How to Weigh a Helium Balloon
Weighing a helium balloon is easy once you know the basic concept. Accomplishing this simple task involves learning a little physics lesson that will teach you the difference between weight and mass.
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Instructions
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1
Turn on a micro digital scale. To get an accurate weight for your helium balloon, the scale should be of the type that can weigh something as light as 1/100g. If you don't have one and don't feel like buying one, grab your helium balloon and make a quick trip to the post office. They will be glad to help you out.
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2
Place a quarter; a small balance weight (like the ones that likely came with your scale); or another small, heavy object on the scale and write down the weight. The object should weigh at least 4 or 5g.
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3
Tie the string on your helium balloon to the quarter dollar, weight or whichever small object you used in Step 2. Make sure it is tight, so it won't come loose while you are calculating the helium balloon's weight. You will also find out if your object is heavy enough to keep the helium balloon firmly planted. If it is not, use something else.
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4
Place the small, heavy object (with the balloon string attached on the scale). Write down the weight.
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5
Subtract the weight from Step 4 from the weight of Step 2. If you did everything right, you should have a negative number. How is this possible? You have a negative number because the balloon, filled with helium, is actually pulling against gravity, though not enough to make your weight from Step 2 take off into the air.
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Know the difference between "weight" and "mass." The definition of weight, according to Dictionary.com, is "the force that gravitation exerts upon a body, equal to the mass of the body times the local acceleration of gravity: commonly taken, in a region of constant gravitational acceleration, as a measure of mass." Because the helium has a negative effect against the force of gravity, this is one case in which the weight will not be the same as the mass.
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7
Poke a hole in the balloon to let the helium out, and untie the string from your balance weight. Weigh the balloon by itself on the scale and you will have its mass, because there is no longer a force acting against gravity. Now you have the mass and the "weight" (the negative number from Step 5), and you have learned something about physics as well.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Sue R B for stock.xchng
