• Question: HOW HOT DOES AIR IN A HOT AIR BALLON HAVE TO BE TO RISE

    Asked by helenj to Jen, Jill, Mel, Phil, Stef on 15 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Jennifer Paxton

      Jennifer Paxton answered on 15 Mar 2013:

      I didn’t know this, but it was so interested I looked it up.

      The air in a hot air balloon is heated to 100 degrees centigrade. It works because the hot air is less dense than the cold air around it and so it starts to rise. Apparently a cubic foot of hot air will lift 7 grams – only about the weight of a 10p piece, which is why hot air balloons need to be massive!

      Pretty cool, eh?

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