Q&A

Why does a balloon not pop on a bed of nails?

Why does a balloon not pop on a bed of nails?

One thumbtack can obviously pop a balloon with little force, but the bed of nails does not because the force is spread out among all of the thumbtacks so the pressure exerted by any individual thumbtack is not sufficient to pop the balloon.

Why does the balloon burst when poked with a single iron nail?

When you pop the first balloon with the nail, all of the pressure is concentrated on one point of the balloon so the balloon easily pops. Just like the balloon, when a person lies on a bed of nails, their body is evenly distributed across the surface of the nails.

Why does a balloon pop when you stick a pin in it?

The air in a balloon is at a higher pressure than its surroundings because the elastic tension of the balloon skin is pulling inwards. When you stick a pin in the side it creates a tiny hole. So the pinhole remains small and the air just leaks out slowly.

What happens when you press a balloon?

Gas particles exert pressure on the walls of the container in which the gas is filled. For example, when a balloon is inflated, the air inside it expands, thereby exerting pressure on the balloon walls. As a result, the size of the balloon increases.

Does lying on a bed of nails hurt?

It appears to the spectator that anyone lying on this “bed” would be injured by the nails, but this is not so. Assuming the nails are numerous enough, the weight is distributed among them so that the pressure exerted by each nail is not enough to puncture the person’s skin.

What happens when you press the balloon filled with air?

What happens if you put tape on a balloon?

If you place a piece of tape or a sticker on a balloon it reinforces the rubber and does not allow it to stretch to the breaking point when the pin pierces the balloon.

How does the bed of nails experiment work?

How Does It Work. When you pop the first balloon with the nail, all of the pressure is concentrated on one point of the balloon so the balloon easily pops. When you place the balloon on the bed of nails, the pressure points are spread all across the surface of the balloon.

Can you put a balloon on a bed of nails?

Placing a balloon on a bed of nails is pretty cool, but it isn’t a science fair project. You can create a science fair project by identifying a variable, or something that changes, in this experiment. Let’s take a look at some of the variable options that might work: Try spacing the nails differently.

How to make a balloon burst with nails?

Prepare a board beforehand in which you drive about 50 nails evenly through a board all within approximately 1/4 of inch of each other. Press a balloon gently on top of these nails to demonstrate how the balloon does not burst. Draw a line down the center of a poster. On one side draw a simple diagram of a single balloon with a nail under it.

How to demonstrate how a balloon does not burst?

Demonstrate the experiment. Blow up a balloon and poke it with one sharp nail. The result is that the balloon will burst. Prepare a board beforehand in which you drive about 50 nails evenly through a board all within approximately 1/4 of inch of each other. Press a balloon gently on top of these nails to demonstrate how the balloon does not burst.