It is the hardest when we begin to blow the balloon. It becomes progressively easier after that. The reason is that, the rubber is thickest when we start, and it continues to become thin as we blow. When the rubber thins down, the resistance it offers also goes down.
The best strategy to blow a balloon is to stretch the balloon so that it becomes thin. Holding it stretched and blowing is the best way to start. Once the balloon inflates and becomes easier to blow, the stretching could be discontinued.
when an inflated balloon is opened up to let the air flow out, the flow is maximum at the final stage when the balloon has regained its full thickness.
3 comments:
Interesting! So how about the "stickiness" of the balloon membrane before being blow, and the pressure differential (inside the balloon vs outside) you are fighting against as the balloon gets more inflated?
Sriram.K
Stickiness definitely adds some extra effort in the start. But regardless of that, even for an old balloon the other factors apply.
The pressure difference is due to the elasticity of the balloon and nothing else. Hence the pressure difference also decreases as we blow - against our intuition.
When you stretch the baloon, you have already given the energy it needs to expand using the hands which would otherwise be the lungs/mouth etc.
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