Why is Helium used in Balloons?
By luckyabu
@luckyabu (336)
India
November 23, 2006 4:36am CST
I'm figuring Helium makes balloons float cause it's got such a low atomic mass, right? So is lighter than air? But Hydrogen is the lightest element isn't it, and pretty abundant - so what are the advantages of using Helium rather than Hydrogen?Or just leave me your views.
1 response
@mvsrao (4365)
• India
23 Nov 06
Any gas that is lighter than air can
be used to lift a balloon. Hydrogen,
helium,methane, ammonia, natural gas, etc...
Helium is extensively used for filling
balloons as it is a much safer gas than
hydrogen.
helium is almost universally used for
non-hot air balloons because of the
explosive nature of hydrogen .
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