Deflation policy
Question: Why do helium balloons deflate so quickly? When my children bring
balloons home from parties, the ones that are filled with helium are often small
and wizened by the following morning. I realise that some of the size reduction
is caused by deflation but something else must be at work because standard
air-filled balloons stay inflated for much longer.
Answer: Helium gas is not only very light, it is monatomic—its
particles are all made of a single atom. As a result, helium is made up of the
smallest gaseous particles possible. The atoms are only 0.1…
