Why do balloons shrink in the cold? Have you had this happen before?
#258STEMFacts #STEMinASL #Balloons #Molecules #Gas
ID & Transcript: Anthony is wearing a light grey shirt and brings a bunch of balloons outside. “Oh no, the balloons shrunk! They were full of air when I bought them at the store. Does this mean they didn’t fill them up enough?” Shiran is wearing a black shirt and a white lab coat, seated in front of yellow walls. “Why do balloons shrink in the cold? Because balloons are filled with air (commonly, helium), which is a form of gas, they are made of molecules. Imagine molecules as people… when you are cold, what would you do? Stay together and stay warm, right? Now, when you are hot, what would you do? You would want to have some space to cool off, right?! That is what molecules do. When the temperature of matter (balloon) increases, their molecules spread around and move fast. While the temperature decreases, the molecules would move more slowly and occupy less space. They would move close to each other, and the volume would be reduced, which causes the balloon to shrink.” Anthony brings the balloons inside and they look better, full of air. “Oh, now they have expanded. I understand now, thank you for explaining!”
