How to Insert a Needle into a Balloon Without Popping it

Simple cellophane tape keeps your balloon from popping.

You can use this experiment in a science class to help you introduce the concept of polymers. Polymers are long chains of molecules that attach to each other in ways that allow them to stretch. The rubber the balloon is made of is made up of polymers. The cellophane tape allows the balloon to be pierced by the pin without popping as the polymer chains held together by the tape cannot stretch to their breaking point.

Things You'll Need

• Cellophane tape
• Balloon
• Pin

Instructions

1. Inflate two balloons. Place a small piece of cellophane tape on the side of one balloon. Press the tape down well.

2. Use the pin to pop the first balloon. This shows that the bonds between the polymers have been stretched beyond their breaking point by the pin.

3. Insert the pin into the cellophane tape stuck to the second balloon. The balloon will not pop. This shows that the polymers held together by the tape have not been stretched to their breaking point so the balloon stays intact.

Tips & Warnings

• Pins should only be handled by an adult.

References

• University of Wisconsin-Madison: Needle Through a Balloon