Buoyant Forces on Different Gas Balloons · PhysicsBowl 2016 #23
Physics · fluid-mechanics
Problem
At a party, two spherical balloons are expanded to have the same radius. Balloon #1 is filled with helium gas while balloon #2 is filled with xenon gas. Which one of the following statements about the buoyant forces on the balloons is correct?
(A) The buoyant force is greater for the helium balloon.
(B) The buoyant force is greater for the xenon balloon.
(C) The buoyant force is the same for each balloon.
(D) The balloon experiencing the greater buoyant force cannot be determined without knowing the radius.
(E) The balloon experiencing the greater buoyant force cannot be determined without knowing the atmospheric pressure at the time.