Balloon Experiment Lesson Plan

Why did the second experiment yield a different result? Compared to air, water is pretty good at absorbing heat energy. In other words, water is more conductive. When you held the flame up to the balloon the second time, the water inside the balloon absorbed the flame's thermal energy. In the first experiment, the heat had nowhere to go but into the balloon. Here, however, the heat moved through the balloon and into the water, thus lowering the intensity of the heat on the balloon's surface. The structural integrity of the balloon remained solid because the rubber did not get hot enough to burst. Elementary, my dear Watson!

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