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Chapter 15: Problem 8

A helium-filled balloon stops rising long before it reaches the "top" of the atmosphere, but a cork released from the bottom of a lake rises all the way to the surface. Why the difference?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The helium balloon stops rising at a certain point in the atmosphere due to a decrease in air pressure, which minimizes the buoyant force, while the weight of the balloon remains unchanged. Conversely, a cork continues to rise from the bottom of the lake to the surface because the water's pressure does not decrease significantly with height, thus, maintaining a constant buoyant force.

Step by step solution

01

Understand buoyancy

Buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In this case, the fluid for the helium balloon is air and for the cork, it's water. When an object is less dense than the fluid it is in, it will rise.
02

Explain the helium balloon's behaviour

The helium inside the balloon is less dense than the surrounding air, hence the balloon rises due to buoyancy. However, as the balloon rises, the external air pressure decreases. This reduces the buoyant force, while the weight of the balloon remains constant. At a certain height, these forces balance causing the balloon to stop rising.
03

Explain the cork's behaviour

The cork released at the bottom of the lake is less dense than the water and will experience a buoyant force pushing it upward. Unlike air, the water's pressure does not decrease significantly with height therefore, the cork will continue to rise until it reaches the water surface where the densities of the water and the air differ significantly.

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