Guiding Question: If Felix Baumgartner used a regular helium balloon to lift up to space in the Red Bull Stratos capsule, how many balloons would he need? Materials: card stockHelium balloontape paper clipdigital weighing scale Procedure: 1. Attach the card stock to the ribbon of a helium balloon using a paper clip (and tape if required). 2. Balloon must fall to the ground when released; if it doesn’t, attach a second piece of card stock. 3. Begin cutting small pieces of the card stock until the balloon hovers in place with no parts touching the ground. a. The balloon might move sideways, but it shouldn’t move up or down. b. If accidentally excess card stock gets cut out, add mass by attaching tiny pieces of tape to the still hanging card stock. 4. After the balloon hovers in place for about 5–10 seconds, measure and record the mass of the load hanging from the balloon — this includes the paper clip, card stock, and any tape used — using the digital scale. Data: Mass of the load hanging from the balloon in equilibrium position ___ grams
Analysis: To determine how many regular helium balloons Felix Baumgartner would need to lift up to space in the Red Bull Stratos capsule, we need to calculate the weight of the load in the Red Bull Stratos capsule, as well as the lifting capacity of a single helium balloon.
1. Convert the mass of the load in grams to kilograms (1 gram = 0.001 kilograms).
2. Multiply the mass of the load in kilograms by the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s^2) to determine the weight of the load in Newtons.
3. Use the lifting capacity of a regular helium balloon, which is typically around 14 grams. Convert this to kilograms (1 gram = 0.001 kilograms) and then multiply by the acceleration due to gravity to determine the lifting force of a single helium balloon in Newtons.
4. Divide the weight of the load by the lifting force of a single helium balloon to determine how many balloons Felix Baumgartner would need.
Remember to show all calculations and units in your final answer.