Research Paper
Invention of the Hot Air Balloon
About 200 years ago, the Montogolfier brothers who lived in
France noticed that smoke and steam move upward. They thought
that if they could trap some hot air in a large balloon it
should be able to fly.
In September 1783 the brothers made a huge balloon out
of very light material and carefully started a fire underneath
it. No one had ever flown before, so the first passengers of
the hot air balloon were a sheep, a chicken, and a duck. The
first flight was a great success except that the sheep stepped
on the chicken!
Scientific Uses of Balloons
Although balloons are not often used to transport people,
they still have many uses. Meteorologists use balloons to
carry their instruments up into the atmosphere. These
instruments measure air pressure, humidity, and temperature
and send the measurements back to the ground by radio
transmitter. By tracking the balloons movements,
meteorologists can also measure wind direction, and speed.
These balloons are designed to go above 30,000 meters
and are usually filled with a gas such as helium. As
the balloon travels up in the atmosphere, the gas inside
expands, and eventually the balloon burst. A parachute
allows the weather instruments to land safely.
Project Abstract
Purpose
Hypothesis
Apparatus
Method
Observations
Conclusions
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