Balloon Balance

While we were out wandering around, Froggy decreed that she knew the perfect experiment for us to do at home.  My interest captivated I encouraged her to explain.  It took a few iterations for me to understand what she was requesting.  She said we need to make "a balloon seesaw" which turns out to mean that she wanted to compare balloons that were blown up to different extents.  Her hypothesis was that the balloon with the most air would weigh the most. 

Luckily I had everything we needed including a brand new balance I had been waiting for just the right moment to pull out.

We first weighed two empty balloons to ensure they were all the same.

Then we blew one up just a little and weighed it.  There was only the tiniest bit of movement in the balance but it was enough to see.

Next we blew a balloon most of the way.  But we could not put it on the balance. It took lots of investigating and problem solving but we finally devised a way to weigh it without messing up the results. 

Her hypothesis was right ofcourse but proving it was a fun learning experience.