Question

In a car slowing down, in which direction will a helium balloon move—toward the front or back?

a) Toward the front.
b) Toward the back.
c) No movement.
d) Circular motion.

Answer 1

A helium balloon inside a slowing car will move toward the front due to the inertia of the denser air inside the car moving forward.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a car is slowing down, a helium balloon inside the car will move toward the front. This phenomenon can be explained by understanding the concept of inertia. According to Newton's first law, an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. The helium balloon is buoyant and floats in the air inside the car.

When the car slows down, the air inside the car, which is more dense than helium, moves forward due to inertia. As a result, the lighter helium balloon gets pushed toward the back of the car's interior, which makes it move relative to the car toward the front.