6 yr. old alone in runaway experimental balloon (1 Viewer)

[pantagrapher]

Has the family's rap video been linked yet?

 

[Buckychudd]

One cubic foot of helium will lift about 28.2 grams1 pound = 453.59237 gramsAverage 9 y/o boy 61.6 lbs.Average 9 y/o boy in grams = ~27,947 gramsWhich woudl require ~991 cubic feet of helium.Balloon was proported to be 20' in diameter which is a surface of ~1256 square feet in area...so it wouldn't have to be THAT tall, which it didn't appear to be.Obviously not factoring in the weight of the balloon, but I think now that it IS feasable that this could lift a kid...although not quickly.

per CNN 5 ft high5 x 1256 = 6280

Which would mean it could lift ~390 lbs.I'd estimate it would have no problem lifting the boy + it's own weight.That said I don't think the boy was ever inside...but still.

You're both doing it wrong....

 

[Brutis]

Thanks to this thread I have a new fear planted in my head for my 6 and 8 year old daughters.

 

[B-Deep]

Thanks to this thread I have a new fear planted in my head for my 6 and 8 year old daughters.

i'd suggest your experimental ufo shaped helium balloon be well secured.

 

[Fat Nick]

One cubic foot of helium will lift about 28.2 grams1 pound = 453.59237 gramsAverage 9 y/o boy 61.6 lbs.Average 9 y/o boy in grams = ~27,947 gramsWhich woudl require ~991 cubic feet of helium.Balloon was proported to be 20' in diameter which is a surface of ~1256 square feet in area...so it wouldn't have to be THAT tall, which it didn't appear to be.Obviously not factoring in the weight of the balloon, but I think now that it IS feasable that this could lift a kid...although not quickly.

per CNN 5 ft high5 x 1256 = 6280

Which would mean it could lift ~390 lbs.I'd estimate it would have no problem lifting the boy + it's own weight.That said I don't think the boy was ever inside...but still.

Getting a lot of conflicting equations about this. One guy on the other board said that 4,000 cubic ft are needed to raise 50 lbs. Fifty pounds, that is ... no typo.

I'm FAR from scientific. I just googled Helium lifting power, got a result in grams, converted grams to lbs and estimated the boys weight and the volume of the craft...but that is quite a range. I'd honestly be more inclined to believe a lower number than I got based on the episode of Mythbusters I watched, but who knows.

 

[tangfoot]

Thanks to this thread I have a new fear planted in my head for my 6 and 8 year old daughters.

Lots of unattended large helium balloons anchored near your house?

 

[Sinn Fein]

One cubic foot of helium will lift about 28.2 grams

1 pound = 453.59237 grams

Average 9 y/o boy 61.6 lbs.

Average 9 y/o boy in grams = ~27,947 grams

Which woudl require ~991 cubic feet of helium.

Balloon was proported to be 20' in diameter which is a surface of ~1256 square feet in area...so it wouldn't have to be THAT tall, which it didn't appear to be.

Obviously not factoring in the weight of the balloon, but I think now that it IS feasable that this could lift a kid...although not quickly.

pi R2 down?R = 10

 

[Death Bytes]

Thanks to this thread I have a new fear planted in my head for my 6 and 8 year old daughters.

Thinking of becoming news reporters, are they?

 

[Sheriff Bart]

One cubic foot of helium will lift about 28.2 grams

1 pound = 453.59237 grams

Average 9 y/o boy 61.6 lbs.

Average 9 y/o boy in grams = ~27,947 grams

Which woudl require ~991 cubic feet of helium.

Balloon was proported to be 20' in diameter which is a surface of ~1256 square feet in area...so it wouldn't have to be THAT tall, which it didn't appear to be.

Obviously not factoring in the weight of the balloon, but I think now that it IS feasable that this could lift a kid...although not quickly.

pi R2 down?R = 10

RDRR

 

[Fat Nick]

One cubic foot of helium will lift about 28.2 grams

1 pound = 453.59237 grams

Average 9 y/o boy 61.6 lbs.

Average 9 y/o boy in grams = ~27,947 grams

Which woudl require ~991 cubic feet of helium.

