Will It Work: Balloons on flames

This is an easy-to-do experiment that is great at showing the interesting properties of water.

Here's What you'll need: candle; match; balloons; water.

Here's what you do: Light the candle with the match or lighter (kids make sure you get an adult to help you with this experiment).  Then blow up a balloon and tie it.  Bring the balloon close to the flame and very soon it will...you guessed it...pop!

Next put some water in another balloon then blow that one up.  Hold the balloon over the flame with the water toward the flame; you could even touch the flame wit the balloon and it should not pop.  

If you want a big ending, turn the balloon over the flame so the water is offset and not only will the balloon pop, it may even extinguish the flame for you.

Why It Works:  This shows how water is such a good absorber of heat. (Did you know that it takes ten times more heat to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree C than it does to raise the the temperature of 1 gram of iron the same amount).   What's happening when you put the water balloon over the flame is that the water is heating up on the bottom and rising to the top while the cooler water on top replaces it toward the flame.  This whole process keeps the balloon cool enough to prevent popping.  

Very cool and easy experiment. It's also a great one to show the properties of water; convection; specific heat, etc.

My rating: It gets 3-and-a-half beakers out of 5.