Balloon Science: AAPT Digi Kit for High School Physics

Balloon Science: AAPT Digi Kit for High School Physics

This AAPT Digi Kit was inspired by a 2013 article in The Physics Teacher journal by high school science teacher Jack Blumenthal. As the author says, "The practical methodology of taking the uncertainty in each of the measurements and determining the uncertainty in final calculations is a skill that is often overlooked in high school." The lab can be easily set up in the high school classroom. Teachers can choose a simpler version where the ideal gas constant for dry air is used, or a more complex version in which the gas constant is corrected to account for relative humidity (the second method yields a more accurate calculation).

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In this interdisciplinary lab, students integrate chemistry and physics concepts by measuring the volume of helium gas in an irregularly-shaped Mylar balloon. It provides a simple way for students to investigate Archimedes' Principle and the Ideal Gas Law. Advanced classes can perform detailed uncertainty analysis and correct the gas constant to account for moisture in the air. At either level, the lab allows learners to calculate the volume of an irregular shape with uncertainty of <2%. A key takeaway is that scientists in real labs take care to do measurement and calculation within acceptable parameters of accuracy and precision.