Balloon was proported to be 20' in diameter which is a surface of ~1256 square feet in area...so it wouldn't have to be THAT tall, which it didn't appear to be.

Obviously not factoring in the weight of the balloon, but I think now that it IS feasable that this could lift a kid...although not quickly.

pi R2 down?R = 10

Winner. I used 20...the diameter. I had the formula right...just forgot to divide the diameter by 2.My bad.

That basically gives us ~97 lbs total lift...so add the weight of the kid and the balloon and we're pushing it now. Especially to get to 10,000 feet, where i'm sure the lift per cubic foot is MUCH less.

 

[Tigran Petrosian]

Has the family's rap video been linked yet?

I think this is bannable material.

 

[Death Bytes]

One cubic foot of helium will lift about 28.2 grams

1 pound = 453.59237 grams

Average 9 y/o boy 61.6 lbs.

Average 9 y/o boy in grams = ~27,947 grams

Which woudl require ~991 cubic feet of helium.

Balloon was proported to be 20' in diameter which is a surface of ~1256 square feet in area...so it wouldn't have to be THAT tall, which it didn't appear to be.

Obviously not factoring in the weight of the balloon, but I think now that it IS feasable that this could lift a kid...although not quickly.

pi R2 down?R = 10

RDRR

R2D2 can fly.

 

[Buckychudd]

Volume of a sphere....

v=4/3*pi*r^3

r=10

v=4189 cubic feet

But this thing isn't a sphere, it's significantly smaller than a sphere. I'd guess no bigger than 1/3 the size of a 20' sphere.

~1333 cubic feet

 

[Doug B]

I'm FAR from scientific. I just googled Helium lifting power, got a result in grams, converted grams to lbs and estimated the boys weight and the volume of the craft...but that is quite a range. I'd honestly be more inclined to believe a lower number than I got based on the episode of Mythbusters I watched, but who knows.

Another guy (private pilot, FWIW) is saying 800 cubic feet would be enough ... really can't tell what the truth is.Oddly, everyone does agree on the 1 cubic foot of helium lifting 28.2 grams. But the end results are still all over the place

 

[Doug B]

This guy shows his work, and essentially agrees with the pilot's estimate of 800 cubic ft:

... a cubic foot of helium can lift 28.2. g. CNN is reporting the balloon is 20 ft long (presumably they mean in diameter, and 5 ft high. If it was a perfect cylinder, that would make it 1570 cubic ft. Cut that in half for the saucer shape, and you get 785 cubic feet, which could lift 22 kg, or 48 lb. So it's conceivable, given a light enough construction of the basket, that it could lift a small 6 year old.

 

[Oh Yes!]

who lotta going on here

 

[Sinn Fein]

Volume of a sphere....v=4/3*pi*r^3r=10v=4189 cubic feetBut this thing isn't a sphere, it's significantly smaller than a sphere. I'd guess no bigger than 1/3 the size of a 20' sphere.~1333 cubic feet

My rough guestimate was 1500 based on 20' diameter circle, 5' tall

 

[yellowdog]

I'm FAR from scientific. I just googled Helium lifting power, got a result in grams, converted grams to lbs and estimated the boys weight and the volume of the craft...but that is quite a range. I'd honestly be more inclined to believe a lower number than I got based on the episode of Mythbusters I watched, but who knows.

Another guy (private pilot, FWIW) is saying 800 cubic feet would be enough ... really can't tell what the truth is.Oddly, everyone does agree on the 1 cubic foot of helium lifting 28.2 grams. But the end results are still all over the place

Perhaps MoP could come in here and clear things up.

 

[Brutis]

Thanks to this thread I have a new fear planted in my head for my 6 and 8 year old daughters.

Lots of unattended large helium balloons anchored near your house?

My imagination doesnt care about that little fact.

 

[Brutis]

Volume of a sphere....

v=4/3*pi*r^3

r=10

v=4189 cubic feet

But this thing isn't a sphere, it's significantly smaller than a sphere. I'd guess no bigger than 1/3 the size of a 20' sphere.

~1333 cubic feet

What the hell is this?? Chinese??

 

[rodg12]

I'm FAR from scientific. I just googled Helium lifting power, got a result in grams, converted grams to lbs and estimated the boys weight and the volume of the craft...but that is quite a range. I'd honestly be more inclined to believe a lower number than I got based on the episode of Mythbusters I watched, but who knows.

