Hot Air Balloon Research Questions
Posted by lbugenske on October 12, 2009
Research hot air balloons on the internet and answer the following questions in a Word or Pages document (you will be given instructions on how to turn this in later):
1. How does a hot air balloon work? What gas is inside the balloon? (This is different from the fuel that powers the burners.) How is it different from the air around the outside of the balloon?
2. Explain how a hot air balloon works in terms of the density.
3. How do you heat the air in a hot air balloon?
4. When the balloon is floating, how can you make the balloon go down?
5. Gather three pictures of hot air balloons. Notice the size and shape of the balloons. Notice how the balloon fabric is pieced together.
6. What are you trying to maximize (make big) and minimize (make small) when you design a hot air balloon?
