, so the balloon contracts. The latex also stiffens at low temperature, making it less elastic and more likely to crack or burst. A helium balloon will also lose lift and droop or fall.
Example: going from 20°C (293 K) to −20°C (253 K) would reduce volume to about 253/293 ≈ 0.86 (≈14% smaller). When returned to a warm room the balloon re‑expands and may pop if the material is weakened.
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