[ELI5] how do hot air balloons even work? How do they know where they’re going without steering?
In: 846
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air craft, in the same category as blimps. They fly differently than aircraft with wings or gliding objects like planes and helicopters do. The physical principle here is that if the air inside the object is less dense than the air outside, it will float in the air. This is the same reason why helium balloons will float if you let go of them – helium as a gas is less dense than the air. In the case of a hot air balloon, it’s the heat of the air that contributes to the density.
Hot air balloon pilots will adjust the heat inside the balloon to either go up or down in the air. They can’t control direction very well, which is why they’re generally not used to get from point A to point B. They run into problems if it suddenly gets too windy or rainy. That’s why hot air balloons would be ideal in desert climates such as New Mexico or Arizona where it is probably not going to rain and it doesn’t get super windy.
Latest Answers