How Many Balloons Can a Helium Tank Fill?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the number of balloons that can be filled using a helium tank with a volume of 0.100 m³ at a pressure of 150 atm. The balloons are spherical with a diameter of 0.300 m and are filled at an absolute pressure of 1.2 atm. The participants suggest using the ideal gas law in the form of PV = constant to simplify the calculation, rather than the more complex nRT formulation. The key takeaway is that the number of balloons can be determined by equating the pressures and volumes of the helium gas before and after filling the balloons.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the ideal gas law (PV = nRT)
  • Basic knowledge of pressure units (atm, Pa)
  • Familiarity with volume calculations for spheres
  • Concept of isothermal processes in gas behavior
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  • Calculate the volume of a single balloon using the formula for the volume of a sphere.
  • Research the implications of isothermal vs. adiabatic processes in gas expansion.
  • Explore the relationship between pressure, volume, and temperature in gas laws.
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Students in physics or engineering, hobbyists interested in gas laws, and professionals in industries utilizing helium for applications such as balloons or scientific experiments.

Erik Horwath
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A tank having a volume of .100 m^3 contains helium gas at 150 atm. How many ballons can the tank blow up if each filled balloon is a sphere of .300 m in diameter at an absolute pressure of 1.2 atm?

Here is what I have so far: Assuming no gas is lost to the atmosphere, n is constant. R is constant (8.314 J/mol K) by definition. The final volume of the gas must be a multiple of (4/3)pi(.3/2)^3. So

((150 atm)(1.013*10^5 Pa/atm)(.1 m^3))/T1=(x(4/3)(pi)(.15)^3(1.2))/T2

But this equation contains three variables x,T1,T2...please help...
 
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If you assume isothermal flow of molecules,then you only have "x" which you must round to the nearest integer.

Daniel.
 
Try using PV = a constant, rather than PV = nRT
 

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