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Blowing Up Balloons!
Target Age: Any
Topics: Physics
Concepts: Specific Heat
Estimated Time: 2 minutes

Brief Description: Hold a balloon with air and a balloon with water over a fire and watch the different
results

The Science Behind It:

The reason a balloon filled with air pops when you put it over a flame is because the rubber of the balloon
gets very hot and weak and then breaks. When you fill a balloon with water instead of air, the water
absorbs most of the heat, so the rubber doesn't get very hot. Water has a very high heat capacity, much
higher than air, so it will keep the balloon from bursting.

Safety: Reactions are all safe to perform in open air, and are all able to be disposed in trash can/sink.

Materials:
-Balloons
-Water
-Small Candle
-Water

Procedure:
1. Ask what do you think would happen when a balloon is blown up and placed over fire?
2. Blow up a balloon and hold the balloon over the fire. *CAREFUL THE BALLOON WILL POP*
3. Fill a balloon with water and hold the balloon over the fire.
4. Explain the procedure and show the layer of soot accumulated around the area exposed to the
heat

Discussion Questions:
● Why did the balloon only pop when filled with air?
● Why didn’t the balloon pop when filled with water?