The reason a small helium tank can fill over 50 balloons, despite its size, lies in the properties of gases and how they behave under pressure. Here are the key concepts explaining this phenomenon:
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High Compression: Helium, like all gases, can be compressed significantly. In the tank, helium is stored under high pressure, which allows it to occupy a much smaller volume than it would if it were allowed to expand freely.
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Expansion: When you release helium from the tank to fill a balloon, the gas expands rapidly to fill the volume of the balloon. A single balloon, when filled, can contain several liters of helium. The helium molecules take up much more space when released from the high-pressure environment of the tank.
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Ideal Gas Law: The behavior of gases is described by the ideal gas law (PV = nRT), which shows the relationship between pressure (P), volume (V), the number of moles of gas (n), the gas constant (R), and temperature (T). This relationship helps explain how a small volume of gas at high pressure can yield a larger volume of gas when it is released and allowed to expand.
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Balloons Expand: A typical party balloon can hold around 0.5 to 1.0 cubic feet (about 15 to 30 liters) of helium after being inflated. When the helium gas is released from the tank, it can fill each balloon much more than the initial space it occupied in the tank.
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Efficiency of Gas Use: Balloons are designed to hold gas efficiently with minimal leakage. They are sealed and can retain the helium for a reasonable amount of time, maximizing the use of the gas.
In summary, the helium tank can fill so many balloons because it contains a significant amount of gas under pressure, which expands to fill the volume of the balloons when released.
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