You’re driving along in a car. You have a helium balloon floating around inside. As you brake for the traffic lights, which way does the balloon move?

up, its filled with helium innit.

dont tell me i’m wrong, i’ve seen the film ‘Up’

🙂

forwards?

Jaffa Cake, anyone?

jaffa cake isnt a direction!

idiot 🙄

Is there a vacuum, a conveyor or an antelope involved?

It moves forward relative to the car / driver, which is also moving forwards. As you brake, your forward velocity falls, as does the balloons; only, the balloon’s speed falls at a slower rate as the braking force is only being applied by (friction from the?) air pressure inside the car and is thus lower.

How did I do?

which way does the balloon move?

Relative to the road or the car? Are any windows or vents open?

jaffa cake isnt a direction!

No, it’s more of a philosophy.

Forwards til it hits the airbag, then backwards and probably left and up a bit.

They move slightly forward and then back like most objects in the car.

Bollocks why am I answering.

jaffa cake isnt a direction!

No, it’s more of a philosophy

A way of life, surely?

The balloon dosnt move at all, but as the car slows it’ll hit the windscreen
Maybe…..

is it wearing a seatbelt?

i can see the adverts now… “cougar knew his killer” *slow motion shot of balloon gently hitting the back of cougars headrest*

Relative to the road or the car? Are any windows or vents open?

Relative to the car, windows closed.

*snort*

Lots of images of small, sad-faced children with statically charged balloons stuck to their heads.

are you getting us to do your kids homework? Cheeky beggar.

are you getting us to do your kids homework?

Strangely enough, they haven’t set him anything like that in reception yet. Maybe after half term?

Good point Phil. If he crashes, the balloon could hit him with the force of an inflatable baby elephant.

i dont allow inflatables in my car for this very reason, unless they’re securely strapped down in the passenger seat. clunk click every trip!

it will stay in contact with the car roof at the same point?

phil/downshep combo
Good point Phil. If he crashes, the balloon could hit him with the force of an inflatable baby elephant

Fabulous ! 😀

depends on the car?

Which direction is the car moving relative to the spin of the planet?

Forwards I think.

Balloon is travelling along at the same speed as the car.
Car slows by applying friction to the road.
Balloon has no such friction so carries on forward with just air resistance to slow it down.

No?

(I was always crap at relative motion so this may be completely wrong)

barely any momentum + lots of air resistance = nowhere much ??

(brackets omitted for opacity)

Dont forget the expansion rate of the Universe is decreasing.

It travels at a constant speed and direction until an unbalanced force acts upon it

I think balloon backwards. G force applies but it is floating – so all the air goes to the front and the helium to the back

G force applies but it is floating – so all the air goes to the front and the helium to the back

That explains why everyone in the back of the car passes out whenever I brake 😀

Theres a budgie hovering in a cage in an aeroplane hold going along runway thats also happens to be a conveyor belt. The belt stops suddenly, the plane accelerates forward. What happens to the budgie?

Does he get accelerated backwards through the grates on the cage and become budgie slices (think craft cheese slices) or does he continue to hover in his cage?

the budgie slams into the back of seat 34B and kills cougar and the STW joke threads are never the same again 🙁

Why does the balloon go up normally and rest against the roof? gravity . In the car you are applying a G force horizontally – so the balloon floats to the back of the car when you brake as the effective g on the space inside the car is no longer vertical.

TandemJeremy – Member
I think balloon backwards. G force applies but it is floating – so all the air goes to the front and the helium to the back

Anoyingly I agree with TJ.

But can you please use the word acceleration rather than G-forces?

The air moves foreward relative to the car, so the lighter baloon moves towards the back.

I think balloon backwards. G force applies but it is floating – so all the air goes to the front and the helium to the back

Ah, interesting, I knew there’d be a catch.

the budgie slams into the back of seat 34B and kills cougar and the STW joke threads are never the same again

Whether this is a bad thing or a good thing may be a matter of some debate.

Can budgies hover as such? I thought that was more a hummingbirds territory?

Was the cage in first class? Or cattle?

Just experimented on our youngest, with tragic results……

The budgie can hover as he is holding onto a helium baloon thats also in the cage. A vital point i failed to mention.

Aaaaaaargh that has just messed with my head.

(googled the answer)

downshep, i applaud your efforts to try and maintain a ‘normal’ life for your daughter, but being a man its evident you’ve chosen an odd pair of earrings, yes they’re both ducks but if you look closely they’re from different pairs.