Miniature Hot Air Balloons and Archimedes's Principle of Buoyancy

934 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on concept of buoyancy

The history of hot air balloons starts in the Asia. Literary references in China date back to 180ce and cite Chu Ko Liang as the inventor of lighter than air flight (1). Early unmanned balloons were used in China as military signaling lanterns (2). Today ethnic Chinese communities celebrate the end of the Lunar New Year Holidays (3) by launching small hot air balloons ( known as Kung-Ming Lanterns ).

The first recorded mathematical description of buoyancy (and thus hot air balloon behavior) was developed by Archimedes over 2000 years ago in Greece (4). The bouncy force is summarized by Archimedes's principle , “the magnitude of the buoyant force is always equal the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.” (5)

The use of hot air balloons as vehicles for human transportation was developed by Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier (6). The first manned flight of a hot air balloon occurred on November 21, 1783 . The flight lasted less than a half hour and spanned a total distance of 7 miles (7) .

Hot air balloons float in the atmosphere for the same reason beach-balls float in the water. Objects float because they weigh less that the buoyancy force exerted on them by the liquid they are immersed in.

It is easiest to understand the buoyancy force as it is applied to water and beach-balls, then apply it to the atmosphere and balloons. Imagine a tank of water. In the tank there is a submerged beach-ball filled with water. The water filled beach-ball will not move in the tank because the forces around it are in equilibrium, all forces are balanced. Because the water filled beach-ball is in equilibrium the downward force of its weight (force due to gravity) must be in balance with some upward force (force due to the liquid surroun...

... middle of paper ...

... 2. Taiwan Headlines, Lanterns Lift Prayers for Peace, Prosperity. http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/20040205/20040203f2.html , 2004

3. Government Information Office: Republic of China, Holidays and Festivals in Taiwan, Pinghsi Sky Lanterns, http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/festival_c/glue_e/taipei1.htm 2002

4. How Stuff Works, http://travel.howstuffworks.com/hot-air-balloon7.htm , 2005

5. Serway, R.A., Jewett, J.W. Jr., Physics for Scientists and Engineers: 6th edition , Brooks/Cole-Thomson Learning, 2004

6. Answers.com, Hot-air Balloon http://www.answers.com/topic/hot-air-balloon-vehicle , 2005

7. Spartacus: Virtual School, History of Aviation, http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/AVrozier.htm

8. http://www.overflite.com/history.html , 2005

9. Measure Converter, http://www.allmeasures.com/Formulae/static/materials/82/density.htm , 2005

Show More
Related

  • Float Or Float Lab Report

    515 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sink or Float Introduction: I am doing this experiment to find the density of aluminum foil to see if it floats or sinks when placed in water. I hope to find out how the density of aluminum foil changes when weight is added to the foil. I hypothesize that the boat will hold 20 pennies before sinking. You will need to get: Aluminum foil Pennies Water And a big container or tub for your boat to float in. Procedure: 1.

    Read More

  • Airplanes's Impact On American Culture

    1243 Words  | 3 Pages

    Planes have developed immensely through the years. The Wright brothers developed the first plane in 1903.

    Read More

  • Hindenburg

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over 60 years ago, airships were the "queens of the skies." In the early 1900s, a stubborn, yet brilliant German count, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, took keen interest in balloon flights and was devoted to the design and construction of airships. At first, he had many difficulties and setbacks but soon his airships were able to accommodate passengers as well. This lighter-than-air vehicle will later be known as a zeppelin.

    Read More

  • The Zeppelins

    430 Words  | 1 Pages

    First invented in Manzell, a small town in Southern Germany by Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin (The Giant Airships, 1). The Zeppelin was made of duralumin internal frames. The first of the great airships to fly was the LZ1 which was flown from its floating hanger on Lake Constance on July 2, 1900 (historical note, 1)

    Read More

  • Ground Effect

    460 Words  | 1 Pages

    This effect is not really caused by a cushion of air at all, rather, by vortices of air off the tips of the wings.

    Read More

  • Essay About Chinese New Year

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Chinese New Year is the most significant holiday for the Chinese people, as it is a time for honoring ancestors and reuniting family members together. The Chinese New Year originated centuries ago from the fear of the great beast Nián (年).This terrible monster resembled a huge ox with the head of a lion. Every year, on New Year’s Eve, this creature would come out and devour the terrified Chinese villagers. Numerous homes and animals were destroyed. Eventually, a wise old man counseled the villagers and instructed them on how to get rid of the horrible Nián. He told the people to hang red paper cutouts on their doors because the monster was scared of the color red. Also, the man advised the villagers to light torches and firecrackers, as Nián was frightened of fire and loud noises. The Chinese followed the wise man’s directions and finally conquered the great beast. After Nián’s defeat, the Chinese called this date “the passing of Nián”, known as Guònián (过年). This symbolizes the celebration of the coming New Year. In addition, in keeping the monster away for a year, the Chinese say Gōngxǐ fācái (恭喜发财), which means “congratulations” This represents congratulating each other for making it safely to another New Year.

