Why Should A Balloon Be Considered A Closed System

Change in pressure

For a balloon to be blown up the pressure inside the walls of the balloon must be higher than the pressure outside of the balloon. In most instances, the balloon will be filled with air. With an air-filled balloon the air pressure inside the balloon is stronger than both the air pressure of the surrounding area, and the tension force that is created by the elastic balloon covering.

The balloon can be considered a closed system. This is due to the balloon does not trade matter with anything outside of the system. However, the balloon does have forces acting upon it from outside the balloon walls. When the balloon is popped the closed system is now open. The air pressure of the air around the balloon and the air pressure inside

The potential energy, or the Elastic energy in the balloon begins at a high value then is lowered to a low value as the balloon is popped. The second law of thermodynamics determines that the energy flow cannot occur from low to high without work being present.

For example, as the balloon is popped, the kinetic energy of the system then increases, which without work is not possible. However, there is work done to the balloon. The act of a human popping the balloon is work and requires the human to convert chemical energy into work. Work can also be found in how the potential energy was originally increased to a high value. When the balloon was blown up the human had to put work into the act of blowing the balloon up into its original form. Thus increasing the potential energy. For this phenomenon to occur as shown in the video the potential energy of the balloon would have to be restored. The balloon would have to be put back together without any work being applied. This would mean the water would have to return to its original shape without the balloon walls to hold it in place as well as the balloon walls forming again to make seamless balloon. In other words, without work this would be