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Title of the Experience

Experiment with balloons

Name of the teacher

A.M.

Country where it took place

Romania

School typology

High Secondary School

Thematic Area

Chemistry

Experience typology

Laboratory

Type of contact

Direct

Description of the Experience

As I have already said experiments appeal to students because they are accessible and intriguing and because students are involved in carrying them out. They are not passive; they feel responsible for what they are doing. They know that if they follow the instructions correctly they will witness something interesting happen. Experiments are fun, raise a lot of questions, help students find answers and make science accessible. An experiment I did with younger students is the one with the balloons. We all know balloons are fragile and must be kept away from sharp objects and from flames. A fire can weaken the rubber and cause it to burst. However, in the following experiment students found out how they could hold a balloon directly in a flame without breaking the balloon. What they needed: two round balloons, not inflated, several matches and water. They inflated one of the balloons and tied it closed. Then I asked them to put water in the other balloon, and then to inflate it and tie it. When they lit a match under the first balloon and the flame touched the balloon, the balloon broke.
This did not happen with the balloon with water. Why? Because the water absorbed most of the heat from the flame. Therefore, the rubber of the balloon does not become very hot and it does not break. . Water is a particularly good absorber of heat. It takes a lot of heat to change the temperature of water, compared to other materials. This is why it takes a long time boil water in a kettle. On the other hand, when water cools, it releases a great deal of heat. This is why places near seas are not as cold in winter as other inland areas situated at the same latitude.

Comments on this Teachers Experience

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Date: 2014.10.16

Posted by Nevenka Kostova (Bulgaria)

Chemistry is one of sciences, which offers many interesting experiments that grab students and provide opportunity for informal discussions outside the classroom. This practice is an example. It can even be used in biology classes in clarifying the constancy of the body temperature of homo-thermal animals in increasing ambient temperature. The water absorbs heat without changing its temperature, within certain limits of course, due to the fact that it forms a plurality of hydrogen bonds, and the energy of the increased temperature of the medium is used for the tearing of these bonds. The experience with both balloons is an excellent example for both young and elder students. I would gladly use this practice in the appropriate educational content.

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