Helium Balloons - Large Advertising Balloon

Book for an Air Balloon Flight Online at:

Hot Air Balloon Flights from Only £85 - Gift vouchers for any occasion.

UK Hot Air Balloon Rides - Champagne hot air balloon rides. UK wide locations, from £149.

Balloon Flights from £119 - Give a hot air balloon flight gift. Autumn Offers, Buy now.

Like hot air balloons, Helium Balloons (ones simialr to the large advertising ones you sometimes see) also work on the principle of buoyancy as defined by the mathematician Archimedes. Both helium balloons and hot air balloons float due to the fact that they displace a certain amount of air in the atmosphere. The greater the size of the balloon, the more air it displaces, the easier it floats. This explains why gas balloons in particular are usually incredibly large.

If one could imagine particles of air as balls, a particle of helium would weight the equivalent of a squash ball, whilst a particle of nitrogen would weigh the equivalent of a snooker ball. The atoms that make up helium are far lighter than the nitrogen atoms which make up four fifths of the air in the atmosphere. This difference in weight is what causes nitrogen balloons to float, similar to the way in which a cork floats in a basin of water.

Hot air balloons on the other hand do not float due to the fact that the molecules of air within them are substantially lighter than the air in the atmosphere, but rather because the air within the envelope is less dense than the air which surrounds it. Initially, the air within the balloon weighs the same amount as the air in the atmosphere.

Upon being heated however, the molecules of air begin to expand and move more quickly within the balloon. Some of the molecules within the hot air balloon therefore need to be pushed out the bottom of the balloon, or displaced as it is termed scientifically. This results in there being less air within the balloon, thus making the balloon lighter than the air in the surrounding atmosphere and causing it to float.

In the early days, gas balloons such as helium balloons were far more popular than hot air balloons, due to the fact that they allowed for longer flight time and were viewed as being a lot safer than hot air balloons. Hydrogen, a gas which is even lighter than helium was often used to power gas balloons. The problem with hydrogen however, is that unlike helium which does not burn, it is an incredibly flammable gas. Engineers discovered this the hard way during the Hindenburg disaster in which 36 people lost their lives.

The Hindenburg was the largest airship ever to be built. Powered by hydrogen, the airship took off from Frankfurt airport in May 1937, en route to North America . There are many theories as to what exactly it was that caused the fire onboard the ship. The most plausible of these is that a spark of static electricity ignited a stream of hydrogen gas aboard the airship, causing it to instantly go up in flames. The hydrogen burnt quickly, and within seconds the entire ship was alight. In the years following the disaster, the use of hydrogen in the manufacture of balloons and airships declined substantially. Today helium and propane are generally preferred and are used in large advertising balloons due to the fact that they are far more stable gases.

Pink Fridge Online Magazine > dating online > marriage counselling > wedding planning guide > pregnancy symptoms & advice > how to work at home > car insurance advice > overcome depression > hairloss in women > weight loss > diet pills > skin care > tanning > baby gifts > planning a funeral > shopping for perfume > shopping for earrings > shopping for engagement rings > shopping for sunglasses > shopping for shoes > shopping for wedding favours > shopping for wine

Contact | Disclaimer | Sitemap | Advertising

Helium Balloons - Large Advertising Balloon

© The Pink Fridge Online Magazine 2009 - Balloons UK