Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A weather balloon is filled with helium at . It holds at . It rises to a height where the pressure is and the temperature is . The helium does not leak. Treat it as an ideal gas. (a) Find the volume of the balloon at that height. (b) Find the amount of helium. (c) Find the mass of helium, with .
with in kelvin and chosen to match the units of and : , or . For a fixed amount of gas, . The molar mass is .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. , , , , .
Step 1. The new volume. We want , so .
Step 2. The amount of gas. We use the ground values, with .
Step 3. The mass. .
Check. The top values give the same amount: . The volume doubled because the pressure fell to of its value, while the cooling made the gas shrink to of its volume: .
Answer: , and .
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