Air particles inside the balloon have some kinetic energy with which they are moving and occupying space. Temperature is less inside the fridge and it is directly related to kinetic energy. Lower temperature means lower kinetic energy. Hence, the molecules of air in the balloon will settle down or condense and occupy less space, thus, making the balloon shrink. Bring Science Home A chemistry challenge from Science Buddies Key concepts Chemistry States of matter Gases Energy Temperature Introduction Background Everything in the world around you is made up of matter, including an inflated balloon and what’s inside of it. Matter comes in four different forms, known as states, which go (generally) from lowest to highest energy. They are: solids, liquids, gases and plasmas. Gases, such as the air or helium inside a balloon, take the shape of the containers they’re in. They spread out so that the space is filled up evenly with gas molecules. The gas molecules are not connected. They move in a straight line until they bounce into another gas molecule or hit the container’s wall, and then they rebound and continue in another direction until they hit something else. The combined motion energy of all of the gas molecules in a container is called the average kinetic energy. This average kinetic (motional) energy changes in response to temperature. When gas molecules are warmed, their average kinetic energy also increases. This means they move faster and have more frequent and harder collisions inside of the balloon. When cooled, the kinetic energy of the gas molecules decreases, meaning they move more slowly and have less frequent and weaker collisions.Materials
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More to explore Looking for a Gas, from Rader’s Chem4Kids.com Gases around Us, from BBC Balloon Morphing: How Gases Contract and Expand, from Science Buddies Racing to Win That Checkered Flag: How Do Gases Help?, from Science Buddies This activity brought to you in partnership with Science Buddies Discover world-changing science. Explore our digital archive back to 1845, including articles by more than 150 Nobel Prize winners. Subscribe Now! |