Question

While the balloon is still accelerating, the pilot controls the balloon by pouring some sand from the bags. Explain how this affects the upward acceleration of the balloon.

a) The upward acceleration increases due to the additional weight of the sand.
b) The upward acceleration decreases as the sand is released.
c) The upward acceleration remains unchanged as sand is not a significant factor.
d) The upward acceleration becomes erratic and unpredictable.

Answer 1

The upward acceleration of the balloon decreases as the pilot pours sand from the bags.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is b) The upward acceleration decreases as the sand is released.

When the pilot of a hot air balloon pours sand from the bags while the balloon is still accelerating, the overall weight of the balloon decreases. This reduction in weight leads to a decrease in the upward force exerted by the buoyant force, which in turn decreases the upward acceleration of the balloon. As a result, the balloon's rate of ascent slows down.

The sand pouring out of the bags does not have a significant effect on the overall upward acceleration of the balloon.