Question

If we lower the number of air particles surrounding the barely inflated balloon as we activate the vacuum pump,

Then the particles of air in the balloon will:

Answer 1

If you lower the number of air particles surrounding a barely inflated balloon by activating a vacuum pump, the particles of air inside the balloon will start to expand.

This happens because of the difference in air pressure. When the air pressure outside the balloon is reduced by the vacuum pump, the higher pressure inside the balloon pushes against the balloon's walls, causing it to expand.

This is based on the principle of equilibrium in physics, where systems naturally move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure until equilibrium is reached. So, in this case, the air inside the balloon is trying to equalize with the lower pressure outside by expanding.

Remember, though, if the pressure difference becomes too great, the balloon can burst. So, always be careful when conducting experiments involving pressure changes

Answer 2

When the number of air particles surrounding an inflated balloon is reduced by a vacuum pump, the air inside the balloon expands, leading to a decrease in the average kinetic energy of the gas particles, thus making the balloon colder.

Step-by-step explanation:

If we lower the number of air particles surrounding the barely inflated balloon by activating a vacuum pump, then the particles of air in the balloon will expand due to the reduced external air pressure. According to the principles of thermodynamics, this expansion results in cooling because the molecules do work as they expand, which requires energy. This energy is taken from the internal energy of the gas, thereby reducing the average kinetic energy of the gas particles and making the balloon colder, as demonstrated when a gas is allowed to expand freely without doing external work (Joule-Thomson effect).

The phenomenon can be observed when a compressed canister of air is allowed to expand into a room at lower pressure; you would notice that the nozzle of the canister becomes cold as the air particles take energy away from their surroundings. This illustrates that the principle governing the behavior of air particles inside a balloon in a vacuum environment is closely related to the decrease in temperature due to the expansion of the gas.