Why do hot air balloons float

To keep floating, the pilot continues to fire the burners to keep the air inside the balloon hot. Join Tigtag today to view this video Explore thousands of award-winning elementary resources. Start free trial or subscribe Already a subscriber? Why do hot air balloons float? Time: Share. Explore more resources. Transcript Why do hot air balloons float? This is what a hot air balloon looks like before it flies. It's a flat bag that lies on the ground. As the air inside it is heated, its density decreases to the point where it has so much buoyant force lifting up on it that it can lift not only the balloon but the basket and passengers as well.

All rights reserved. Tags: Chemistry , Density , Physics. Body styles. With all kinds of mesmerizing designs and colors for hot air balloons, you're likely not thinking too much about air density and other weather-related elements.

However, tracking air density can help you have a successful launch, ride, and landing of a hot air balloon!

This is the density of air, which is the mass per unit of volume of Earth's atmosphere. It decreases with increasing altitude and changes depending on the temperature and humidity. Hot air balloons use hot air to create buoyancy, which results in allowing the balloon to float and carry passengers riding in the basket. The hot air inside of the balloon is less dense than the surrounding air. Turning the burner on and off allows the balloon to ascend and descend with respect to the surrounding air density.

Air density can be calculated using the ideal gas law, which is expressed in the following way :.