>> ^dag:

I wonder what the absolute top altitude of a weather baloon is? I guess at some point, the helium is heavier than the surrounding near vacuum. It would be helpful if there was something - other than a rocket that carries all its reaction mass with it - that could reach space.


they do, the balloons pop. Pop goes the weasel.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I wonder what the absolute top altitude of a weather baloon is? I guess at some point, the helium is heavier than the surrounding near vacuum. It would be helpful if there was something - other than a rocket that carries all its reaction mass with it - that could reach space.

Anyone know how the penguins are able to fly? My guess is they are filled with a lighter than air gas, perhaps helium.

>> ^volumptuous:
This video is a lie.
I've done Nitrous hundreds of times (even have a $85 personal dispenser) and it definitely does not work that way.
Also, it effects your voice opposite of what helium does - makes it drop about 1 or 2 octaves. None of their laughs seem to be effected by the gas whatsoever. This is something you have no control over. If you inhale the gas, your voice drops.
Last, inhaling/exhaling the way they are doing would be sure to make them seriously dizzy, probably fall over, and maybe even pass out. But again, noone seems to be that effected by it. So, again, I call lie.


Not necessarily if they're nose breathing at the same time. They're obviously not toking on x-times-exhaled air for 30 seconds, so i assume that is a given. Try getting an inflated balloon and breathing in and out (with your nose blocked) 20-30 times, you'd be surprised how hard it is. I'm 99% certain these guys are substituting fresh air with their noses to go with the balloon gas (whatever it is) which they are trying to get the effects of.

This also effects your first statement - if they are breathing in/out to get themselves 'nitro-genated' (like oxygenated but with nitrous, get it?), getting it into their system as best they can - like divers do - breath in and out deeply many times before taking a large breath to get their blood oxygenated due to it soon being highly de-oxygenated, then their lungs wouldn't be full of gas and hence their voices would, at least from a physics point of view, not be affected. The change in octave of taking in certain gases is caused because of the different properties of the gas passing over your vocal chords. Air passing over our vocal chords sound normal to us, heavier gases sound deeper, lighter gases sound higher. So unless the nitrous affects the inner workings of the body such that the vocal chords are slack/tight, the pitch may be unaffected or mostly so.

As for the laughing, i know nothing. I was skeptical of the first guy's stupid laugh. Seemed extremely fake to me, but the other 2 didn't seem that way.

This video is a lie.

I've done Nitrous hundreds of times (even have a $85 personal dispenser) and it definitely does not work that way.

Also, it effects your voice opposite of what helium does - makes it drop about 1 or 2 octaves. None of their laughs seem to be effected by the gas whatsoever. This is something you have no control over. If you inhale the gas, your voice drops.

Last, inhaling/exhaling the way they are doing would be sure to make them seriously dizzy, probably fall over, and maybe even pass out. But again, noone seems to be that effected by it. So, again, I call lie.

You know what would have won the humour? If there was a way to mix Nitrous oxide with Helium.

might've been easier just to attach a couple thousand helium balloons to the steeple.

>> ^RhesusMonk:
Question regarding fusion: If the binding energies of the two hydrogen isotopes equal 10 MeV, and the binding energy of helium is 28 MeV, wouldn't the fusion require the input of 18 MeV? I don't understand. Doesn't the helium require more energy to hold together than the hydrogen isotopes had to begin with? And, even if the nucleons do just come together, how is there surplus energy if less energy went into the reaction than exists in the product?


Ok, it's a long time since i even looked at physics, but i'm gonna study astrophysics next year so i better make at least an attempt

The electromagnetic force repels the nucleons from each other. The nuclear force attracts them to each other. You have to force the two together. That requires you to overcome the electromagnetic force. So you only need enough energy to do this, and the energy required to do this is usually LESS than the energy that is released for atoms 'below' iron.

The energy basically comes from a conversion of mass to energy. The mass of the combined atoms is not quite equal to the mass of the parts that you combine. Mass is lost, and it manifests as energy. (because e=mc^2, or in other words, energy and mass are 'interchangeable' - you cannot just 'lose' mass)

Question regarding fusion: If the binding energies of the two hydrogen isotopes equal 10 MeV, and the binding energy of helium is 28 MeV, wouldn't the fusion require the input of 18 MeV? I don't understand. Doesn't the helium require more energy to hold together than the hydrogen isotopes had to begin with? And, even if the nucleons do just come together, how is there surplus energy if less energy went into the reaction than exists in the product?

Mythbusters tried to raise a little girl with balloons and it took more volume of helium to do it than that by allot... couldn't they just do the math and see there's no kid raised by a balloon this small? US media suuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks!

Orwell's vision is coming true. How else can you explain why stating the completely obvious is considered "controversial"? Next on Fox News: "the Sun: the liberal media says it is a burning ball of hydrogen and helium. What do they have against gods who ride across the sky in glowing chariots?"

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and now, PJ on helium

Thanks, I'll check it out. Read some stuff about it, it's bizarre. Hope this sheds some light on it.

In reply to this comment by mauz15:
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