Balloon (aircraft)

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/balloon-aircraft

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary scientific principle?Archimedes' principle applied to gases, resulting in buoyant lift
2. What is the inventors of hot air balloon?Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier
3. What makes a balloon float?Balloons float because they push up on the air they displace. If that lift is bigger than the balloon's weight, it rises.
4. How do hot air balloons stay up?Hot air balloons heat the air inside the envelope, making it lighter than the outside air. Burners control the temperature so the balloon can go up or down.

Aerostat: An aircraft that derives its lift from buoyancy, such as a balloon or airship.
Envelope: The fabric casing of a balloon that contains the lifting gas or heated air.
Stratosphere: A layer of Earth's atmosphere above the troposphere, where many balloons conduct scientific research.