shows an inflated balloon against several thumbtacks to illustrate that you can in fact place a balloon on these sharp objects without having it burst

 

Unbelievable as it may seem, it is, in fact, possible to push a balloon against many thumbtacks without it popping. Try and see for yourself!

Equipment

  • Balloons
  • Thumbtacks

Instructions

  1. Inflate a few balloons.
  2. Place one thumbtack on a table. What happens if you place a balloon on top of the thumbtack? How har do you have to push before it bursts?
  3. Now place 10 thumbtacks on the table.
  4. What happens when you place the balloon on top of the thumbtacks now? How hard du you have to push before it pops?

What happens?

When you push a balloon against a single thumbtack, the pressure against the tack becomes quite large, and the balloon pops. But when you have multiple thumbtacks, the pressure is distributed across a larger area. The pressure on each thumbtack isn’t large enough to cause the balloon to pop. Experiment with this phenomenon by placing an egg in your hand. Try to break the egg without using your thumb. You’ll see that the egg won’t break because the pressure is evenly distributed.

  Unbelievable as it may seem, it is, in fact, possible to push a balloon against many thumbtacks without it popping. Try and see for yourself! Equipment Balloons Thumbtacks Instructions Inflate a few balloons. Place one thumbtack on a table. What happens if you place a balloon on top of the thumbtack? How har do….Click to read more