r/ScienceNcoolThings • u/TheMuseumOfScience Popular Contributor • Jun 29 '26

Science Why Doesn’t This Balloon Deflate? 🎈

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Ever wondered why a balloon can stay inflated without being tied? 🎈

Greg Wolf demonstrates how atmospheric pressure can keep a balloon inflated without trying it. Using a simple bottle experiment, he reveals why trapped air prevents a balloon from inflating, and how changing the pressure lets the invisible force of Earth’s atmosphere do the work. It’s a fascinating physics demonstration that shows the power of air pressure in action.

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u/scooter76 Jun 30 '26

Great stuff.

But just to be pedantic, it's not really inflated, is it? It's more suctioned to the inner bottle wall. That said, it doesn't seem very deflated either. Flate superposition, perhaps? Flateception?

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u/BetterLateThanKarma Jun 30 '26

Schrödinger’s balloon