[ELI5] how do hot air balloons even work? How do they know where they’re going without steering?

Question

[ELI5] how do hot air balloons even work? How do they know where they’re going without steering?

In: 846

Answer 1

I’m surprised I haven’t read this answer yet.

There’s a term saying “hot air rises” and that’s because of physics.

If you turn on your air conditioner, the air temperature at your feet is going to be colder that the one on the ceiling (that’s why it’s best to have AC vents at the top not bottom).

It’s the same with hot air balloon. It’s a big balloon and they fill the air inside the balloon with hot air. Since the air inside the balloon is hot, then the balloon goes up. If you want it to go down, there’s an opening in the balloon to let some of the hot air out.