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A large balloon of mass 226 kg is filled with helium gas until its volume is 325m³ . Assume the density of air is 1.29kg/m³ and the density of helium is 0.179kg/m³.

(a) Draw a force diagram for the balloon.

User JaminB
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Final answer:

A force diagram for a helium balloon would include two main vectors: the weight of the balloon pointing downwards and the buoyant force pointing upwards. The weight is calculated by the mass of the balloon times the acceleration due to gravity. The buoyant force is the product of the balloon's volume, the density of the air, and the acceleration due to gravity.

Step-by-step explanation:

Force Diagram for a Helium Balloon

To draw a force diagram for a helium balloon, we need to consider two main forces: the force of gravity pulling the balloon downwards and the buoyant force pushing it upwards. The force of gravity, also known as weight (W), is calculated using the mass of the balloon (226 kg) and the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s²). The buoyant force is the result of the balloon displacing the surrounding air; it can be calculated by multiplying the volume of the balloon (325m³) with the density of the air (1.29kg/m³) and the acceleration due to gravity. The buoyant force must be greater than the weight for the balloon to rise.

The force diagram would show the weight vector pointing downwards, labelled with the weight of the balloon, and the buoyant force vector pointing upwards, labelled with the value calculated as described above. There would also be a smaller vector representing the weight of the helium inside the balloon, calculated by multiplying the density of helium (0.179kg/m³) with the volume of the balloon and the acceleration due to gravity. This vector also points downward but is smaller than the weight of the balloon since helium is lighter than air.

User TamusJRoyce
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