Estimating Buoyancy
Balloon fiesta.Copyright NASA http://nasa.gov
Students learn that buoyancy is responsible for making boats, hot air balloons and weather balloons float. They calculate whether or not a boat or balloon will float, and calculate the volume needed to make a balloon or boat of a certain mass float. Conduct the first day of the associated activity before conducting this lesson.
Engineers apply a solid understanding of the principles of buoyancy in order to design many useful items, such as boats and hot air balloons. Engineers and scientists often use balloons to carry out sensitive atmospheric measurements, including atmospheric wind speed (which can be inaccurate if recorded from a moving airplane), as well as to conduct observations for sensitive areas such as nature preserves. Balloons can fly much higher than airplanes, exiting the first layer of the Earth's atmosphere and flying high enough to see the Earth's curvature. Some balloons reach altitudes of 37 km (120,000 ft). Because balloons are filled with gases naturally found in our atmosphere and do not use fuel to fly, balloons are a "green" way to conduct atmospheric measurements! Plus, most balloons are fitted with GPS tracking systems and tags so they can be returned to the organization that launched them and components can be re-used.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Determine whether or not an object in air or water will float.
- Given an object's mass, calculate the volume it would need in order to float.