Why the Polar Vortex Is Bad for Balloon Artists

It’s been crazy cold this week, even down where I live in Louisiana, thanks to an outbreak of a polar vortex. This frigid air is bad for all kinds of things, including football helmets, apparently. But it’s actually a great time to demonstrate one of the basic ideas in science: the ideal gas law.

You probably have some balloons somewhere around the house, maybe left over from New Year’s. Try this out: Blow up a balloon and tie it off real tight. Got it? Now put on the warmest jacket you have and take the balloon outside. What happens? Yes, with the drop in temperature the balloon shrinks—the volume inside

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