Another guy (private pilot, FWIW) is saying 800 cubic feet would be enough ... really can't tell what the truth is.Oddly, everyone does agree on the 1 cubic foot of helium lifting 28.2 grams. But the end results are still all over the place

Perhaps MoP could come in here and clear things up.

Ah, the memories.....

 

[Fat Nick]

I have no clue how being a private pilot gives any expertise here. I'M a private pilot...but it's irrelevant here for everything except my earlier comment about hypoxia.

That said, I think the numbers are off if you use the volume formula for a sphere, becuase it's not a sphere, AND off if you use the volume for a cylinder (which I did), because it's not truely that either. That said, I don't know the formula for the volume of whatever that thing was.

And yes, I'm all about the -ing. It's my Asian half.

 

[rick6668]

Volume of a sphere....v=4/3*pi*r^3r=10v=4189 cubic feetBut this thing isn't a sphere, it's significantly smaller than a sphere. I'd guess no bigger than 1/3 the size of a 20' sphere.~1333 cubic feet

Pretty closeHeight was only 5 ft per CNN. V= 4/3 *pi*abca=10, b=10, c=2.5V=1047 cubic feet

 

[tdog]

I'm FAR from scientific. I just googled Helium lifting power, got a result in grams, converted grams to lbs and estimated the boys weight and the volume of the craft...but that is quite a range. I'd honestly be more inclined to believe a lower number than I got based on the episode of Mythbusters I watched, but who knows.

Another guy (private pilot, FWIW) is saying 800 cubic feet would be enough ... really can't tell what the truth is.Oddly, everyone does agree on the 1 cubic foot of helium lifting 28.2 grams. But the end results are still all over the place

Perhaps MoP could come in here and clear things up.

800 x 28.2g = 22560g = about 49 pounds = about how much my six year old weighs

 

[Oh Yes!]

I have no clue how being a private pilot gives any expertise here. I'M a private pilot...but it's irrelevant here for everything except my earlier comment about hypoxia.That said, I think the numbers are off if you use the volume formula for a sphere, becuase it's not a sphere, AND off if you use the volume for a cylinder (which I did), because it's not truely that either. That said, I don't know the formula for the volume of whatever that thing was.And yes, I'm all about the -ing. It's my Asian half.

apparently it was 5 x 20 feet

 

[FavreCo]

Thanks to this thread I have a new fear planted in my head for my 6 and 8 year old daughters.

i'd suggest your experimental ufo shaped helium balloon be well secured.

Just secured www.jiffypopballoons.com

 

[Doug B]

I have no clue how being a private pilot gives any expertise here. I'M a private pilot...but it's irrelevant here for everything except my earlier comment about hypoxia.

You're right ... the guy does have some more (second-hand to me) credentials than that, but still. I made sure to type "FWIW", because it might not be worth all that much.

That said, I think the numbers are off if you use the volume formula for a sphere, becuase it's not a sphere, AND off if you use the volume for a cylinder (which I did), because it's not truely that either. That said, I don't know the formula for the volume of whatever that thing was.

People are using a formula for a half-sphere, which I think is a closer approximation.

 

[B-Deep]

Thanks to this thread I have a new fear planted in my head for my 6 and 8 year old daughters.

i'd suggest your experimental ufo shaped helium balloon be well secured.

Just secured www.jiffypopballoons.com

gold mine!

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Air weighs about 0.078 pounds per cubic foot, so the upward buoyant force on a cubic foot of helium is about 0.078 pounds.

A cubic foot of helium weighs only about 0.011 pounds.

The difference between the upward buoyant force on the cubic foot of helium and the weight of the helium is the amount of extra weight that the helium can lift, which is about 0.067 pounds per cubic foot.

To lift a 100 pound person, you'll need about 1500 cubic feet of helium in your balloon.

 

[rick6668]

I have no clue how being a private pilot gives any expertise here. I'M a private pilot...but it's irrelevant here for everything except my earlier comment about hypoxia.