    Read More

  • How Does Air Pressure Affect The Bounce Height Of A Ball?

    1768 Words  | 4 Pages

    To investigate the relationship between the air pressure in a ball and the bounce height of that ball where the drop height (gravitational potential energy), temperature and location are kept constant.

    Read More

  • Inventions of the 1920s

    508 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Airplane was first invented in 1903; it amazed everyone but never really took off because of how dangerous it still was. They used planes in WWI but they threw them aside. After WWI (around mid 1920’s) the Federal Government had the idea of airmail. This was readily accepted; instead of receiving mail in two weeks it would only take a couple of days. Soon after this, transporting people quickly caught on although only the upper-class people could afford it, it soon became accessible to almost everyone. (Inventions: Airplane)

    Read More

  • Physics of Hang Gliding

    1842 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hang gliders have been around since the the 1800's, though the concepts of flight were not fully understood then, and very few, if any successful flights were made. They began to be practically used around the 1950's as a branch off of American aerospace research. These first designs were known as parawings, and were developed by Francis and Gertrude Rogallo. Early gliders had wooden or bamboo frames and polythene sails, which is primitive when compared to the new materials used in today's gliders, which will be discussed in further detail later. These gliders intrigued people then just as they do today because the concept of free flight is often an exciting idea. Nearly everyone (except those with an intense fear of heights) have dreamed at one time or another of being able to soar above the earth. Hang gliding is about the closest we can come to free flight, no motor or source of thrust involved, only you and the open sky.

    Read More

  • The Physics of Flight

    1566 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kirkpatrick, Larry, and Gerald F. Wheeler. Physics: A World View. 4th ed. Orlando: Harcourt College Publishers, 2001.

    Read More

  • Aerodynamics of Planes

    1627 Words  | 4 Pages

    The history of flying dates back as early as the fifteenth century. A Renaissance man named Leonardo da Vinci introduced a flying machine known as the ornithopter. Da Vinci proposed the idea of a machine that had bird like flying capabilities. Today no ornithopters exist due to the restrictions of humans, and that the ornithopters just aren’t practical. During the eighteenth century a philosopher named Sir George Cayley had practical ideas of modern aircraft. Cayley never really designed any workable aircraft, but had many incredible ideas such as lift, thrust, and rigid wings to provide for lift. In the late nineteenth century the progress of aircraft picks up. Several designers such as Henson and Langley, both paved the way for the early 1900’s aircraft design. Two of the most important people in history of flight were the Wright Brothers. The Wright Brothers were given the nickname the “fathers of the heavier than air flying machine” for their numerous flights at their estate in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville and Wilbur Wright created a motor-powered biplane in which they established incredible feats of the time. The Wright Brothers perfected their design of the heavier than air flying ma...

    Read More

  • Physics of Swimming

    1869 Words  | 4 Pages

    1 David Halliday, Robert Resnick, and Jearl Walker, Fundamentals of Physics, Extended, 5th ed. (NewYork:Wiley, 1997) 361

    Read More

  • The Cultural and Religious Aspects of China

    1425 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sometimes we forget that China is similar in size to Europe, therefore customs vary tremendously depending on the region. Due to the fact that China has one of the oldest cultures in existence, the traditions keep growing over time.

    Read More

  • Nuclear Fusion

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    2) Fundamentals of Physics Extended: Fifth Edition. David Hanley, Robert Resnick, Jearl Walker. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New York, Chichester, Brisbane, Toronto, Singapore. 1997.

    Read More

  • Air Pressure

    445 Words  | 1 Pages

    Air is composed of molecules. Air is matter. It has mass and takes up space. Air is composed of different gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases. Air molecules are in constant motion. As they move, they come in contact with surfaces. Air molecules push and press on the surfaces they contact. The amount of force per unit area that air molecules exert on a surface is called air pressure. (What is Air Pressure 6) Air pressure is caused by all of the air molecules in the Earth's atmosphere pressing down on the Earth's surfaces. We can measure air pressure to help us predict weather conditions around the world. Temperature also affects air pressure because air contracts when it cools and expands when it is heated. So if air above a region of Earth cools, it does not extend to as high an altitude as the surrounding air. In this case, its pressure at higher temperature is lower than in the surroundings even when the pressure at the surface is the same as in surrounding areas. Then air flows into the cooler region at high altitude, making the total weight of air above the region greater than in the surroundings. This is a "high". The cool air descends to the earth's surface. Near the surface, the falling air spreads out,

    Read More

More about Miniature Hot Air Balloons and Archimedes's Principle of Buoyancy

Open Document