Question

A helium weather balloon is filled in Monterey, California, on a day when the atmospheric pressure is 101,000 Pa and the temperature is 38°C. Its volume under these conditions is 1.7 E 4 L. Upon being released, it rises to an altitude where the temperature is -12°C, and its volume increases to 5.7 E 4 L.

A. Assuming that the internal pressure of the balloon equals the atmospheric pressure, what is the pressure at this altitude?

B. In 1958, a balloon with a volume on the ground of 114,000 L at 101 kPa and 38°C reached an altitude of 101,500 ft, or 30.85 km (roughly 19 miles), the height at which the temperature is about –57°C. If the balloon rises to a height where the temperature is –57°C and the pressure is 2.77 kPa, what will its volume be?

Answer 1