How to Burst a Balloon With a Penny

In college, your child will have to sit down and actually read the material to learn the science behind a lab experiment but when they're young, make learning fun. Bursting a balloon by putting a penny inside will teach them about inertia and centripetal force in a lasting and entertaining way.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Balloon
• Pennies

1. Push a penny through the neck of the balloon. Blow the balloon up within a few puffs from fully inflated.
2. Start to shake the balloon until the penny spins in the balloon. It will continue to spin until the balloon pops.
3. Explain that the penny moves inside the balloon by inertia and centripetal force. When you shake the balloon the force causes the penny to start moving. There is very little friction so the penny keeps moving by inertia. To stop the inertia a force would have to stop the penny.
4. Illustrate the centripetal force by showing how the penny is moving in a circular motion because the balloon is circular. Otherwise it would move in a straight line. It is seeking the center of the balloon.
5. Keep shaking until the balloon eventually pops. The friction of the penny will make a loud pop. Make a game with several children by seeing who can keep their penny moving the longest without popping.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that no children are allergic to latex. Clean up all the popped balloons if there are small children to prevent a choking hazard.