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How many helium balloons does it take to lift a 5 stone person

By bethyboop Asked Jun 16 2008 6:22AM
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Top Answer out of 4

by bingobongo - is really losing interes... on Jun 16, 2008 at 6:35 am Permalink

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1 stone = 14lbs

5 stone = 70 pounds.

80 balloons lifts 1 lb

5600 balloons needed!


http://kwc.org/.../...ong_balls_an.html
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Avatar Carwash Jun, 16 2008 at 06:49 AM
Nice, I didn't know mythbusters had done this.

Answer 2 out of 4

by - Sweet T -- Some Like It Hot FBB on Jun 16, 2008 at 6:24 am Permalink

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Okay, I am not fully awake, what is a 5 stone person???
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Avatar - Sweet T -- Some Like It Hot FBB Jun, 16 2008 at 07:12 AM
Let's say that instead of going to the amusement park, you go to an army surplus store and buy one 3-meter (about 10-foot) balloon. It can hold:
4/3 x pi x 150 x 150 x 150 = 14,137,000 cubic centimeters = 14,137 liters
It would only take four of those to give you the same lift.
One balloon that is 30 meters (about 100 feet) in diameter displaces 14,137,000 liters, so it can lift 14,000 kilograms (about 31,000 pounds) -- this is roughly the size of a large blimp.
Avatar a 10sEn is the AB Ninja Lounge bartender Jun, 16 2008 at 07:14 AM
I take it this means you've had your second cup of coffee already? :D
Avatar - Sweet T -- Some Like It Hot FBB Jun, 16 2008 at 07:18 AM
The effects hit me fast, LOL.

Answer 3 out of 4

by Carwash on Jun 16, 2008 at 6:47 am Permalink

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A few years ago, some friends and I went out to a Christmas dinner at a restaurant. The restaurant had a high ceiling, and over the course of the meal, we found out that it takes 23 helium filled balloons to lift a half-full salt cellar to the ceiling fan. We weren't allowed back in the restaurant.

However! With new fangled maths, we can work this out. Helium provides about 9.8 newtons of lift per cubic meter, at sea level and room temperature. That's enough to lift 1kg. So let's assume, to make the calculations easier, that we remain at sea level and room temperature.

5 stone is 31.75 kg, so we need over 31.75 cubic meters of helium. Let's say 31.8 cubic meters.

Now, according to a party supply website I found, big party balloons are 12" across. They're not a uniform shape, but to make the maths easier, let's assume they are - we'll end up with a rough figure. 12" is 0.3048 meters, so the radius is 0.1524m. The volume of a sphere is 4/3 * pi * r cubed, so the volume is 0.014827 metres cubed.

So we want 31.8 m3, and a balloon gives 0.014827 m3. The number of balloons in 31.8 would be 31.8/0.014827, which is about 2212.

Since we've approximated lift, ignored the mass of the balloon's material, and approximated its volume, there's likely to be a large variation in the answer, and indeed an easier job using larger balloons, but 2200 is a good ballpark figure to start a project with.
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Answer 4 out of 4

by Piggle on Jun 16, 2008 at 6:26 am Permalink

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How many balloons do I have - how big are they and what is their capacity for helium? It might just need one very big one.....I guess the real question is how much helium does it take to life a five stone weight....unfortunately I don't know the answer to that one ;0)
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