Saturday, March 28, 2009

How many balloons would it take to lift a person?


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: how many balloons does it take to lift a person

Why: At Disneyland yesterday, balloon vendors looked about ready to float off into space.

Answer: 3,235 balloons to lift a 100-pound person:
  • 1 liter of helium can lift about 1 gram
  • There are 453 grams in 1 pound
  • You would need 45,300 liters of helium to lift 100 pounds
  • Amusement park balloons (about 1 foot in diameter) hold about 14 liters of helium
  • 45,300 liters of helium ÷ 14 liters per balloon = 3,235 balloons
Source: How Stuff Works Express

The More You Know: There is a sport called cluster ballooning that uses weather balloons that hold about 1,000 L of helium. You would only need 46 of those to lift a 100 lb person. Here is a video of a guy preparing and riding his balloon cluster:

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