That said, I think the numbers are off if you use the volume formula for a sphere, becuase it's not a sphere, AND off if you use the volume for a cylinder (which I did), because it's not truely that either. That said, I don't know the formula for the volume of whatever that thing was.

And yes, I'm all about the -ing. It's my Asian half.

apparently it was 5 x 20 feet

I'm guessing it was closest to an ellipsoid.Ellipsoid

4/3*pi*abc

 

[Buckychudd]

Volume of a sphere....v=4/3*pi*r^3r=10v=4189 cubic feetBut this thing isn't a sphere, it's significantly smaller than a sphere. I'd guess no bigger than 1/3 the size of a 20' sphere.~1333 cubic feet

Pretty closeHeight was only 5 ft per CNN. V= 4/3 *pi*abca=10, b=10, c=2.5V=1047 cubic feet

ahh, that would make sense.

 

[yellowdog]

Now they are saying the balloon had a box attached at the base, which is no longer there. Authorities are searching for it.

 

[Brutis]

ENOUGH with these......numbers

 

[FavreCo]

Will you calculator heads cut it out. This is not about IF this and IF that. It already flew.

JIFFYPOPBALLOONS!!!!

 

[Third]

Now they are saying the balloon had a box attached at the base, which is no longer there. Authorities are searching for it.

Oh boy...

 

[yellowdog]

Now they are saying the balloon had a box attached at the base, which is no longer there. Authorities are searching for it.

Oh boy...

Link.

 

[PatsFanCT]

I had no idea we had so many Mathamaholics in here.

 

[Buckychudd]

Will you calculator heads cut it out. This is not about IF this and IF that. It already flew. JIFFYPOPBALLOONS!!!!

Of course it flew, but did it (or was it able to) lift a 50 lb boy?

 

[Giant Wooden Badger]

Ugh. Feeling sick again.

 

[B-Deep]

Now they are saying the balloon had a box attached at the base, which is no longer there. Authorities are searching for it.

impossiblethe FFA has declared this is a media driven event, there's no way the craft could lift a boy, a boy could not get in, this is crazy talk

 

[FavreCo]

Will you calculator heads cut it out. This is not about IF this and IF that. It already flew. JIFFYPOPBALLOONS!!!!

Of course it flew, but did it (or was it able to) lift a 50 lb boy?

I like that avatar. First time I've see it.

 

[-jb-]

Now they are saying the balloon had a box attached at the base, which is no longer there. Authorities are searching for it.

Oh boy...

Link.

WHERE IS THE FATHER??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Something tells me he would know with certainty.

Also, will the CNN blowhards now say that it was only logical that the box was attached, and of course there was enough lift?

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I had no idea we had so many Mathamaholics in here.

Are you serious?This is like high school.

 

[RudiStein]

Now they are saying the balloon had a box attached at the base, which is no longer there. Authorities are searching for it.

Oh man, that isn't good.

 

[wadegarrett]

Ugh. Feeling sick again.

yep...this may not end well

 

[jobarules]

Now they are saying the balloon had a box attached at the base, which is no longer there. Authorities are searching for it.

Oh boy...

Link.

WHERE IS THE FATHER??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Something tells me he would know with certainty.

Also, will the CNN blowhards now say that it was only logical that the box was attached, and of course there was enough lift?

Perhaps hes trying to find his son instead of talking to the media?

 

[jplvr]

Now they are saying the balloon had a box attached at the base, which is no longer there. Authorities are searching for it.

Oh boy...

Link.

WHERE IS THE FATHER??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Something tells me he would know with certainty.

Also, will the CNN blowhards now say that it was only logical that the box was attached, and of course there was enough lift?

Perhaps hes trying to find his son instead of talking to the media?

Police are reporting to the media. I would think the father would be in contact with them.

 

[Harry Manback]

Starting to think the older brother watched him get in, and undid the ropes himself thinking it was funny.

Then when he realized how bad it was, lied and said the kid undid it himself.



Feeling ####ty again.

 

[shuke]

Have we seen any footage or pics with the actual box attached? This story is making me sick.

 

[geewill]

Will you calculator heads cut it out. This is not about IF this and IF that. It already flew. JIFFYPOPBALLOONS!!!!

Of course it flew, but did it (or was it able to) lift a 50 lb boy?

african or european?