Which of the following statements best explains why a closed
ball...

Question

Which of the following statements best explains why a closed
balloon filled with helium gas rises in air?
(a) Helium is a monatomic gas, whereas nearly all the molecules
that make up air, such as nitrogen and oxygen, are
diatomic.
(b) The average speed of helium atoms is greater than the
average speed of air molecules, and the greater speed
of collisions with the balloon walls propels the balloon
upward.
(c) Because the helium atoms are of lower mass than the average
air molecule, the helium gas is less dense than air.
The mass of the balloon is thus less than the mass of the
air displaced by its volume.
(d) Because helium has a lower molar mass than the average
air molecule, the helium atoms are in faster motion. This
means that the temperature of the helium is greater than
the air temperature. Hot gases tend to rise.

Accepted Answer

Hey everyone in this example, we need to provide an explanation as to why balloon containing xenon gas does not rise. So we should make note of the density of xenon, which when we look that up in our textbooks or online, we see that it's equal to a value of 5. g per liter, which are units for density. However, when we look at the density of air specifically at zero degrees Celsius, we see that the density of air is equal to value of 1.29 g per liter. And so as we can see, the density of xenon is greater than the density of air At 0°C. And so according to this question, our balloon of Xenon is because it's a lot more dense than a regular balloon filled with air. It just is not going to rise because it has such a high density in comparison to air. And so the only correct choice to complete this example is going to be choice e stating that Xenon has a higher density than air. So I hope that everything I reviewed was clear. If you have any questions, please leave them down below and I will see everyone in the next practice video

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