Archimedes Experiment

[Joseph Abraham]

Hi, First of all i want to say sorry if my language is not good enough to explain because English is not my mother language

And sorry if I post this in a wrong sub-forum

 

So I have an assignment from my college about Physics, specifically Fluids

In a team of about 7-8 people We have to make a mini air balloon based on Archimedes principle..

And the minimum requirements are :

1.) Able to fly 0,5 meter above its initial position

2.) Fly about 1 minute

3.) Max Mass of the source of heat : 20 gram

 

The questions are :

 

1.) What material that if burnt or act as a heat source could produce great energy in a minimum mass ?

So the thing that is commonly used is candle, maybe tiny ones, but I think there are things greater than that..

 

And I hope the material or the thing is easy to find or build..

 

2.) The shape of the balloon could be anything; Sphere, Cylinder, Cube, etc.

What do you guys think the best shape that could make it efficient and effective to fly ? and why ? (that rhymes !

)

 

Also what do you think the material of the balloon should be ?

Plastic, Rubber, etc ?

 

Thanks

[chilled_fluorine]

Hi, First of all i want to say sorry if my language is not good enough to explain because English is not my mother language

And sorry if I post this in a wrong sub-forum

 

So I have an assignment from my college about Physics, specifically Fluids

In a team of about 7-8 people We have to make a mini air balloon based on Archimedes principle..

And the minimum requirements are :

1.) Able to fly 0,5 meter above its initial position

2.) Fly about 1 minute

3.) Max Mass of the source of heat : 20 gram

 

The questions are :

 

1.) What material that if burnt or act as a heat source could produce great energy in a minimum mass ?

So the thing that is commonly used is candle, maybe tiny ones, but I think there are things greater than that..

 

And I hope the material or the thing is easy to find or build..

 

2.) The shape of the balloon could be anything; Sphere, Cylinder, Cube, etc.

What do you guys think the best shape that could make it efficient and effective to fly ? and why ? (that rhymes !

)

 

Also what do you think the material of the balloon should be ?

Plastic, Rubber, etc ?

 

Thanks

20 grams of radium would be a perfect heat source. Other ideas are hydrogen, methanol, lithium, magnesium ribbon, or plain wax. Use a roughly dome shaped balloon. Use a really thin, grocery bag-like plastic. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Mini-Flyable-Hot-Air-Balloon-with-Candles

[Abhay.K]

20 grams of radium would be a perfect heat source. Other ideas are hydrogen, methanol, lithium, magnesium ribbon, or plain wax. Use a roughly dome shaped balloon. Use a really thin, grocery bag-like plastic. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Mini-Flyable-Hot-Air-Balloon-with-Candles

similarly I tried the way you told...............that is using thin plastic bags..and kept a candle below its opening

But actually the hot air from the candle literally deformed(melted) the thin plastic bag at the point right above the candle fire (though it is at a distance).( actually i used a big candle, didn't try using birthday candles or any thread)

Edited December 6, 2012 by Abhay.K

[LaurieAG]

If you can get something like aluminium foil or even paper it might not deform as much. Even a thin foil insert at the top might work with the plastic bag.