What would happen if you were take a balloon

[imported_Draco]

Or blow one up while in space?
Then pop it?
Would it make a noise? Would it pop instantly, like on earth?

[Josh]

If the balloon was in space proper (as in "the vacuum of space") then there would be no sound. If you were in the ISS, for eg, where there is an environment then there would be a sound. And yes, it would explode instantly like on earth (it'd even explode faster actually in space)

[kashi]

Furthermore, it'd probably pop by itself in a vacuum.

[damienpaul]

Kashi, is this due to nothing constraining the molecules in the balloeon, so they expand to try to 'fill' the vacuum?

fill is a bad word here, but I could not think of a better one.

[kashi]

Aren't you a science teacher? :P

It's all about relative pressures I guess. The same reason why your lungs can explode when you rise rapidly from below sea level. It places a lot of stress on the balloon as there are lots of collisions of air particles with the surface from within, but none on the outside to counteract them.

[damienpaul]

Aren't you a science teacher?

:huh: <_< :angry: <_< off duty kashi, i do have down days too, okay?


I guess one could make analogies from this to the behaviour of substances particualrly water in different environments.

[imported_Draco]

Fast replies&#33; thanks people