Solve It Quick Before It Flies Away...
Heard of the 2 most abundant elements in the Universe? That's right, they are Hydrogen and Helium! So here's a question for you:
Which of these have a lower density, Hydrogen or Helium?
Note: Think! What are your balloons commonly filled with to make them fly for a longer period of time?
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1 solution
Hydrogen has a lower mass compared to Helium, so by the formula "Density = Mass/Volume", the answer is Hydrogen.
But people get confused, why is helium commonly used for balloons to fly?
The answer to that is because even though Hydrogen is less dense then Helium, Hydrogen is very reactive, and one of the elements hydrogen reacts strongly with is oxygen, which is in the air arounds us at a significant percentage (21%). Therefore, balloon makes tend to use helium rather than hydrogen.