The GoodYear blimp is kept aloft by helium gas which fills a volume of 4559m^3. It can carry a maximum load of 1176kg. How much more mass could the blimp carry if it were filled with hydrogen? Take the density of helium gas to be 0.160kg/m^3 and that of hydrogen to be 0.081kg/m^3
The mass saved by using H2 could be put into cargo, so just figure the difference in mass between He and H2 for the volume involved:
4559(.160-.081) = 360kg
so, it could lift 1176+360 = 1536 kg
To determine how much more mass the blimp could carry if it were filled with hydrogen instead of helium, we first need to calculate the total weight of the blimp when it is filled with helium.
The weight of the blimp when filled with helium can be calculated by multiplying the volume of the blimp by the density of helium gas:
Weight of helium = Volume of blimp × Density of helium
Weight of helium = 4559 m^3 × 0.160 kg/m^3
Weight of helium = 729.44 kg
Now, we can calculate the weight difference between helium and hydrogen when filling the same volume. We subtract the weight of the helium from the maximum load capacity of the blimp.
Weight difference = Maximum load - Weight of helium
Weight difference = 1176 kg - 729.44 kg
Weight difference = 446.56 kg
Therefore, if the blimp were filled with hydrogen instead of helium, it could carry an additional mass of 446.56 kg.