This week Greg has had to pop out, so ‘the Professor’ (definitely not Greg in a lab coat!) will be filling in for him. He’s not often let in front of the camera, so you can be sure that he’s very excited! He is here to show you some brilliant experiments that you can perform with balloons, so hold on to your hats!

Balloon and Pins… Together?

His first experiment involves drawing pins, which are not usually regarded as a balloon’s best friend. Here the Professor will show you how to put a balloon on top of some pins while keeping it intact; this is, in his words, ‘pure science’ that will amaze your friends and colleagues!

First things first: Think health, think safety! The professor is wearing his safety glasses and some protective gloves, perhaps a little excessive for drawing pins but remember that they are sharp! Now, he takes an air-inflated latex balloon and places it on top of the pins. He can now bounce the balloon up and down without damaging it at all. Amazing! This is because the pins are essentially ‘spreading the load’; the same principle applies to a person lying on a bed of nails, where the nails will not go through them. To prove that his balloon is real, the Professor pops it with a single pin. Fascinating stuff, and there’s more to come!

A Burnt Balloon

Glasses on again, and on with experiment number two! This one involves mixing balloons and candles, another match not exactly made in heaven. Of course, a balloon will normally burst when exposed to the flame of a candle. The Professor demonstrates this with a balloon he partially inflated earlier, and the flame burns right through the latex. Next up, he uses a balloon that he filled with water ahead of time. This time, the balloon stays right in the flame, and comes away with only a small burn mark! The Professor thinks this is because the energy of the flame has been absorbed by the water inside the balloon. When the balloon was air-filled, the latex itself absorbed all of the energy, causing it to burst. And there you have another piece of amazing balloon science!

A Balloon Kebab?

Wooden skewers are also high up on the list of balloon enemies, but- you guessed it- we’re using them here today! The third and final experiment uses the unlikely combination of balloons, skewers and washing up liquid. Once again: Think health, think safety! The Professor puts his glasses on once more and coats a skewer in the liquid. Next he pierces the balloon near the neck, where the latex is thicker, and the balloon does not burst! The next part needs some precision, but no experiment is too much for the Professor! He aims for the dark spot at the top of the balloon, where the latex is also thicker. He guides the skewer towards this spot and, well, skewers it. Ta-da! A completely inflated balloon with a sharp point running through it! This is because there is less tension in the points that the skewer went through. A fully inflated balloon contains a lot of tension, which makes it more likely to burst when something is introduced to the tension. Incredible!

That’s it for the Professor’s experiments, he’d better get the Fairy Liquid back to the office as the dirty dishes are starting to pile up!

Greg’s Back!

Greg apologises for his absence, but he hopes that you enjoyed the Professor’s fantastic balloon experiments! He’s here just in time to ask the question of the week: What’s the most interesting experiment you have ever done? Please leave a comment below to let us know! That’s it for this week, bye!

James

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